As a registered dental hygienist, the ability to continue competency is critical to assess one’s knowledge and fitness to practice. The College of Dental Hygienists of British Columbia already have a system in place to assess this: Every five years, 75 credits of continuing education need to be fulfilled, as well as an examination part of the Quality Assurance Program.(1) Continuing education can be obtained from several events. For example, the annual Pacific Dental Conference offers lectures from highly esteemed researchers all at one event.(2) Furthermore, I will be joining study clubs to review past knowledge as well as new knowledge as changes are made to the dynamic profession of dental hygiene. Another place to access knowledge are the webinars offered for free to members of the Canadian Dental Hygienists’ Association.(3) Finally, to reduce the stigma of dental hygienists as tooth cleaners only, I will strive to offer alternative treatments to my clients, such as sealant placement or temporary restorations. This is done in an effort to advocate, but also to practice these clinical skills.
- College of Dental Hygienists of British Columbia. QAP Continuing Competency Program Reference Information [Internet]. [cited 3 Apr 2019]. Available from: http://www.cdhbc.com/Documents/CC-QAP-Ref-info.aspx.
- Pacific Dental Conference 2019 [Internet]. [cited 3 Apr 2019]. Available from: https://www.pdconf.com/cms2019/.
- The Canadian Dental Hygienists Association. Free Webinars [Internet]. [cited 3 Apr 2019]. Available from: https://www.cdha.ca/cdha/Education/Webinars/CDHA/Education/Webinars/Default.aspx.