Continuous Professional Development
Welcome from the Associate Dean
On the first day of my new post, I am delighted to introduce the new Continuing Professional Development Planner (released 13th April) and more importantly an exciting new programme of postgraduate courses. Both herald a new era for the Deanery with a primary aim of providing education for the whole dental team and a diversity of courses that will appeal to all.
An important role for the Yorkshire and the Humber Deanery is to provide high quality core courses. Included in our new CPD planner are courses covering the General Dental Council’s recommendations on revalidation, covering radiography and radiation protection, disinfection and decontamination and medical emergencies. Our aim is to establish an innovative postgraduate curriculum for the whole of Yorkshire.These will be provided in a number of formats, from large venues to smaller more intimate working groups to help members of the dental team develop the key skills they require in an appropriate setting. Given the importance of the core courses, we will be appointing a tutor who will be solely responsible for their planning and development.
We are also delighted to include an increased number of hands on courses held primarily in the new clinical teaching classrooms at the Leeds Dental Institute. For those of you who have not experienced these new facilities, do come along - I can assure you they are light years away from the old phantom head rooms with dripping heads and rusty metal jaws! We are piloting these courses in the evenings to see if delegates prefer this format rather than courses during the day.
As you will note in the planner, we have divided the courses into core, clinical, team and management to ensure a broad coverage of continuing professional development. Our aim is to establish an innovative postgraduate curriculum for the whole of Yorkshire. By planning ahead we intend to provide a greater opportunity to select courses appropriate to the development plans of individual practices. We continue to liaise with the FGDP and intend to work more closely with the Primary Care Trusts to ensure our courses compliment each other to provide a broad range of Continuing Professional Development.
Brian R Nattress
Associate Postgraduate Dean for CPD (Yorkshire)
April 2007