Supporting our new practitioners The NPP program was hugely successful in 2021, with plans to make the program bigger and even better in 2022.
ADAWA’s New Practitioner Program was launched in 2020, with the goal of assisting new and recent graduates to transition from a big cohort in a predicted environment to part of a network of peers. Comprising five study clubs, held throughout the year – culminating in November’s Young Dentists’ Conference – NPP allows new practitioners to hear from some of the best in the industry and have the chance to ask questions in a safe, supportive setting.
BEHIND THE SCENES
THE YOUNG DENTISTS’ CONFERENCE
Headed by Chair of the Recent Graduates Committee, The Young Dentists’ Conference at the end of 2021 Dr Bec Penco, along with committee members Drs went out with a bang, with the committee working Sean Archibald, Greg Crane and Amanda Phoon Nguyen, incredibly hard to create an informative program. the 2021 program was a roaring success, but it wasn’t “At the end of YDC in 2020 we asked attendees what luck – there was a lot of work behind the scenes. they wanted to know about,” Amanda explains. “They “We all work very well as a committee because we are told us they liked the panel discussion at the end, where always talking and have frequent meetings and group they could ask questions. I don’t want anyone to think chats,” Amanda says. that if they give any feedback on the day we will not listen, because we very much do. The committee also seeks feedback to ensure the program is as useful for new practitioners as possible. “We always tell attendees of the study groups to let us know what they want and what they find interesting,” Amanda explains. “We also encourage them to let us know if they run into any cases or have any questions, so it is quite organic; we craft the program based on what people tell us they want to know. “For example, Leon Smith’s talk at the latest Young Dentists’ Conference was: ‘What goes wrong at 5pm on a Friday and how to prevent it’. That idea was born because something did go wrong with a patient at 5pm on a Friday, so Leon asked the registrars at the hospital what they most commonly see after hours – and the talk was based on that.”
“As a result, we targeted the talks around what people wanted to know,” she adds. ‘Biomimetic dentistry is something our young dentists want to know more about, so we had two amazing speakers for that. We tried to keep the focus of the program on very practical tips, so whoever attended and listened to the talks could hopefully start applying things the next day or the next week. We aimed to keep things interactive, so we had panel discussions, several quizzes and prizes sponsored by DPL and WA Dental CPD.” The social event afterwards was a hit, with great music and tacos for lunch, CARAD Food Truck (a social enterprise staffed by refugees and asylum seekers) in attendance, and a live paella station.
“The social event of the YDC is my favourite part, The committee recently held a focus group to ensure because we really build a community with the regular NPP was delivering what the recent grads wanted. “We invited recent graduates to provide feedback over lunch,” study clubs throughout the year and the final day is a culmination,” Amanda says. Bec explains. “It was really great because most had attended the NPP events, so they were able to give us “We have received a lot of amazing feedback, and really candid feedback.” attendees have told us it was probably the best one ever. I think that is really a reflection of the effort the committee The committee also works closely with Dr Jenny Ball put in and all of the feedback that we have received.” from WA Dental CPD, often sharing in-demand speakers.
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EDITION 1 | 2022 WESTERN ARTICULATOR
