Reaching for personal best
Ever since I was old enough to have a clear image of what I wanted to do with my life professionally, I imagined myself as someone who would be constantly honing their craft. And I’m sure that people looking for a dentist in Birmingham, Alabama would like to find the best dentist possible – one that is always trying to get better at what they do. And while there probably is no real objective way to find the “best” dentist in a particular area, I have put a lot of effort in trying to be the best dentist that I can be.
One way I have found to accomplish this is through the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD). Founded in 1952, the AGD is the only professional association that exclusively represents the needs and interests of general dentists. They offer awards of Fellowship and Mastership for dentists to strive towards as benchmarks in their quest to be their personal best. When I found out about the Fellowship and Mastership awards available through the AGD, I knew it was something I wanted to shoot for.
A milestone accomplished
I’m very happy to have recently passed the AGD’s Fellowship Exam. This was a very hard, 3+ hour test covering all topics of dentistry. Fellowship also requires 500 hours of continuing education (CE) classes after dental school. I’ve been working on the this ever since I graduated. The award is generally something that only other dentists are aware of its significance; hopefully it shows my peers and my patients that I do everything I can to be the best I can be at what I do.
In Alabama dentists have to take 20 hours a year of CE a year in order to keep our licenses active. At the rate of 20 hours a year, it would take 25 years to get the required hours to be eligible for Fellowship. The AGD wisely created these awards to motivate dentists to push beyond doing the bare minimum, to keep their skills sharp – which improves the quality of dental care at large. A recipient of these awards is trying to be the best dentist they can be.
An award like this alone should not make someone trust a health care provider. Trust is earned over time through action. But if you come to AdVance Dental, you can rest assured that your dentist takes the responsibility of taking care of your mouth seriously, and he holds the craft of dentistry in the highest regard.
Onward and upward
I’ll officially receive the Fellowship Award next Summer at the AGD’s annual session. I have already begun work on Mastership, which requires 1100 hours of CE covering all aspects of dentistry. My goal is that every time someone sees me at my practice, I’m a little better than the last time they saw me.
Marc
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