The Productive Dentist Podcast

The Productive Dentist Podcast features Dr. Bruce B. Baird, America's Most Productive Dentist, as he shares the wisdom and knowledge he's gained in 30+ years of dentistry to help dentists become more productive and live better lives.

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Productive Dentist Podcast

“When I walk into a CE course I challenge myself to not think the same way again. And then I go back to the office with an implementation strategy.”

I have a question for you to think about today: Why do you go to CE? What is your goal when you attend a course and what do you hope to take away from it?

I know some dentists only go because their state board says they have to get a certain number of credits. I’ve never approached it that way, but early on in my career I was just hungry for more information. I’ve always been a big reader and I’ve bought and read so many books and listened to so many recorded seminars. But I’ll read them and learn a few things but then those books sit on the shelf. I think people do that with CE, too.

So, let’s go back to that question: why do you go to CE? Sure it’s nice to get out of the office, see some friends. Don’t get me wrong. Those aspects of CE are all important, they help create relationships. I have learned just as much from dinners out or chatting at the bar with other dentists, as in the formal seminars.

But what do you do with the actual information you’re getting at CE programs? Do you write down notes on what you learned and what you’re going to change? Do you take your team with you? Do you have an implementation strategy of how to put to use the best things you learned?

What’s always so impressive to me at the PDA Productivity Workshops are the teams who attend together and then go back to the office and implement what they’ve learned. Productivity and efficiency increases, the office runs smoother, patients are served better. It’s a really great thing to watch.

So today I want to talk more about getting the most out of your CE, including:

    
• The mindset I used when approaching CE programs
    
• Implementation strategies I used with myself and my team
    
• How I used delegation to ensure good education was applied in my office