Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

E ach year we close the Practice and have a full days training session. This might seem a bit harsh but during this day I will ensure that we have a full day of learning, set with aims and objectives. This year our Investors in People review was due so we had our review on the same day as this saved disruption at a later date. Staff meetings are held on a regular occasion but quite often you don’t have everyone’s undi- vided attention as they are usual- ly held around lunchtime so can quite often become shortened. At the start of the year I will choose a suitable date and close the appointment book with the exception of one surgery so we can continue to see any emer- gency patient that may contact on the training day. I will then contact the manda- tory training companies (ie Cross Infection Control, CPR) and allo- cate a time for the training to be carried out. Appraisal forms are given out and a time set for the appraisal during the training day. Peer re- views are scheduled for the den- tists during the training day. Contracts are reviewed and updated with any pay increase and given out on the same day. BDA Good Practice is dis- cussed. The Partners and I will meet and discuss the business plan for the coming year and see what we require to ensure we reach our goal. This can then become a working tool in our days train- ing. Identifying the needs of the business and ensuring you meet them usually includes the in- volvement of team members. It’s of little use you having a goal and not sharing what you need to do to achieve it. The day will start with an in- depth staff meeting, in the past we have also asked speakers to attend to cover various subjects, ie Health & Safety, Significant Events anything that I feel will be of benefit to the staff. We will also look at everyone’s roles and ensure we have current first aid- ers, fire marshalls etc, quite often these roles get overlooked espe- cially if a person leaves and held these extra duties. CPD logs are hours are checked and new CPD folders are given out for the coming year. I purchase a CPD folder from a Company that can be used by all members of the team. This I find such an easy tool to use. The staff are provided with individu- al folders containing sufficient verifiable CPD, I understand that mandatory CPD is the individuals responsibility however I feel this is an investment in your staff. During the lunch break I book a lunch & learn from a rep. It’s surprising how quickly the day goes and how much ground- work you have covered. To take a day out needs to ben- efitthePractice,Ibelievequalityis something that should be expect- ed and delivered at the highest level. Training days may sound expensive but what you gain from a whole days experience outweighs the negative side. DT Training day Jane Armitage looks at staff training About the author Jane Armitage, Practice Manager of the Year 05,06,07,09 Jane Armitage is an award-winning practice manager and has almost 40 years industry experience. She is currently a practice manager for Thompson & Thomas, and holds a Vocational Assessors award. She is also a BDA Good Prac- tice Assessor, BDA Good Practice Regional Consultant, and has a BDA Certificate of Merit for services to the profession. PM of the year 2005,06,07,09 BDA Certificate of Merit fir services to the profession. UK Outstanding achievement award 2011. Readers can contact janearm@btint- ernet.com September 10-16, 201210Practice Management United Kingdom Edition ... Special Launch Offer inc accessories, delivery, online training ex vat