Benefitting you and the profession
Featured Products Promotional FeaturesPosted by: Dental Design 13th May 2022
Working as a dental hygienist or a dental therapist can be isolating. Due to the nature of our roles, we can work between multiple practices throughout the week or only perform our duties on a part-time basis, so feeling like part of the team isn’t always easy.
This impacts our lives in numerous ways. For instance, who can you turn to for support, advice, encouragement? Joining an association could be exactly the rewarding experience you’re looking for.
The British Association of Dental Therapists (BADT) has been on-hand to support professionals since 1962, and today remains an excellence source of education, advice and more.
But how can joining the BADT help you as a professional and as an individual?
Support during difficult times
The pandemic has been a difficult time for professionals in all walks of life, but dental hygienists and dental therapists were particularly hard hit by changes within the industry. When dental treatment became unavailable, many individuals in these roles were unable to claim furlough from the government, leaving them with little to no support.
A number of dental hygienists and dental therapists were also left without NHS payments during this time. In response, the BADT joined forces with the British Dental Association (BDA) and fought for members to receive NHS payments during lockdown. We successfully helped many members access payments that had been withheld from them.
Finding a fair indemnity policy is another challenge for dental hygienists and dental therapists. Recently, the BADT has teamed up with Dental Protection to offer members an exclusive 15% on their Dental Protection indemnity policy, which has been specifically tailored to offer individuals the exact cover they need at an affordable, accessible price.
The BADT also provides support in the form of legal and accountancy advice and a member and support helpline, meaning that no matter what sort of questions you have, the association can always provide an answer!
Education and opportunity
As professionals will already be aware, finding tailored resources and CPD that directly appeals to dental hygienists and dental therapists is not always a straightforward task. The BADT helps members to grow and succeed in their careers by supplying them with numerous opportunities to keep up to date with the latest developments, access cutting-edge research and find CPD that correlates with areas of the field that are most useful.
BADT members are provided with four printed Dental Therapy Update Journals per year, alongside eleven Dental Update e-journals, free access to the digital version of Registered Dental Hygienist and the Irish Dental Hygiene Association journals twice a year. Alongside this impressive plethora of material, the association also hosts members only webinars and discounted CPD courses with a range of external providers. The BADT also hosts a diverse events calendar for all members, including study days on relevant topics and the yearly BADT Annual National Conference – the perfect occasion for professionals to connect with likeminded individuals, learn from leading lights in the industry and keep ahead of the curve.
Through this exceptional portfolio of educational materials and opportunities, the BADT ensures that members not only keep abreast of the industry as it evolves, but also to explore new areas within their profession. This way, members can gain the skills they need as well as the confidence to pursue different avenues, taking full control over their career pathway to ensure that they are informed, fulfilled and motivated to succeed.
Helping to create a fairer, more progressive profession
The BADT has been there for dental therapists from the very beginning, and has used its influence to action a number of ground-breaking changes within the profession.
The association campaigned for professional indemnity in 1964, soon followed by the acceptance of dental therapists as members of the Medical Protection Society. A campaign to broaden the scope of practice for dental therapists with the BADT at the helm resulted in the introduction of ‘extended duties’, allowing dental therapists to perform a number of further treatments including pulpotomies, impression-taking and the placement of preformed metal crowns.
Direct Access is another issue that the BADT has helped bring to fruition, and the association was the only organisation to fight for dental therapists to be included in this change.
These are just some examples of how the association has helped to shape the profession over the years, and today it continues to strive for more change in order to ensure that the profession continues to evolve and become a more inclusive, fairer field for all.
Why not join today?
With the BADT offering members so many educational opportunities, resources, events, chances to connect with others and more, now is the perfect time to become part of something greater and have your voice heard. The BADT is welcoming, encouraging and here to lend a hand whenever it’s needed. To find out more, please contact the team about joining the association today!
For more details, please visit www.badt.org.uk
Author:
Debbie Hemington- Chair qualified from New Cross in 1983, the year it closed, and is actually the last New Cross Therapist to graduate. She qualified as a Hygienist at Kings in 1987 and has worked continuously during this time in a variety of settings.
In 2003 she joined The Eastman as a tutor and combines that role with working in a mixed general practice where she has worked for 38 years!
Debbie has also worked the for the former London Deanery as part of the DCP tutor team commissioning post graduate education, and was the educational lead on “Wild Smile” project with Heart your Smile.
In 2012 she took part in a 2 year part time pilot scheme at Kings for Enhanced Skills in Periodontology.
She has been a BADT member for most of her career and was elected Chair in 2018 and is now President of the Association.
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