Just over a year ago, my friend Stuart (now our IT and Business Development Director) and the legend that is Tom Reason (our education and marketing director) travelled to Scotland as a 3 to investigate Dundee as a possible venue for the first-ever Scotland Year implant course provided by The Campbell Academy.
The 3 of us travelled to Dundee from Nottingham on the train and scouted out the possible, developing venue at Wright's Education Centre, together with giving Wright's advice on how the education centre could be set up to mimic some of the fantastic features we have in Nottingham.
We went for a meal and tested one of the sites for possible course meals, and then went to a whiskey bar (and things got a bit untidy).
We had a wonderful time even if the journey home was a little bit heavy, but we were convinced that it would be possible to utilise the facilities that Wrights were providing with us in partnership, and also the reputation that we have been developing for the production of your implant courses and the general dental practitioner implant surgeons.
The first-year course in Dundee started in October, and it's fair to say that it has been a fantastic success. The clinical days that are provided in Glasgow are some of the busiest clinical days on year courses that we have ever had, and therefore the delegates will be placing their implants and moving forwards into a much more developed career in implant dentistry.
It was never the intention, though, just to stick at one year; it was never the intention to stick at one course, and since that time and the initial and the initial modules of the year one course, we've expanded the portfolio in Scotland to include master classes in ridge reservation, consultation, aesthetics, we have courses in sinus grafting, full arch reconstruction, and the year implant course to return again.
Under the guidance and direction of Colin Burns, who is our Director for Education in Scotland and Northern Ireland, the whole portfolio of education in Scotland will literally be exploding over the next 18 months.
It is centred, though, around the year one course.
We have been providing year one implant courses as an organisation since 2015, and in October in Dundee, our 20th edition of The Campbell Academy year course will begin.
This week, in a fantastic coincidence, we're attending the Scottish dentistry show to exhibit, just to talk to people who might be interested in some of the work that we're doing in Scotland. Colin Burns will be there, and so will I, Tom will be there, and Ibby and Ellie from The Campbell Academy.
If you're going to be there, come and see us; I'll be doing a talk on the Friday based around ridge preservation for general dental practitioners, which is a game-changing procedure for anyone in practice.
We will be expanding our clinical education into business education in Scotland too, and we have many, many more things to unveil and develop moving forward.
If you are, though, considering stepping into implant dentistry, and you live in Scotland or wish to study or learn in Scotland, then come to see us at the show in Glasgow, or hit the buttons here to talk to us at any point.
The reason we've reached 20 editions of the year course and hope to do another 200 from here on in ( we’re developing two further sites), is that we understand that didactic teaching is one thing and practical teaching is another, but clinical teaching is also required, as is longer term mentoring, to allow people the confidence and the support to move into implant dentistry in the way that they want.
All of these things are included in our course together with world-renowned resources in education. Have a look and have a think about it; it's unlikely that you will regret it.
In 1997, implant dentistry changed my life and the life of my family; it can do that too, and we know how to do that.
I hope to see you soon
Blog Post Number - 4564