The Humility of CE - ORTHOPRENEURS

During my 29 years in practice, continuing education has been a staple of my life. I love attending courses and learning new techniques, connecting with my peers and getting inspiration to make my practice-and my life-better.

There are no shortages of great teachers and I guess I could be more discriminating in some of the courses I choose to attend, but I feel good with the information I’m receiving. I love chatting with other attendees and learning about their practices and their lives. We have so much in common.

However, I know many orthodontists who attend maybe one meeting per year where they get all of their CE. There are a huge amount who email me asking how much CE they get for the Orthopreneurs Summit so that they can meet their state’s annual minimal limit. I am not pointing fingers when I say this, but I can’t imagine living my best orthodontist life and not take enough CE to satisfy a minimal annual CE threshold. Do many folks not attend CE courses because they’re too busy? Do they think they already know enough? Are they already confident enough in their outcomes and their practice health? Are they unable to get away from family commitments? But no matter the reason, there IS online CE too (see Orthopreneurs University).

And when we sit in the lectures, are we humble enough to realize how much we have to learn? Maybe you DO know a lot of what you’re seeing in the presentation, but if you take away even just one gem, it’s worth it. If you’re intellectually honest enough and vulnerable enough, the right course can change your practice and the lives of your patients or your family.

I have a lot to learn, but especially after Covid lockdown, I need to get together with people with whom I have so much in common. People who know exactly what I’m going through and can laugh when we talk about staffing or lab bills or that crazy case that walked in the other day. Nobody gets us like us and beyond the great information we get at CE courses, it’s that human interaction that we need so much, especially after the year we all had.

Life is starting to happen and we’re leaving our homes more often. Go register for a course someone that forces you to travel and open your mind and heart and I promise you that you’ll be thankful you did.

If you want to be a part of a geographically exclusive Facebook group (OrthopreneursRD) where we come together to help each other build better practices and lower stress, please message me. To learn more about your region’s availability and what it’s all about, click HERE.

GLENN KRIEGER IS AN ORTHODONTIST WITH 20 YEARS OF RESTORATIVE AND COSMETIC DENTISTRY EXPERIENCE BEFORE HE RETURNED TO ORTHODONTIC RESIDENCY. DR. KRIEGER LEARNED ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF WELL-DESIGNED PRACTICE POLICIES AND SYSTEMS DURING A YEAR AT THE SCHUSTER CENTER FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN SCOTTSDALE ARIZONA, AND AN UNDERSTANDING OF GENERAL ACCOUNTING PRACTICES AND INDUSTRIAL PSYCHOLOGY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON GRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOL’S “DENTIST AS CEO” PROGRAM. HE IS THE HOST OF “THE ORTHOPRENEURS PODCAST”, MANAGES THE ORTHOPRENEURS FACEBOOK GROUP AND RUNS THE ANNUAL ORTHOPRENEURS SUMMIT.

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