A Great Week in the Life of a Dental Infection Control Consultant
Feb 22, 2023When you get to a ‘certain age’ and you’ve been working in the same industry for almost 30 years, as I have, it’s important to keep learning and moving forward to remain enthusiastic about what you do. In my case, I‘m still passionate about all things dental and one of the reasons is that I’ve continued to grow and develop within the dental industry. And a big plus, is that I also get to travel the country to attend conferences and assist dental practices to ensure they are compliant in their infection control.
Just recently, I travelled from my home on the West Coast to attend the ADX conference in Brisbane. It was held over three days from 27-29 October, and is ‘Australia’s Premier Dental Event.’ It was my first time as an exhibitor for my business Amalgamate and I shared the booth with six other businesses as part of the Practice Success Collective. The group exists with the sole intention of providing expert information across all areas of dentistry.
Practice Success Collective
The aim of the Practice Success Collective is to support new and growing dental practices that may require information outside of their immediate expertise.
Their message: Setting up and growing a Dental Practice is challenging. It’s impossible to be skilled at every functional element of managing a practice. The Practice Success Collective is a network of functional experts, who are all passionate thought leaders in their field of expertise. They holistically support practice owners and their journey of starting or purchasing their own practice and then growing their business to achieve success.
Between us, we covered the following expertise:
- Infection control
- Marketing
- Legal
- Dental brokerage and Property Advice
- Interior design, construction and project management firm
- Dental business coaching.
ADX Brisbane
Things have certainly changed in the almost thirty years since I graduated, that’s for sure, and running a dental clinic is not just about being a dentist….it’s so much more…. And it’s fantastic how much support is available.
For me, it was fun and educational to spend my three days with other business owners who are also passionate, not just about dentistry, but everything it takes to run a successful dental industry business.
I was able to chat with a number of existing and former clients, some I was meeting ‘in person’ for the first time. Some had deliberately sought me out, knowing I was there, just to say ‘Hi’. It’s amazing in this world that we can have a relationship with clients anywhere across the globe, but nothing beats talking face-to-face!
The energy at the booth was vibrant and, as a group, we gave away a 2 x $500 voucher to The Wellness Cave to two lucky winners from the hundreds who went into the draw.
Infection Control Training in Queensland Dental Practices
After the conference, I made my way up to North Queensland for a really tough job! Ha…. I had organised to visit Airlie Beach and Mackay (in the Whitsundays), visiting 4 practices who were interested in my infection control consulting services.
I spent either a half-day or full day with each business, observing their current practices and then advising and teaching, answering questions and recommending where necessary.
It was a pleasure to assist growing businesses, determined to put ‘best practice’ procedures into place.
It’s always wonderful to visit different areas of the country and it’s amazing that in one industry, there can be so many different ways of doing things. It’s just another reason why I love working in the dental industry and the fantastic dental community that exists in Australia.
Collaboration is a great thing in any business, so don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions around your dental practice business growth and general success strategies. In the unlikely event we can’t assist you, I’m sure to know someone who can.
