Oregon AGD (OAGD) is proud to share tips that have made 2017-2018 courses its best attended in many years. OAGD’s curriculum this past year was made up of 14 courses and study clubs; all but four were for participation credits. In total, these courses totaled 55 class days.

Exciting news: Oregon AGD will start a cohort Mastertrack Program Fall 2018. The program is three years with four three-day weekends each year. Participants will be able to complete all Mastertrack participation credits in this time.

Tip No. 1: Encouraging Registration in Participation Courses
This year, OAGD carefully examined members’ progress towards their MAGD Awards using the Pre-Mastership Report on OAGD’s cst.agd.org webpage. The report was used to send letters to members who still needed credits that could be met through the courses offered this year. In addition, OAGD posted “meets Mastership Award requirements” on all relevant courses on the OAGD website and announced upcoming courses at each event and how they fit into the Mastertrack requirements. The result — each participation course was filled to capacity this year.

Tip No. 2: Engaging Members Through Membership Incentive and High-Quality CE
For the past seven years, OAGD has included in its tuition a $25 fee per member to host a “Fall Symposium” that grows in popularity each year. This event is free for all AGD members. OAGD’s Continuing Education Planning Committee (made up of eight board members and other interested dentists from membership), chaired by Barry Taylor, FAGD, leads the design of the symposium speakers. Kim Wright, MAGD, has been the mastermind, suggesting themes and identifying both national and local speakers. Topics have included “Digital Dentistry,” “Implants” and “Considering all Angles: Planning for Tooth Replacement.” Each year, the symposium encourages multi-discipline collaboration and has become more popular with related specialty dentists as well.