Study Club Geek
OK, this might look like an informercial, well, actually it is! I think every dentist in the U.S. should be in a Spear Study Club. Why? Because I know that most of us need support to move forward. We need peers to push us, we need specialists who speak our language and understand who the GP is, and we need to always associate with people who are pushing the envelope of what is known.
My own skill levels did not move forward until I engaged with one of the many study clubs I have been part of over the years. This group is still dear to me although we no longer meet. Gary and Cheryl DeWood, John Davis, Jim Fondriest and I went on a CE tear 15 years ago that shaped our lives very differently. Going to courses together and then pushing each other meant the difference between growing upward or growing stagnant.
These folks are still close to me even though I don’t see them all very often. Gary, Cheryl and I are still sounding boards for each other though and we have broadened the number of people who influence us.
One of my study club highlights was going to Seattle a number of years ago with my specialists at the time and taking the interdisciplinary course Frank used to do there. We grew very fast as a result of that meeting, mostly because we all heard the same things at the same time. We got better, our patients got better treatment and we all had more productive practices.
Spear Study Clubs are designed to do just that. Specialists who want to be better partners with their GPs gather a group and commit to at least a year of learning together, both here and at home. The results speak for themselves. The referral process improves on both sides, the quality of care improves and - most important in today’s economy – practice productivity goes up!
Click on the study club tab to learn more or e-mail me anytime: sratcliff@speareducation.com
