The Problem With Cherry-Picking

You will probably not be surprised to hear that as the CEO of a dental education company I have strong opinions on the value of continuing education for dentists. You're also probably not shocked that I consider the curriculum we offer at Spear to be exceptional.

At Spear we have defined Great Dentistry as the pursuit of clinical excellence that transforms the practices of doctors and the lives of patients. The problem is you can't really ever achieve this if you try to build an education plan on cherry-picked selections.

Over the years, I have seen a lot of enthusiastic dentists – CE junkies – who go from course to course, institution to institution, collecting CE credits. They're definitely motivated and they amass a lot of education. However, for the most part these dentists lack a coherent plan, and this keeps them from realizing their true possibilities. They're like diners at a buffet who eat only from the dessert table, snatching up the most eye-catching dishes based on emotional impulses. They end up over-fed and under-nourished.

The answer is to choose the education system that best represents your values and whose philosophy feels right. It's then important to be disciplined and consistent about going deep with that philosophy. Commit to their curriculum of courses. Get in with the "champions." These are the people who are totally immersed with that value system and succeeding and draw inspiration from each other. Once you have this philosophical foundational and comprehensive plan, then go ahead and supplement your learning with a few well-chosen "cherry-picked" courses from other sources. This way, you'll be miles ahead of those who absorb various ideas in isolation and who wonder why those ideas never seem to come together to form a gainful strategy for growth.

Naturally, I hope you consider Spear to be your education home. We have built our entire layered learning approach on the model of progressive, comprehensive development through our campus seminars and workshops, online curriculum, and with our Study Club and Faculty Club. I am proud to say we offer a complete well-balanced meal. You can still make your selections a la carte, or you can sign up for the full course curriculum. The important thing is that, no matter how you approach it, your educational training is grounded in a consistent philosophy.

So find a philosophy that resonates with you and grow with it. You'll acquire a bedrock foundational set of principles, and as you progress you will personalize your journey and build on that foundation.

The great advances in science, culture and philosophy (and dentistry) come about by students applying the lessons of the masters in exciting new ways. The legendary scientist, Sir Isaac Newton, famously said, "If I have seen farther, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." Find your giant, and climb up.