Overview
Are you looking to advance your dental career? Perhaps even step into a dental management position? If you crave the challenge that comes with running an entire surgery from scratch, our dental practice management course is a step in the right direction. We empower future dental managers by developing critical skills they need to drive any surgery to success. This online dental practice management course will teach you to think on your toes, how to elevate your team to the next level, and oversee day-to-day operations so that dentists can concentrate on patient care.
Why study dental management?
Dental managers are the burning soul of any dental practice. They’re the people who support dentists, maintain customer relations and keep staff happy. Furthermore, they love wearing many hats and thrive on juggling various business operations and patient queries. That’s why we’ve designed our dental practice management course to teach the essentials, all the while studying dental practice management online in your own space and time. From theories to NHS changes, goal setting and administration, you will learn everything you need to lead a dental practice to success. So, when you join your dream practice, dentists can focus on what they do best: Dentistry.
Start filling those cavities with knowledge and advance your dental career by enrolling with us today on our dental practice management course!
What you'll learn
In the first unit, you’ll be introduced to challenges that presently affect dentists. You’ll learn about changes in NHS dentistry, such as structural, cultural and clinical changes. You’ll also cover professional networks, the Steele contract and population changes.
In this unit, you’ll learn about the management approaches of FW Taylor, Henri Fayol and Mary Follett. You’ll also consider functions of dental practice management, management by exception, as well as advantages and disadvantages of management by objectives. To end the unit, you’ll gain insight into management systems, sub-systems, classification of systems, what makes a good system and procedures.
In this unit, you’ll discover functions of a dental practice and the advantages of goal setting, looking at professional, personal, as well as the practices goals. You’ll gain knowledge of objectives and practice policy, workplace stress, its causes and how to reduce it. With insight into work conditions and mental health.
In this unit, you’ll contemplate time management, appointment control systems and what to record in appointment entries. You’ll learn about organising an appointment book, as well as patient-centred, procedure-centred and random booking sessions. You’ll also consider aspects of stock process from purchasing to requirements, infection control when ordering, choosing suppliers, and monitoring stock. Finally, you’ll look at the Control of Substances Hazardous to Heath (COSHH) Regulation (1988).
In this unit, you’ll explore key financial activities that ensure the practice runs smoothly, including cost analysis, financial ratios, cost control and budgets. You’ll also look at fee setting, cash flow and debt control, borrowing and repayment methods.
In this unit, you’ll the role of computers in general dental practice. You’ll cover MS Office packages, including Word, Access (databases) Excel (spreadsheets), and powerpoint, while looking at the clinical applications of computers in a surgery. Finally, you’ll explore the future of computer use in dental practices, as the principles of the Data Protection Act (1984) with regards to patient privacy.
In this unit, you’ll consider all aspects of the recruitment cycle, from forming a job description to advertising positions, conducting interviews and offering a contract of employment. You’ll cover areas of staff management in the workplace, from training to setting goals, delegation of responsibility and staff appraisals. Finally, you’ll learn the value of a staff handbook and how to manage staff absenteeism.
In this unit, you’ll consider various health and safety regulations, upgrading equipment for the practice, as well as the cost-benefit and cost-effective approach to purchasing. You’ll explore the marketing process, from SWOT analysis to KPIs, and look at factors impacting the successful development of a practice, such as pricing to product placement. You’ll learn about marketing campaigns for dental care, effective communication and market segmentation. Finally, you’ll see how expanding a practice’s range of services can help it to develop.
In this unit, you’ll look at three key areas of patient management: Communication skills, managing patient perceptions and feedback. You’ll consider what makes a good relationship to overcoming barriers in communication, patient consent and the consequences of not providing treatment.
The final unit will cover areas of confidentiality, clinical records and record keeping for patients. You’ll explore aspects of negligence, patient feedback and acting on its results, and incidence of claims. You’ll consider patient perceptions, bias in patient feedback surveys, and clinical audits. Finally, you’ll look at the audit cycle, internal and external auditing, and implementing changes determined by a number of different factors.
Extra info
Awarding Body
With a heritage stretching back over 150 years, NCFE is one of the largest awarding bodies in the UK. Over 340,000 students were awarded certification by NCFE last year.
NCFE Customised Qualifications are bespoke, unregulated qualifications developed to meet the specific needs of learners. These courses fit in where there are no other regulated qualifications are available. Meaning you can achieve recognition from a well-respected awarding body, even if there isn’t a pre-existing qualification in a certain subject area.
Course Outcome
At the end of this course, successful learners will receive a certificate of completion and competency.
How is this course assessed or examined?
Throughout this course, you may be expected to complete assignments, essays, research projects, presentations, video/audio recordings, and practical learning sessions to meet the requirements of your course. This information will be included in your study pack detailing exactly what you need to do to accomplish your goals as a student.
Entry requirements
While there are no strict entry requirements for this level three Dental Practice Management course, it is strongly recommended that you have the ability to effectively read and write in English.