Dental Practice Management Level 3

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.