March 1, 2011
Dental Assistant's Week is fast approaching March 6-12, 2011. Download/print a Poster and ask your employer if it can be displayed in your office.
The CDAA Wage Survey will be e-mailed March 7, 2011 to all RDAs whose e-mail addresses we have. Please take the time to fill out the survey so that we can have a true picture of what is happening with RDAs in Manitoba. Once the CDAA has the survey results we will post it on our website.
Remember to check your email. If we do not have your email address please call Kathy (586-7383) and we will add you to our e-mail list. We are working towards a paper free office and with your help we can achieve this.
February, 2011
There are a few changes to the MDA Bylaws pertaining to dental assistants. All RDAs will now require a current resuscitation certificate and wil have to present a copy of it when they renew their license in May 2012. Also approved were changes to Bylaw C-10. The following changes were incorporated to the Continuing Education Bylaw:
- require 2 hours of infectious control during a three year Con Ed cycle.
- allow self development for non-professional courses relating to the profession of dental assisting to be eligible for continuing education credit.
- expand self study from 6 to 12 hours for courses without assessment and up to 18 hours for courses with assessment.
- allow continuing education credit hours for specific dental related volunteer activities.
The Mid-Winter convention was a great success. A big thank you to the MDAA Co-Chairs Sina Allegro-Sacco and Edna Johnson. You both did a fabulous job. I would also like to thank all the RDA volunteers behind the scene. Your hard work made this a great event.
Thank you to Angela Buhr for her support and enthusiasm as she retires from the Board of Directors. I would also like to thank Kari Kauenhofen (Enns) as she finishes her two year term representing us on the MDA Board of Directors. To Past President, Amanda Shewfelt, I wish you much success in your move to Alberta and as you peruse a career in Nursing.
Congratulations to Athena Lacroix who was elected as our new MDAA Representative to the MDA Board of Directors. The MDAA Board looks forward to working with Athena and is confident she will represent us well.
December, 2010
I attended the NDAEB Annual Meeting in Ottawa at the end of October. I was very impressed with the Board of Directors and the dedication of the volunteers. There are three changes that came about from this meeting. Effective January 1, 2012:
- NDAEB will not longer accept credit card payments
- the fee for writing the written exam for the first time will increase to $400.00 and subsequent attempts will be $250.00 each time.
- a limit of 3 attempts of the written exam. After 3 unsuccessful attempts and if the applicant wishes to rewrite, the NDAEB will require the applicant to retake the entire dental assisting program at an accredited program.
The October Con Ed Sessions entitled "Employment Standards and Ergonomics" were well attended and we had lots of positive feed back from the members.
We had a new stand-up sign designed and made for the MDAA. This sign will be used at all MDAA functions and for promoting the profession.
October, 2010
I hope you and your families had a wonderful summer.
Thank you to Tammy Sambrook for all her hard work over the past three years representing the MDAA as our director on the CDAA Board of Directors. Tammy did a fabulous job and represented us well.
Welcome to Janet Neduzak as our new MDAA director on the CDAA Board of Directors. I know she is looking forward to the challenges during the next three years and will represent us well.
Heather Brownlee and I have just returned from the CDAA annual meeting in Saskatoon, September 9th-11th, 2010. It was a very busy three days, packed full of meetings and of course a little bit of socializing with fellow RDAs from across Canada.
The corporate members had a brain storming session on what direction we want the CDAA to go. The general consensus is for the CDAA to focus on improving medical and dental benefits available to members, continue to add and update the online ConEd courses, develop ConEd webinars, to offer financial and resources support to British Columbia's RDA association and the Quebec RDA association and to continue to be an advocate for our profession.
We are offering an exciting and educational ConEd on October 16, 2010 at the Holiday Inn on Portage Avenue. The two speakers will be addressing member concerns and offering us some solutions to help us in our workday and life. Space is limited for this session and I encourage you to register as soon as you can if you plan on attending.
There are a number of RDAs who have not yet earned their 36 credit hours for the first three year cycle which ends January 31, 2011. If you are short credit hours and have some concerns, please don't leave it to the last minute to inquire about this. Call our office and speak to Kathy or call Rafi Mohammed at the MDA office.
The MDA Mid-Winter Convention is fast approaching and Edna Johnson and Sina Allegro-Sacco are co-chairing the MDAA portion of this event. I know they have been very busy and will require volunteers for this event. If you are interested, please call Kathy at the MDAA office 586-7383.
The MDAA Annual Meeting will be on Thursday, January 27, 2011. It is important that all members attend. There are a few elected and appointed positions that will need to be filled by RDAs. If you are interested in becoming involved in your association and profession, please contact me or Kathy at the MDAA office. We cannot effectively run our association without your input and support.
I have been busy attending meetings with the MDA's Task Force on the Future of Dentistry, Membership Sub Committee. As I had mentioned previously with the new healthcare legislation the government does not think that a member services association can effectively police their members and have basically told the MDA that they need to be two separate entities, regulatory and member services. As of our last meeting the MDA had not met with government officials to discuss the various options they have come up with. I will be attending a couple of meetings pertaining to this in the next week or so and if there is anything to report I will post it on my blog.
We are trying to send most of our ConEd info, Newsletters, etc. by MailChimp, but we are finding that almost ½ of our members are not looking at these e-mails. The program that we are using tracks how many and who has not looked at their e-mails from us. We are trying to cut costs so please check your e-mails as this is our main contact with you.
It is important that RDAs perform only the skills they have been formally trained to do. If it is not on the list of the RDA's "Scope of Practice" you cannot legally perform this task. You have the right to refuse to perform any skills that you have not been formally trained for at an accredited program or a MDA sanctioned module. Performing skills out of your scope of practice will/could void your malpractice insurance.
June, 2010
The Manitoba Dental Association's long term plan for entering continuing education credit hours is with an ID card that has a computer chip imbedded with your personal ID#. You will be able to run this card through a scanner at all Con Ed events and your account will be automatically updated. They estimate it will be instituted within the next 5 years.
The Manitoba Dental Association Oral Health Team will be working on developing a Prosthodontic Module for Level II RDAs. RRC has said they are prepared to set-up and offer this module once it has been developed. Currently, Alberta and Saskatchewan are the only other provinces that offer this type of module to RDAs.
CDI Dental Assisting Program has been reaccredited. Winkler RRC Dental Assisting Program is not accredited at this time however they are in the process of obtaining accreditation.
The Scaling Module for Level II RDAs is being offered at RRC and CDI. Contact either school or go to their websites if you are interested in finding out more about the programs.
I had mentioned previously that I had extended the invitation to the CDAA to hold their Sept 2011 annual meeting in Winnipeg. The CDAA Board of Directors has decided to have the meeting this year in the west (Saskatoon), the next year in the east, then in central Canada and then back again to the west. It will be a few years before we host the meeting here!
I have been busy attending meetings of the MDA's Task Force for the Future of Dentistry's Membership Sub Committee. The new healthcare workers legislation will bring about the division of the MDA into two separate entities . One is regulatory ((College of Dentists of Manitoba) and the other being member services (Manitoba Dental Association). The MDAA has been asked to participate as it will inevitably affect us as they are our regulators, collect our professional fees and our malpractice insurance. I will keep you posted as things progress.
By working together we can achieve remarkable things. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me or Kathy Mitchell our new Executive Assistant at 586-7383 or mdaa@mts.net .
