“Hi, I’m Ka – err, Dr. Divine.” That’s how I introduced myself to my first patient at my new AEGD residency. It felt a little weird, especially because their first question to me was, “Wait, how old are you?” If they thought they were surprised then, my answer of, “Sixteen. I’m a genius,” definitely shocked them. Not true, but it usually gets a laugh. Then I explained just how many years of school I have completed and quickly moved on to the plan for the day’s appointment.
After graduating mid-May, I made my way out to Boise, Idaho, the site of my AEGD program. I was able to get some hiking in and even a bit of whitewater rafting with the current residents. Monday I officially started my AEGD residency.
Beyond working side-by-side with specialists, gaining experience in advanced cases, including implant placement and even IV sedation, completing a GPR or AEGD provides 150 approved credits toward the prestigious AGD Fellowship award. I did not initially know this when I became interested in completing a post-grad residency, but I think it’s awesome!
I’m sure many of you are aware of the requirements for the Fellowship award, but I’d like to bring it up for the dental students and new dentists like me out there.
Here are the requirements:
-500 hours of approved CE
-Passing the Fellowship Exam
-Current AGD membership for three continuous years
-A dental license that has not been suspended or revoked in the last five years and is not currently under probation, suspension, or revocation
-Attendance at an AGD convocation ceremony, held during an AGD annual meeting, to receive the award
Dental students should look into whether they can submit CE hours during dental school as student members. At Minnesota, I believe we were able to accumulate up to 50 hours of CE as students.
You may take the Fellowship exam at any time, but it is recommended that you take it within two years of graduation.
Perhaps the Fellows and Masters we have reading this could weigh in with their advice for successfully achieving this award. How has this award factored into your CE choices? Into your dental practice?
As the AGD 2013 Annual Meeting & Exhibits starts tomorrow in Nashville, I want to congratulate those members receiving their Fellowship and Mastership awards!
Katie Divine, DDS
How true is your comment to take the exam within a few years of graduation. I took it 20+ years after graduation and it was quite challenging trying to remember the compressive strength of die stone, the % of gold in noble alloy, and the % of filler in microfilled composites, to name a few challenging facts. However, once you pass, the AGD meeting was fantastic with so many lectures to choose from at any given time. the 5k run was fun also, but watch out for those Army dentists...they're in great shape!
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