Quick Start Guide to The Dental Channel

Much of our content e.g. CPD course library and blog articles can be viewed without registering but an account is required to undertake CPD and participate in our community.

Courses can be filtered by type e.g. clinical, business, GDC recommended topics etc.

A learning summary (aims, objectives and intended outcomes) is provided for each one together with the intended primary audience, GDC anticipated outcome(s) and details of the subject matter expert(s). This will help you decide if it is relevant to your interest or needs.

Use the search box to quickly locate specific topics or subject matter experts together with any related content.

Register to participate in our community and CPD courses. Only your name, GDC number (or equivalent) and email address are required. Once you have entered these and specified a username and password check your email for the account confirmation link (if you can't see this check your junk mail folder) and you are ready to login.

Remember to sign up to our newsletter for regular updates via email (you need to opt in to do this; we want you to welcome our newsletters).

Use our free Excel PDP and CPD recording template to create a development plan tailored to your needs. It will guide you through the process and is simple to update.

Store in the cloud e.g. OneDrive for these benefits:

• ready access across devices (desktop, laptop, tablet and phone);
• automated backup;
• available online and offline; and
• free to use.

• View the course learning summary and related information;
• To enrol, open the first lesson;
• The guide describes the course content, structure and operation;
• Download your certificate on completion;
• Look out for the announcements when updates are added;
• Download a new updated certificate as required.

With the exception of any free courses you will require a CPD subscription to enrol in your chosen courses. Our Premium plan is based on a monthly recurring payment model that can be cancelled at any time (PayPal account required). It offers the best value. For those who do not wish to use PayPal we also offer the Complete 1/12 (single payment, no auto-renewal).

Each course has its own reflection to help you:

• identify the key points learnt;
• determine how these may affect our practice;
• set a date to assess the impact;
• update your PDP e.g. with any new learning need identified; and
• provide feedback for both the presenter and The Dental Channel.

The reflection can be reviewed once completed and updated as required.

Record your CPD activities in the PDP and CPD recording template and update your PDP.

• Enter the activity details;
• Note key outcomes;
• Link to your certificate;
• CPD hours are automatically totalled by CPD year;
• You can search by GDC recommended topic etc;

This will also make submitting your annual CPD report to the GDC a breeze.

On registration only your name is visible to other members.

• Edit your profile to update any relevant information e.g. practice details.
• Choose what you wish to share publicly, with registered members, your friends (network) or remain private.
• Subscribe to our newsletter for weekly news updates.

You must connect with other members to be able to start private conversations or share information within your network.

If you wish to see updates from specific members in your timeline you need to follow them.

• Go to People to locate members with whom you wish to connect and select "Add as Friend".
• You will be notified once your request has been accepted.
• Select "Follow" to see a person's updates in your feed

There are many other useful features that allow you to connect and share with other members or publicly on the internet.

• If you have something that you would like to say create a blog.
• Publish a page for your practice or special interest and add updates.
• Create your own community group. You can specify whether this should be public, invite only and even hidden from the public listing.

There are several ways to keep up to date with us:

• Weekly email newsletter: highly recommended especially because this is where we include special offers. Amend your preference from your My Newletters (your account menu) or profile.
• Community notifications. Community activities e.g. group discussions are notified on the site and by email. Change your preferences under Manage alerts
• Follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter.

We hope this has inspired you to register and start exploring. Our course Making the Most of The Dental Channel is open to all and free to enrol in. It is a great place to start. We run occasional live webinars that allow you to ask your questions and make suggestions as to how we can improve our service.

Our support section includes FAQs (frequently asked questions) so please look here first for answers to specific questions. If you cannot find your answer open a support ticket and we will be glad to assist.

Enjoy The Dental Channel!