My First Conference Experience - Why Should You Go?

At the end of November, I went to my first conference. I had never been to a conference before and didn’t really know what to expect but as it was in the city I live in and is the biggest conference for dental hygienists and therapists (BSDHT OHC), I decided I didn't really have any excuse not to go! I had assumed it was a lot of academics presenting boring research that wasn’t relevant to my life, my practice, or my patients. How wrong I was!

It was a 2 day conference, over a Friday and a Saturday. There were keynote speakers, Continued Professional Development (CPD) talks, research presentations and a large exhibition. On the first day I attended the opening of the conference and was surprised to bump into so many people I knew, from previous jobs, university and through social media. I ran into old tutors and it was lovely to catch up and show how far I'd come since uni. It was also lovely to meet those people I knew of in the dental social media world but had never actually spoken to.

The exhibition was huge, with over 20 traders and companies present. Aside from the overwhelming amount of freebies and samples, it was great to interact with suppliers and reps for companies, to make connections that would benefit me, my practices and my patients. 

The keynote speakers and talks throughout the conference were fascinating. They run 3 sessions simultaneously and you just drop in and out of the sessions that interest you. A problem I didn't think I would have was wanting to attend everything! The talks were all specifically tailored to the profession and current issues were facing as well as lots of hands on sessions to improve skills. I went home with a notebook full of ideas and notes to implement in my practice and lots of new hands on skills. Another benefit to all the talks is they all count as CPD. Most healthcare professionals are required to complete a certain number of hours of CPD to continue to be registered. I had previously worried how I was going to meet my 75 hour target over 5 years. I got over 10 hours just from one conference! 

The posters and research presented were also fascinating which I hadn't expected. There was research not only from senior academics but students and qualified professionals and it has inspired me to get back into researching the things that interest me, who knows maybe i'll make a poster for next year.

I went home feeling inspired and it reinvigorated my love for my job. I had a brilliant 2 days at the conference and I am already looking forward to my next one!