Alpha Omega International Dental Society Continuing Education Policies and Procedures
Alpha Omega supports Professionalism by providing dental continuing education programs both internationally and on a chapter level. Chapters are encouraged to inform Alpha Omega Headquarters of courses that they offer so that Alpha Omegans from other areas can participate in these programs.
Alpha Omega maintains it’s status as an approved AGD/PACE provider in order to assure it’s members that all courses are scientifically based and not only the opinions of the speaker. In addition, Alpha Omega’s PACE provider status helps support those members interested in obtaining Fellowship or Mastership in the Academy of General Dentistry.
Alpha Omega will maintain a Continuing Education Committee which will oversee the continuing education program. This committee will assure that the program is properly administered and that all proposed courses be examined to assure that they are scientifically based. The Alpha Omega International Executive Director will administer the program to assure compliance with all policies as determined by the CE committee.
Alpha Omega International Dental Society will periodically offer continuing education programs to its membership and will identify to it’s membership those courses that are eligible for AGD credit. Alpha Omega chapters offering courses may participate in the International Society’s program and use the AGD provider number assigned to Alpha Omega International, provided that they comply with the policies and procedures of the International Society. Participation by chapters in the International’s AGD/PACE program is voluntary.
Policies and Procedures
- In order to assure that courses offered are scientifically based, chapters must inform the CE Committee the following preferably 6 months prior but not less than 1 month prior to the course date: the title of the course, the name of the presenter, a short synopsis of the course explaining the scientific basis of material that will presented and the desired learning outcomes. Chapters are encouraged to ask speakers to provide this scientifically based synopsis.
- Once a course is approved, the meeting organizer must develop a meeting announcement that includes the following:
- Course title
- A description of course content
- The educational objectives
- A description of teaching methods to be used
- Costs
- The name of the program provider, joint-providers and contact person organizing the course.
- Course instructor(s), their qualifications and any conflicts of interest
- Refund and cancellation policies
- Location
- Date
- Specify number of hours awarded by educational methods used (lecture, clinical participation, self-instruction, etc.)
- AGD subject code
- The names of any entities providing commercial support
- For effective presentation and assimilation of course content, the prior level of skill, knowledge, or experience required (or suggested) of participants must be clearly specified in publicity materials.
- The Alpha Omega logo
- The AGD logo along with the accompanying PACE approval statement (supplied by Alpha Omega CE manager).
- Upon receipt of a proper meeting announcement, International’s CE manager will provide the meeting contact person the following:
- A Course Attendance Roster for participants to sign as verification of course attendance.
- A Course Attendance Verification Form to be given to each course participant upon receipt of a completed Course Evaluation Form
- A Course Evaluation Form
- A Speaker Conflict of Interest/Image Verification Form to be completed and signed by the speaker.
- A Financial Disclosure Form to be given to each commercial sponsor, disclosing the type and amount of support and signed by both the sponsor representative and the meeting coordinator.
- A Commercial Guidelines Form that describes the relationship between Alpha Omega and Commercial Sponsors. This is to be distributed to each commercial sponsor.
The meeting coordinator/contact person will make as many copies of these forms as they deem necessary.
- Upon course completion, the meeting contact person/coordinator will return the completed forms to the AO International CE manager.
Revised November 2018
AO Statement About AGD Accreditation
Alpha Omega (AO) International Dental Society maintains status as an approved AGD/PACE program course provider. We do not maintain approval as an ADA/CERP program provider, due to the required expense and time involved maintaining such status and the lack of additional value above and beyond being approved as an AGD/PACE provider.
Providing AGD/PACE credits allows AGD members to utilize CE hours toward Fellowship and Mastership status in the AGD. Also, some state boards will only accept courses for licensure maintenance if the course is sponsored by an AGD/PACE or ADA/CERP provider. Our participation in the AGD/PACE program fulfills that requirement.
Maintenance as an AGD/PACE provider is very time-consuming. The Academy of General Dentistry requires that the program be well organized, following strict guidelines outlined by the AGD in their PACE program guidelines. You may review these guidelines on the agd.org website.
Your chapter has three choices when it comes to offering CE credit for courses that it presents:
- The chapter can maintain its own AGD/PACE course provider status and have its own provider number. This would involve the following:
- Appointment of a Continuing Education committee with a committee chairperson
- Regular quarterly committee meetings to approve that upcoming courses are scientifically valid and that the speaker is qualified to present the course. Also, the committee must review course evaluation sheets from past courses to pinpoint deficiencies as well as outstanding comments. The committee is also responsible for the maintenance of a needs assessment program, identifying topics that participants would like to learn more about. Detailed meeting minutes must be prepared and submitted periodically to the AGD for review.
- Maintenance of all CE meeting documentation for 7 years.
- Periodic review of the PACE program to update changes in the program.
- Complete a detailed application process that requires approximately 30-40 hours of work to complete.
- Maintain all organizational materials; i.e., job descriptions, goal and objectives, flowcharts, etc.
- Organize and send requested documentation to the AGD annually to assure compliance with program directives.
- Pay required application and maintenance fees to the AGD.
- Preparing all forms needed to properly administer each course.
- The chapter can fall under the umbrella of the International Society, utilizing their provider number and transferring all the administrative responsibilities described above to Alpha Omega International Society's CE committee. In order to do this, chapters are required to strictly follow the procedures described in the AGD Continuing Education Policies and Procedures: https://www.agd.org/docs/default-source/pace/pace-guidelines-aug2017.pdf?sfvrsn=4.
- The chapter has the option of not providing AGD credits for their courses. Several chapters have chosen this option because they do not want to devote the time required to put together an involved meeting announcement and assuring completion of several required forms, or they don't have the manpower needed.
Specific questions about the AGD and how to use the accreditation number for chapter continuing education must be addressed to Michael Stern, Chair, Continuing Education Committee at
Drafted November 2018