*NEWLY UPDATED* Antibiotic Premedication (Orthopedic Joint Replacement) Interpretation Guideline

In response to recent updates from the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) and the American Dental Association (ADA), CDHBC has updated and revised the interpretation guideline on Antibiotic Premedication for Orthopedic Joint Replacement.  These updates provide clarification on prophylactic antibiotic coverage for clients who present for dental hygiene care with a prosthetic joint. Over the past 20 years, there have been many changes to the recommendations as directed through the AAOS and the ADA.  With these many changes, it is vital that registrants review the revised guideline to stay current with the most up-to date expert recommendations.  This Interpretation Guideline is found on the CDHBC website under the Practice Resource tab and drop down box titled “Interpretation Guidelines”. 

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Have you voted? 2017 Board Elections

Registrants voting in the Board Election (Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island/Coast electoral districts) are reminded that they will have until 4:00pm on Tuesday February 7, 2017 to submit their vote online; if you are a registrant living in one of these districts who did not receive an email with a link to vote, please contact the College office.

Please click here to read the Bios of the Lower Mainland Candidates and the Vancouver Island/Coast Candidates.

The College would like to congratulate Rae McFarlane (Kootenays) on her re-election to the CDHBC Board by acclamation.   Back to Top

Important information to keep your registration valid: Renewal 2017

The deadline for renewing your registration for the 2017/18 year is 11:59pm on Tuesday February 28, 2017. All CDHBC registrations expire on the last day of February each year, therefore your renewal must be completed by then in order to have a valid license to practice on March 1st, 2017.

During renewal for the 2017-18 registration year, dental hygienists will be paying their registration fees to the College at the same time as membership fees are collected by the College on behalf of the BCDHA and CDHA.  The fees paid to CDHA/BCDHA will provide registrants with professional negligence insurance and a CDHA & BCDHA membership that will start on March 1, 2017.  In future renewal periods, this will ensure continuous insurance coverage for all practicing registrants.

However, during this transition period, registrants will still need to ensure that they have negligence insurance for January and February 2017 to keep their current 2016/17 license valid. CDHA/BCDHA will be offering an interim membership at a special rate that will provide insurance coverage for January and February 2017. Alternatively, the Board will accept insurance from DH Pro and CDSPI for coverage in January/February 2017 only, in order to manage this transition period as seamlessly as possible.  

Please visit the Renewal page on the College website for more information on how to prepare to renew.

Due to registration and membership fees being combined into one payment at one time, the College has established a refundable deposit plan option for registrants to put money toward their Streamlined Professional Renewal for the following year.

The online deposit payment plan will reopen on March 1, 2017. This system can be accessed under the 'Home' tab or the ‘Make a Payment’ tab, once you have signed in to your registrant profile on the CDHBC website. You can set up an amount and schedule of your choosing. Deposits can be set up either on a monthly basis or even as a one-time payment: any amount accumulated by January 1, 2018 will be put towards the cost of your 2018-2019 renewal. This prepaid deposit amount is completely refundable if you decide to move out of province or cancel your registration prior to renewal. Back to Top

QAP and PDC Courses: Providing the Link

The College has again collaborated with the Pacific Dental Conference (PDC) staff to include a coding system within the PDC program to assist with identifying links between your learning goals and the PDC sessions. In the PDC program you will notice that each dental hygiene-related session has been coded with a letter-number code (e.g. D.3.) corresponding to one or more specific CDHBC QAP content categories (e.g. Non-surgical dental hygiene therapy). It is important to note that these codes are suggestions only, based on the limited information provided within the session outlines. You are required to use your professional judgment when selecting courses and determining which QAP content categories the course addresses.

Click here to view the full list of CDHBC Content Categories.

 Please refer to this list to assist you in determining which content categories are represented by each letter-number code in the program. We hope you find this initiative of benefit to your continuous professional development.
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Valuable Continuing Education Opportunities

CDHBC would like to highlight some new learning opportunities being offered by the Public Health Services Authority (PHSA) that you may wish to include in your Online Learning Plan:

Health Care Consent in BC: A Course for Health Care Providers - This course has been developed in response to a demand for a learning tool that clarifies the roles and responsibilities of health care providers in seeking consent to health care services under the Health Care (Consent) and Care Facility (Admission) Act. 

Recognizing and Responding to Adult Abuse - This course is designed for anyone who acts in a caregiving or service-providing capacity and is in contact with an adult (e.g., a meal provider, receptionist, health care assistant and physician), within any setting, to build awareness about recognizing, preventing and responding to the abuse of adults. This brief course covers key definitions and the different types of abuse, provides a scenario in a health care setting involving an adult with multiple vulnerabilities, advises how to respond to suspected abuse and obtain more information, and offers a certificate upon successful completion.

For more information regarding these courses, or to enroll, please visit their website at:

https://learninghub.phsa.ca/
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Do all registrants need to have current CPR certification, and if so, which type?

Currently, holding valid CPR certification is not a requirement to renew registration during the renewal period. However, in order to provide safe care as per the practice standards and code of ethics it is expected that all practicing registrants remain current with CPR in order to respond to a medical emergency during the provision of care. As health professionals, dental hygienists should ensure that their CPR certification is updated every 1-2 years.

When considering completing or renewing ones’ CPR certification, the College recommends that dental hygienists enroll in the Health Care Provider (HCP), Basic Life Support (BLS) or equivalent level of CPR.  The College will award hour-for-hour Continuing Competency (CC) credits for CPR certification once per CC/QAP cycle. Important considerations when looking for a CPR course are that it:

• Is offered by a recognized provider (e.g., St. John Ambulance, Canadian Red Cross, Alert First-Aid, etc.),

• Provides both didactic and hands-on instruction, and

• Ensures participants successfully complete a final written exam.

The College provides guidelines for remaining competent in dental hygiene practice which includes appropriate education and training for the “acquisition of the knowledge and skills”. It should be noted that the College does not recognize CPR certification provided from online web-based programs as they do not provide the critical hands-on component that one needs to gain competence in the skill. Furthermore, the College will not award CC credits for this type of CPR course.

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The Latest on QAP

Five years ago during the 2012 renewal period, CDHBC launched its new Quality Assurance Program (QAP), in which the pilot cohort of registrants completed the QAP Assessment Tool.  At the end of 2016, the pilot group completed their five-year QAP Cycle, marking the first time a group of registrants has gone through the full QAP.

The College is currently reaching out to the 2012 pilot cohort through a survey following completion of their second QAP Assessment tool and in the coming months we will be conducting focus groups with some of the pilot group registrants.  These opportunities will provide important feedback to College about on their experience with the entire program from taking the tool for the first time to completing their OLP to taking the tool for a second time.

The College continues to seek feedback from each year’s cohort to through a survey conducted after they complete their QAP Assessment Tool.  In the coming years, we will continue to seek feedback from registrants as they complete their initial QAP cycle.  2018 will see the final group of registrants entering into a five year QAP Cycle and completing the QAP Assessment Tool and mark the end of the phase in period.  This will mean that all registrants in BC will be enrolled in the QAP.

Establishing a program that ensures currency and competency of existing registrants is a key pillar that supports the College’s mandate of public protection. The College remains committed to continuing a meaningful and valuable review of the QAP that considers fair treatment for all registrants – those currently enrolled in the program and those yet to be, the impact of the proposed regulation and bylaw changes, the requirements and expectations of government and the public, and the experiences of registrants with the program through the survey and focus group information.  All these elements will assist the College determine what, if any, changes need to take place to ensure that the program is continuing to meet the guiding principles of the QAP.
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Moving?

It is a bylaw requirement that registrants of the College ensure that their mailing address is always current on the CDHBC register. Incorrect or out-of-date addresses can lead to missed mailings that may include important notices and documents. Address changes can be submitted online at www.cdhbc.com or via email to cdhbc@cdhbc.com and should include the following information:
 

• Name
• Registration Number
• Old Address
• New Address
• Email
• Telephone
• Effective Date

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