Dr. LEADS 2016

The transition from college or professional school to the “real world” can be a difficult adjustment. At Heartland Dental, we have a course designed to help our new dentists jumpstart their careers and feel comfortable leading their own practices. 

Every summer, Heartland Dental’s newly supported doctors are invited to attend Dr. LEADS – Learning Essentials for Achieving Doctor Success. The five-day program is held at our Home Office, located in Effingham, Illinois. This year, there were 162 attendees. This course offers a wide range of learning opportunities – from in-depth clinical training to building leadership skills and even the history of Heartland Dental. Doctors were also given the opportunity to tour Home Office and learn about the different departments and non-clinical services that they offer. 

Heartland Dental was happy to welcome back Dr. Fred Joyal, founder of 1-800-Dentist, who spoke on the importance of marketing. A handful of industry leaders, from our own Heartland Dental network, were also present. Accompanying this year’s course was Dr. George Bruder, Associate Professor, Chair of the Department of Endodontics and Directors of the Advanced Specialty Education Program in Endodontics at Stony Brook School of Dental Medicine and practicing specialty care dentist at Stony Brook Dental. He taught a session on WaveOne Endodontics. Dr. Mark Hodge, Heartland Dental Clinical Director and practicing dentist at Berkshire Dental Group in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma was also in attendance. He led a session on Invisalign Fundamentals. Dr. Hodge treats more Invisalign patients than any dentist in Oklahoma and is the state’s only Elite Provider, Invisalign’s highest recognition award. 

A panel of supported doctor’s, who attended previous Dr. LEADS courses, were present during one breakout session. The panel fielded questions from the audience and was able to share inside knowledge and first-hand experience as a Heartland Dental supported doctor. 

While the clinical and non-clinical skills acquired during this course are valuable, what happens outside the classroom is even more meaningful – networking. Supported doctors are given ample opportunities to network with each other, as well as Heartland Dental leadership. The relationships that are formed over the five days truly embody what it means to be part of the Heartland Dental family and will continue beyond the Dr. LEADS course. 

The goal of Dr. LEADS is to help newly supported doctors be happy, prepared and successful in their supported offices. The education they receive at this course is priceless and cannot be gained in a traditional classroom environment. It helps them reach a new level in their career, and we are confident they will leave this course ready to take on their next challenge.