Schedule of Events for Saturday, April 26th
Choose the right combination of courses that best fit your educational needs. Attendees may choose from the following course types to fill their education agenda at PDA: General Sessions, Small Group Workshops and Hands-On Workshops.

Attendees are not required to pre-register for General Sessions and Keynote Sessions. Due to limited seating and materials in the workshops, pre-registration is required. If you would like to attend a workshop that is full please proceed to the meeting room the course is being held and sign up on the wait list. Wait lists for classes that are full will be set out 30 minutes prior to the start of the course. Five minutes prior to the start of the course, no-show seats will be given to the first names on the list until all seats are filled.

Hands-on Workshops are limited to 50 attendees and Small Group Workshops limited to 75, unless otherwise stated.
8:00 am - 10:00 am
General Session – Collecting Your Due: Demystifying the Collections System
Cindy Ishimoto, CDPMA
The success of a practice is determined by its collections. Learn to take the pulse of your accounts receivable is it healthy or does it need CPR. Practical simplified strategies will be shared for managing the entire collections system.
2 CE credits
General Session – Train the Trainer Course for the OSHA Safety Managers
Mary Govoni, CDA, RDA, RDH, MBA
Are you the OSHA manager in your practice or facility? Are you of what or how to do things to make sure that your facility is in compliance? Do you know the best resources to utilize to stay current with OSHA regulations and other job safety information? This course will answer all those questions and more. It is specifically designed for the dental assistant who is the OSHA manager, and will provide a workbook and checklists that can be implemented immediately. A comprehensive overview of all OSHA standards applicable to dentistry will be presented and compliance strategies that will assist in organizing, updating and maintaining your safety programs.
2 CE credits
Hands-on Workshop – Producing and Using Photographs Effectively in the Dental Practice Part 1
Rebecca Poling, DDS, MSD
Use of photographs on all patients can have a dramatic effect on communication. At last patients can see the big picture. In this class you will learn how to produce excellent photos like those taken in an orthodontic practice using a simple inexpensive camera. For this class you will learn the basic procedures for using a camera online before the hands-on course.
2 CE credits – Fee $10.
Course attendance is limited to 40
Hands-on Workshop – Preheating the Patient for Your Dentist, Using High-Tech Equipment From Beginning to End
Tina Calloway, CDA, DA II
Maximize production and efficiency using the latest equipment that technology has to offer. Learn how to make the sale without "selling" to your patients. Allow the dynamics of dentistry to do the work for you by using isolite, diagnodent, and the intraoral camera. This workshop will provide you with the knowledge and confidence to enhance patient care.
2 CE credits – Fee $10
10:30 am - 12:30 pm

General Session – Solving the People Puzzle
Cindy Ishimoto, CDPMA & Mary Govoni, CDA, RDA, RDH, MBA
This lively, interactive program will enable attendees to discover strategies to create workplace harmony with decreased stress, learn enhanced effectiveness skills to accomplish tasks by improving their relationships with others, explore techniques to increase the quality of patient service resulting in decreased patient dissatisfaction. Be prepared to have fun and stretch the boundaries of your current communication skills to achieve improved morale and motivation leading to increased practice productivity and profitability.
2 CE credits
General Session - DANB Forum
The Dental Assisting National Board, Inc. (DANB) is hosting an informational forum. A representative from DANB will present an overview of state activities as it relates the profession of dental assisting. The discussion will include information on the national DANB credentials, Certified Dental Assistant (CDA), Certified Orthodontic Assistant (COA) and Certified Dental Practice Management Administrator (CDPMA).
2 CE credits
Hands-on Workshop – Producing and Using Photographs Effectively in the Dental Practice Part 2
Rebecca Poling, DDS, MSD
A continuation of Dr. Poling's morning class. In this class you will learn how to produce excellent photos like those taken in an orthodontic practice using a simple inexpensive camera. For this class you may learn the basic procedures for using a camera online before the hands-on course. Purchase a camera before the class and practice using it in class.
2 CE credits – Fee $10.
Course attendance is limited to 40
Commercial Support By: Sirona
Small Group Workshop - Prepare for a Chair Side CAD/CAM Appointment
Maria Hall, RDH
This workshop will provide attendees with the opportunity to learn how to prepare for a CAD/CAM appointment, what new skills they can use to support the doctor, and how to answer patient inquiries about CAD/CAM. You will also learn about supplies needed to complete CAD/CAM restorations and to observe designing and finishing processes that the assistant can complete.You will develop knowledge of the CAD/CAM method and the benefits to patients.
2 CE credits
12:30 pm – 2:00 pm

Lunch & Wrap up Session – Glass Ceiling or the Highest Star
Linda Miles, CSP, CMC
To dispel the myth that dental assisting (clinical or business), is a stopping off place until a better job comes along, Linda Miles, one of dentistry’s PIONEER ASSISTANTS, enthusiastically outlines how one’s attitude and their daily behavior in the office determines whether it's a job or a fulfilling career. Linda's first job in dentistry in 1961at age 17 was $1 per hour. (Ironically, she never felt underpaid.) Dental Assisting is an exciting and rewarding career for those who reach for the highest stars. Knowing one’s priorities in dentistry, being a sponge in a fountain when it comes to CE, and being a role model of leadership determines whether an assistant burns out early or stays for the long haul. Dentistry’s #1 challenge is finding and retaining great employees. Together, we can change that.
This exciting course will outline the 10 Characteristics of the Ideal Dental Assistant, (the one all dentists dream of having on their team). At the end of this session, attendees will grade themselves, and leave with a report card. By their next workday, they will know what areas of their behavior or skills are already ideal or how they can improve. More importantly, they will leave to go home inspired to reach for the TOP STAR and be proud to be a DENTAL ASSISTANT. One final thought: "If you love what you do, you’ll never work another day in your life"
2 CE credits