Council on Orthodontic Practice Committee Report
Dr. Jeff Johnson
I had the pleasure of working on the Council on Orthodontic Practice (COOP) Committee for the last year. It is a wonderful working committee with many dedicated AAO members trying to better our practice lives. COOP is charged with creating and administering programs that enhance our ability to practice and communicate with our patients. The following is a recap of highlights from the past year.
The foremost concerns of the AAO are staff recruitment, training, and retention. COOP was involved in the creation of the Staff Club to facilitate better communication with staff regarding products and services, to provide potential benefits to members, such as credit cards, group health insurance, etc., and to create a career path focus for interested staff. COOP has been involved in the initiative with the AAO-endorsed formal staff training program, AOA (Academy of Orthodontic Assisting). AOA provides classroom and distance learning opportunities for staff to learn and advance in orthodontics. COOP will be submitting articles to the Bulletin probably bi-monthly with assistance from AOA.
The Office Design website was brought online and should serve as a valuable resource for members building new offices or remodeling current locations. Vendors have been approved to provide links to their websites from the Office Design website as an additional resource for information. There is a fee the exhibitors are charged. Content is still being developed and the site is continually updated.
An Informed Consent DVD is nearing release. It was developed to accompany the AAO Informed Consent form that is available to members via the AAO website and on CD for a fee. The DVD is intended to be an adjunct to the printed form and is meant to be viewed in the office. It provides dialogue and video aids to illustrate the points in the informed consent.
The “Handling Orthodontic Emergencies” document developed by COOP was included in an issue of the Bulletin and as a direct mailing to school nurses nationwide in their journal. It is intended to help the nurses to provide palliative care to the students visiting their offices.
COOP has many other projects in development which will hopefully be reported on next year.