What if you could wave a magic wand and instantly alleviate the fears of your most anxious patients, providing the care they need with no discomfort or stress? Using IV sedation can be that magic wand that provides life-changing experiences for patients whose anxiety stands in the way of getting necessary dental treatment.
While administering IV sedation requires intensive training, DOCS Education makes the process convenient through its nationally recognized IV Sedation Certification Program. Dental practitioners receive 90 hours of comprehensive training via a combination of online learning and hands-on clinical sessions. Taught by expert faculty members, the engaging curriculum prepares clinicians for certification in IV sedation.
Several dentists who completed the IV Sedation Certification Program recently shared their experiences with DPS. “The program gave me the tools to treat people who otherwise wouldn’t have options for dental treatment,” shared Dr. David Bowen. Pleased that he can now keep anxious patients resting comfortably for long appointments, Dr. Josh Gravelle said, “I don’t have to refer patients who insist on sedation now that I can do it myself.”
Program Content and Convenience
DOCS Education’s Advanced Home Study Curriculum consists of 60 hours of didactic study with 4 guided online modules, interactive faculty-led video classes, and faculty office hours via Zoom—accessed remotely and on the participant’s own schedule. In a 4-day hands-on clinical session, participants provide IV sedation and dentistry to live patients with a 1:1 faculty-to-clinician ratio. The session includes ACLS certification, airway management training, and opioid training. Each participant is required to bring a team member to ensure optimal practice training.
“This is an excellently run program with very knowledgeable faculty and staff and a top-notch facility,” noted Dr. Stephanie Kinsey. “This course gives you what you need to safely implement conscious IV sedation, and being able to do most of the training at home minimized my time out of the practice,” said Dr. Daniel McAllister. For Dr. Chris Givens, “Each course improves my understanding of IV sedation,” and Dr. Gravelle called the program “very well orchestrated, from the preliminary online portions to the in-person ACLS training and IV sedation treatment appointments.”
Implementation into Practice
The IV Sedation Certification program fulfills the regulatory requirements for obtaining an IV sedation permit in 49 states, with certification earned from one of two highly respected universi-ties. With a personal concierge/clinical program manager and full-time regulatory counsel, participants are provided with everything needed for the permit or certification application.
“The program was very thorough, and the education was top-notch and easy to implement,” said Dr. Rachel Davis. “They gave me all the paperwork and information needed to start offering conscious IV sedation within a month of completing the course.” Explaining that his “team came away with a great grasp of the IV sedation material and protocol,” Dr. Gravelle noted, “We were ready to immediately implement sedation into our practice once credentialing was complete.”
Patient and Clinician Experience
“IV sedation has completely changed the way our practice operates,” said Dr. Matthew Kolkman, who now treats patients who “clearly wouldn’t have completed treatment at my office had we not been able to offer IV sedation.” He added, “We’re more efficient and can complete more comprehensive dentistry in a shorter amount of time.”
“I do cases I wouldn’t have done with-out sedation, and there’s a huge increase in treatment acceptance,” said Dr. Givens. “I am very confi dent in my abilities to perform IV sedation after this course,” he added. Pleased that offering IV sedation “has been such a practice builder,” Dr. Gravelle explained, “Patients who have put off treatment say yes more often.”
Overall Satisfaction
“DOCS offers the best medical emergency training I have seen, and my team was very competent after our course,” shared Dr. Kinsey. “IV sedation allows us to complete more dentistry in one visit,” she added. For Dr. Kolkman, using IV sedation “makes the experience more positive for dental-phobic patients,” and Dr. Givens called it “a great course and another ser-vice to help my fearful patients obtain the care they deserve.” He concluded, “I wish I had done this 20 years earlier.”
