Graham Stokes, the new chair of council at the Medical Protection Society, has highlighted the importance of education and personal development in dentistry.
Dr Graham Stokes highlighted these elements of development in an interview published in the latest issue of Dental Protection’s Riskwise.
Dental Protection is an important part of MPS and Graham became the first dentist ever to lead the work of the wider organisation when he was appointed earlier this year.
Graham has spent the past four decades on the frontline of patient care, witnessing first-hand the challenges and opportunities in today’s practice. A former practice owner, with a special interest in implants and major dental reconstruction work, Graham is also actively involved in postgraduate dental education. As well as being the first dentist to chair MPS Council, he was previously chair of the MPS Foundation.
‘Strive to be the best they can be’
In the Riskwise interview, Graham describes what inspired him to become a dentist and how the crucial education decisions he made as a foundation dentist paved his career path to the helm of the world’s leading defence organisation for dental professionals, doctors and other healthcare professionals.
Giving insight into his career journey, Graham said: ‘When I was a young dentist, my regional adviser at the time advised me to get more qualifications to get out of a rut. I had promised myself I would never do another exam in my life as I did not have a great time at university. But on his advice, I decided I would give it a go.
‘I would not be where I am now if I had not taken his advice because my career took off from that one conversation. The way I can pay him back is by encouraging other people to do the same – strive to be the best they can be.’
‘Education has always been the key to everything’
He added: ‘MPS has a dual function to help members when problems arise and to help them reduce their risk. To me, education has always been the key to everything. We know there are many of our members who are at the top of their field who would be happy to help their colleagues improve their soft skills such as communication.
‘My approach when people have asked me for mentoring and advice over the years, has been to see that as a joint venture. How we can work together and strive for improvement, because I am always learning too. I think that is one of the things I have learnt – the importance of effective communication and joint decision making.’
Graham also discusses the most pressing issues in dentistry today and his priorities and vision for Dental Protection in the full interview which can be read here.
Raj Rattan, Dental Protection’s dental director, said: ‘The aim of Riskwise is to help develop the knowledge base and thereby the clinical competence of our members. Once again we have an edition packed with content designed to enhance our members’ knowledge of good practice and how to avoid risk within dentistry.’
The 66th issue of Riskwise also includes research-based articles on informed consent and wellbeing, as well as case studies on tooth extraction and handling difficult patients. The latest edition can be read here.
This article is sponsored by Dental Protection.