IV Sedation Certification

This dynamic course, offered in collaboration with Oregon Health & Science University School of Dentistry and Idaho State University Department of Dental Sciences, is designed from the ground up to be as convenient as possible.

You can complete the preponderance of it from the comfort of your home or office. And when it comes time to participate in the live-patient portion of the training, you will be able to fulfill that requirement during a single, four-day, extended-weekend program conducted in a state-of-the-art clinic and classroom in Lexington, Kentucky.

The many benefits you’ll gain from completing this course are unmatched. They include:

• Meeting the qualifications required in 46 states and the District of Columbia to obtain an IV sedation permit. With that permit, you’ll be able to provide both enteral (oral) and parenteral (IV) minimal and moderate sedation in an outpatient setting – now and for the foreseeable future (Currently under review in Tennessee and Nevada. Does not meet the requirements in Missouri or New York.)
• Expanding your confidence and ability to treat medically complex patients safely, and realizing the synergies that arise – for both doctor and patient – when you strategically combine safe oral and IV sedation – i.e., the best of both worlds
• Earning 90 hours of CE credits, all of which under PACE rules count as participation credits toward obtaining your Masters and Fellowship in the AGD
• Following the ADA guidelines for Teaching Pain Control and Sedation to Dentists and Dental Students (Adopted by the ADA House of Delegates in Oct. 2016).
• Fulfilling the ADA-recommended advanced airway management and opioid prescription training, and qualifying for ACLS certification

WARNING: Unlike conventional continuing education classes, which can accommodate dozens or even hundreds of enrollees, each DOCS Education IV Sedation program has a maximum clinical class size of six doctors. Just six. Dentists who don’t secure their seat early on may have to wait – literally – years to receive the required certification.

This CODA accredited course offers a high-powered, engaging curriculum that draws upon the unparalleled pedagogical talents of the DOCS Education faculty, working under the auspices of the Oregon Health & Science University and Idaho State University.

The course instructors, who are practicing clinicians – not academicians, take a practical team approach to effective minimal and moderate sedation utilizing both enteral and parenteral methods.

This is the only IV Certification program in the nation that teaches proven and safe protocols that combine oral and IV sedatives.

Our proprietary home-study curriculum consists of four online modules, each containing short, educational, and engaging videos, and a precisely matched 351-page study guide and reference manual. This allows you the freedom to learn your own way, on your own schedule, and at your own pace. In addition, you will have the opportunity to engage our faculty during four, live, interactive video “Office Hours,” designed to ensure you master the course material.

In dentistry, time is money, and this course is fashioned to save you both.

First, and foremost, the majority of the required didactic hours for completion of this program are study-at-home.

That means you won’t have to forego seeing patients in your practice during the majority of your training. Moreover, the 40-hours of in-person, didactic and live patient training that takes place at our modern facility in Lexington, Kentucky, is condensed into four consecutive, extended-weekend days of onsite learning and practice.

Because travel is only required once – to complete the clinical portion of this course – you will avoid repeated airline and hotel add-ons, not to mention the inconvenience of flight delays and long security lines.

Your tuition also entitles a member of your team to attend the clinical session, where breakfast and lunch are on us, in addition to a celebratory dinner on the final day.

We’ve dubbed the permit that you’ll be qualified to earn upon completion of this course “The Forever Permit” because like Forever postage stamps that shield consumers from future postal price increases, obtaining an IV sedation permit will provide you increased protection for the duration of your professional life against foreseeable regulatory restrictions on sedation.

Even for dentists currently working in states that do not yet require an IV permit to provide mild and moderate enteral (oral) sedation, obtaining your Forever Permit is a wise choice for three reasons.

1. Should an oral sedation patient ever bring a legal action against you claiming harm, your defense will be much stronger if you have this education – which is recommended by the American Dental Association and clearly demonstrates your commitment to the highest safety standards.
2. There are times when dentists who, to date, have only provided oral sedation, can benefit from adding IV sedation to their treatment plans. Having the ability, and the credentials, to combine oral and IV sedation provides dentists maximum safety and flexibility.
3. If your state does adopt the stricter ADA guidelines – as have New Mexico, West Virginia, and Louisiana, with Virginia poised to impose them – you will have to cease providing mild and moderate enteral sedation until you can qualify. The wait times to enroll in an accredited course can extend to years. However, by jumping ahead of the crowd, now, you’ll be approved to continue providing oral or IV sedation without interruption.

When you register for our IV Sedation Certification course, you can begin your first class, taken online, immediately.

In total, you’ll be asked to complete 60 hours of didactic training, combined with 20 live patient experiences. The clinical experience also includes advanced training in medical emergencies and airway management practicing on high fidelity patient simulators.

Every one of our instructors is a veteran educator and distinguished practitioner – experts in their respective fields of dentistry, anesthesiology, emergency response, medicine, graduate education, and research.

Course highlights include:

• Mastering the prevention, recognition, and management of systemic complications of minimal and moderate sedation with particular attention to airway maintenance and support of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems
• Learning to safely and effectively administer minimal and moderate sedation to patients in a clinical setting
• Description and demonstration of the techniques of intravenous access, intramuscular injection, and other parenteral techniques
• Exploration of the pharmacology of the drug(s) selected for administration, and the precautions, indications, contraindications, and adverse reactions associated with them
• A thorough discussion of patient evaluation, assessment, and selection through a detailed review of medical history taking, physical diagnosis, and psychological considerations

IV Sedation Certification from DOCS Education is, in actuality, an insurance policy that pays you.

Yes, there is an upfront cost for completing the course, earning your certificate, and obtaining your IV sedation permit.

That buys you the best kind of practice insurance, knowing that come what may, you’ll be able to continue and expand your sedation dentistry practice without concern that changing regulations could put you out of business.

How many sedation patients might you lose to regulatory red tape – and what would that cost you and your practice?

The payback “annuity” that comes with your IV Sedation training goes further. The ability to combine oral and IV sedation will make your day much more efficient – and allow you to reach and satisfy patients who currently you must refer out. These are medically complex patients and patients who do not respond quickly enough – or long enough – to oral sedatives alone.

The total tuition fee for IV Sedation Certification is $17,990, or less than $200 per PACE/AGD participation credit. Better still, we offer six-months of interest-free financing to qualified applicants, or rates as low as 3.9% for longer terms. And remember, you can bring along one team member to the clinical program at no charge whatsoever.

At the top of this course page, we wrote that DOCS Education’s IV Sedation Certification program could be the most important – and productive – class that you’ve ever taken.

In review, here’s why:

1. You’ll qualify to safely administer effective IV (parenteral) and oral (enteral) minimal and moderate sedation in 46 states and the District of Columbia
2. Combining oral and IV sedation will improve your efficiency, allowing you to better serve patients who are difficult to treat with oral sedation alone
3. You’ll be able to safely and confidently treat medically complex cases and refer out fewer patients
4. You’ll bullet-proof your practice from the turbulence of ever-changing dental regulations and shifting national guidelines
5. You’ll study under the best dental faculty in the nation, in collaboration with the highly respected Oregon Health & Science University School of Dentistry and Idaho State University Department of Dental Sciences. Your instructors practice what they teach
6. Designed for convenience, you’ll be able to complete the preponderance of the didactic training from the comfort of your home or office – on your own schedule, at your own pace
7. You’ll save on travel expenses and inconveniences. The live patient and remaining didactic portions of this course are held over a single, extended four-day weekend in our state-of-the-art clinic in Lexington, Kentucky. No need to forego seeing patients for days or weeks on end
8. Bring along one team member for the clinical training at no additional charge. She or he will earn 40 hours of CE
9. You’ll earn 90 CE participation credits from an AGD/PACE-approved provider, applicable toward your Masters and Fellowship in the AGD
10. Cement your reputation as a lifelong learner and dedicated dentist who stands at the forefront of our profession. Your patients will know that you invest in them

If you have questions or would like to register by phone, please contact one of our outstanding course advisors at 855-227-6505.