EDAA MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS

As it is with most things in life, the more each person participates in their professional association the more benefits they will realize and the more they will appreciate the importance of membership in the Edmonton Dental Assistants Association.

Registered Dental Assistants in Alberta are encouraged to maintain membership in a Local association and support the Provincial association, National association and their regulatory organization.  These 4 organizations are separate and distinct entities which operate under their own Bylaws, have their own Mission, their own budgets, their own annual dues and serve their own unique role.  Participation in all of these organizations ensures that Dental Assistants are able to present a unified, professional image to the public and within the dental community.  By supporting these organizations with your dues and with volunteer service you are enabling RDA's to maintain credibility as dental health professionals and you are contributing to the progress of Dental Assistants within the field of health care.  The national association provides you with a voice on a national level & malpractice insurance.  The provincial College provides you with licensure and governs the profession in our province.  Your provincial association provides you with advocacy, benefits and a collective voice for Dental Assistants in our province.  Your local association provides your local education events, networking, social events, and numerous membership benefits and services.  Each organization provides you with unique opportunities. 

The EDAA is your local membership service organization and we are the association that provides a great many member benefits and services, including Member Discounts.  A Member Discount Card has been provided to our members each January for many years.  Using it just once could save a member the entire cost of their local dues for the year or more.  Members receive discounts of 10-70% off on products and services including: Home/Auto Insurance, Automotive services, Clothing, Entertainment, Restaurants, Jewellery, Home Décor, Beauty and Health products, Stress Reduction Therapy, First Aid supplies, Eyewear, Spa services, Gasoline, Diesel and Propane and much more.

Your local association has worked hard over the past years to advocate with employers for Dental Assistants in the Edmonton region.  Part of the work we do on behalf of our members locally is to inform employers of the standards of professionalism our association expects from them in terms of how our members are treated when they apply for jobs and as staff members in their practice.  Employers utilizing our Employment Registry Services (over 600 in our region) are asked to sign a Statement of Understanding and Code of Conduct that the EDAA expects them to follow if they wish access to our employment services.  We have established guidelines for minimum wages and benefits our association members could expect to use in negotiating wages for new jobs.  This document has provided many members with the confidence they needed to ask for equitable payment for the services they provided and it is also raising the professional image and value of Registered Dental Assistants in the Edmonton region. 

Another membership service the EDAA provides is to operate an Employment Registry for our members to find employment quickly and easily.  This service has been a valuable benefit to many of our members since 1968.

Your local association dues provide you with many FREE continuing education hours and many learning opportunities for continuing education throughout the year.  We also offer Home Study Courses at a reasonable cost to allow you to obtain continuing educataion if you are unable to travel to conferences and speaker presentations.  All of these can be used towards completing your Continuing Competency Program requirements each year.

The EDAA offers our members the opportunity to get together with colleagues to discuss issues of importance to our profession.   Belonging to a professional association identifies you as a professional.  Your membership status tells others that you are concerned about the future of your profession and your career, that you are willing to participate in bringing progress and success to your profession and that you want to uphold the professional status of RDA's.

We offer our members many opportunities to raise the profile of our profession through contributions to various charitable organizations in the Edmonton region.  Doing this as a group makes a bigger impact than we could as individuals and it shows the public that we are a profession that cares about the less fortunate in our community.  Projects we have participated in include: Santa's Anonymous, Food Bank, Youth Emergency Shelter Society, Open Wide clinics, and various Women's shelters to name just a few.

In addition to awards and recognition for our members who advance the profession, the EDAA provides Student Awards to 2 Dental Assisting Programs in the Edmonton Region.  We welcome students to their chosen career with a special Membership Orientation and Reception each year that welcomes them into our profession and into our local association.

Events such as international Dental Assistants Week activities celebrate the contribution we all make as integral members of the dental health care team and promotes recognition of RDA's as trained professionals dedicated to oral health. The EDAA does a lot of promotion to the public during this week to bring recognition to our profession and promote the value of our work in the field of dental health.

The EDAA budgets substantial funds each year for projects to promote dental health to the public each April.  Dental Health Month activities are another way that the EDAA raises the profile of Dental Assistants in the community.  They allow us to present RDA's as professional, well organized and public service minded members of the dental health team.

Our association provides members with a variety of social activities throughout the year.  As an EDAA member you are part of the professional family of "Dental Assistants and associates".  Social interaction with members of your profession fosters good relationships, provides networking opportunities and contributes to making new friendships, feelings of belonging and support.

As a member you have the right and responsibility to be informed about association business and to participate in the decision making process through discussion and voting.  The EDAA offers our members the opportunity to meet at least 5 times each year to discuss issues of importance to our profession.  We provide up to date information on association business, events and other issues through a professional newsletter, on our website and on Facebook.  The Website has brought us recognition and correspondence from dental professionals throughout the world and has been an outstanding membership information and promotional tool.

The EDAA is most recently pleased to offer our members a group auto/house insurance program that saves them up to 45% off regular premiums through our partnership with Johnson Inc at www.johnson.ca.  Taking advantage of this benefit could save our members hundreds of dollars per year and this one benefit savings alone could cover the local annual dues for a member for more than 10 years!

These are just some of the benefits you will be entitled to as a member of the EDAA.  The Board of Directors is continually looking at new opportunities to provide additional services that are of benefit to our members and enhance your membership value.

EDAA Membership – Excellent value, great benefits and ongoing support for our profession