Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontists Bulletin Winter 2017 - 8

Editorial

volunteerism, despite their strong desire to give
back. Most said that they would choose the commitment that would cause the most impact in
the shortest amount of time. They also preferred
virtual meetings that might be more flexible
with regard to time and travel.
The female focus group discussed issues relevant
to child care and restraints on travel and scheduling. Several participants expressed a hesitation to
be away from family for several days at a time,
and children's academic calendars may prevent
participants from bringing families to destination meetings. Local half-day meetings were preferred over longer meetings that require travel. In
addition, participants would like to see a variety
of perspectives from lecturers- small and large
practice owners and female-owned offices, for
example- to promote discussion relevant to the
work-life challenges that many women face.
Adding Value
The closing activity in each focus group was to
name one thing that PCSO could provide to make
its membership indispensable. A major suggestion was practice management, not only from a
younger member perspective but also related to
retirement planning, practice transitions, and
associateships. Members also felt that PCSO
should play a larger part in public advocacy,

educating the public as to the differences
between general dentists and orthodontists.
Financial assistance was also mentioned,
through financial advice, group insurance, and
a suggestion to offer loan forgiveness to those
who work in underserved areas. Lastly, the opportunity to form small, local networking groups
was desired by many younger members.
LRC concluded that most suggestions were
reasonable and that continued focus on community and advocacy will benefit current members
and attract new ones. PCSO is a professional
organization of orthodontic specialists dedicated
to helping its members provide the highest level
of care to the public by providing quality continuing education and a framework for a strong political voice, by facilitating two-way communications
between the organization and its members and
supporting the successful practice of orthodontics. I hope the insights gleaned from this qualitative research will help to inform specific actions
to be taken by PCSO leaders and staff. 
Jae Hyun Park, DMD, MSD, MS, PhD
Diplomate, American Board of Orthodontics;
Professor and Chair: Postgraduate Orthodontic
Program, Arizona School of Dentistry
& Oral Health (Mesa, AZ)
pcsoeditor@aaortho.org

Executive Update, continued from page 6
The Annual Session will be held October 11-14 in
Monterey, CA. A new strategic plan will help PCSO
navigate the tides of what is to come in the
industry, region, and among our membership.
I look forward to the work ahead. We have
accomplished a lot in the last year, but there is
much more that can be done to push the association forward. I, for one, am excited to merge the
themes of last year's Annual Session, "Elevating
to New Heights," with that of the upcoming
meeting. We have fully embraced both of these
themes in our efforts.

As the holidays approach, I wish you and yours a
season full of enjoyment, peace, and good tidings.
This time of enjoying family, staying cozy by the
fireplace, devouring holiday goodies, watching
holiday movies, and listening to holiday songs is,
to me, truly the most wonderful time of the year.

Callie Castro, MBA, CAE
PCSO Executive Director
ccastro@aaortho.org

PCSO Bulletin  Winter 2017

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontists Bulletin Winter 2017