The profession of dentistry has long struggled with a critical gap: the transition from dental school to real-world practice. Although dental education provides clinical fundamentals, new graduates often find themselves unprepared for the business complexities, advanced procedures, and leadership responsibilities that define successful modern dental practices. As a learning and development professional who has spent years in healthcare education, I’m proud of the work that The Aspen Group’s L&D teams have done to curate one of the most comprehensive educational initiatives in the dental industry: TAG University and the flagship Doctor Learning Journey program for Aspen Dental clinicians.
Education as a Strategic Investment
From the beginning, our approach was grounded in the fundamental belief that exceptional patient care begins with exceptional provider development. This ideology means treating continuing education not just as a compliance requirement or an afterthought but as a cornerstone of the broader business strategy.
Your wipes cost too much
We’re excited to be able to reflect this commitment with concrete data. The Aspen Group has invested over $25 million in our training facilities and has seen a 20% boost in retention for doctors who complete our Doctor Learning Journey. But beyond the financial investment, we’ve built something even more valuable—a culture where continuous learning is embedded in every role and every career path.
Our core philosophy is, “We invest in your future, so you can invest in your patients.” We’ve found that when you invest comprehensively in the growth of team members, they become more confident, more capable, and ultimately, more committed to delivering exceptional patient care.
Four Schools, One Mission
TAG University’s structure encompasses four distinct schools of excellence: the School of Clinical Excellence, the School of Leadership Excellence, the School of Business & Operational Excellence, and the School of Service & Support Excellence. This comprehensive framework ensures that every aspect of modern dental practice, from chairside technique to practice management, receives focused attention.
What makes this structure unique is our recognition that clinicians need more than just clinical training to be successful. In addition to clinical procedures, today’s dental professionals need to master patient communication, practice management, team leadership, and business operations. Our four schools of excellence reflect this need to educate the clinician as a whole as well as provide clear career pathways.
Another crucial aspect of the learning and development team’s success has been the integration of cutting-edge technology with personalized mentorship. We’ve learned firsthand that technology can enhance rather than replace the human connection in learning. Our virtual reality training modules, advanced analytics platforms, and digital learning management systems offer accessibility and personalization, while experienced mentors provide the guidance and support that only the human connection can deliver.
The Doctor Learning Journey Program
One of our most successful programs, the Doctor Learning Journey, represents a totally comprehensive approach to professional development. The Doctor Learning Journey is a more than 6-month-long program that combines intensive in-person experiences, self-guided digital modules, and live virtual instruction via our classroom studio. “Through the Doctor Learning Journey, I’ve learned the importance of truly connecting with patients by understanding what matters to them and weaving that into their dental experience,” shares one program graduate. “That connection has helped me to not only increase case acceptance but also build lasting relationships where patients return and refer others.”
Progressive Three-Phase Learning Framework
The Doctor Learning Journey has been strategically structured into three distinct phases to build upon previous competencies while introducing new concepts along the way. In the foundational phase, we begin with organizational culture immersion and fundamental skill development. This phase combines intensive campus-based experiences with virtual learning modules that establish both clinical competencies and cultural alignment with our patient-centered approach to care. We’ve found that early integration into the company’s culture significantly improves long-term retention and performance.
The second phase introduces advanced clinical procedures while helping the participants develop business acumen and leadership skills that likely weren’t covered in their dental school classes. We utilize extensive self-guided learning modules combined with mentorship programs that provide personalized support. New doctors are paired with experienced doctors within the network to provide them with an immediate connection beyond those that they will form with the cohort that they’re going on this journey with. The curriculum balances the pursuit of clinical excellence with business knowledge, which is a combination we’ve found to be essential for success.
The final phase is designed to prepare clinicians for practice leadership roles and ownership opportunities. Advanced clinical training focuses on complex procedures and specialty collaboration, while leadership development emphasizes team management and strategic thinking. “The level of mentorship at The Aspen Group (TAG) University is incomparable, especially for those who are fresh out of dental school,” elaborated the program graduate. “The support system and guidance available to help us navigate complex cases, whether it’s surgical procedures, restorative plans, or full rehabilitation treatments, are exceptional.”
Enhancing Human Connection with Technology
As a learning and development team, one of our key findings has been that successful blended learning requires technology that enhances rather than replaces human interaction. Our learning management system provides cross-device access and maintains detailed analytics on learning progress. Virtual reality components enable complex procedures to be practiced without risk, while integrated performance tracking correlates educational achievements with clinical outcomes. “I enjoyed the vibrant atmosphere of Chicago for the in-person training,” notes another graduate of the Doctor Learning Journey. “Aspen Dental’s headquarters is buzzing with activity and professionalism.”
We’ve discovered that learners crave both the convenience and personalization that technology enables and the mentorship and hands-on guidance that experienced practitioners provide. By taking a blended approach we ensure that team members receive both, creating an experience that is efficient while also being engaging.
Comprehensive Team Development
Although our Doctor Learning Journey is one of our better known and recognized programs, we’re equally as proud of the programs that we’ve launched for other roles within the organization. After all, the delivery of exceptional patient care isn’t on the doctor’s shoulders alone. It requires excellence from dental hygienists, dental assistants, laboratory technicians, and front office staff too.
Each role receives training that is designed to maximize both individual performance and team collaboration. For example, our 90-day onboarding journey for dental hygienists provides structured support with manager involvement, while ongoing access to extensive digital learning libraries ensures continuous development. “This was a great onboarding program,” shares one hygienist who completed the 90-day onboarding program. “It definitely feels like Aspen Dental wants to set up their hygienists for success.”
From a learning and development perspective, when entire teams receive coordinated training, we see improvements not only in individual performance but also in collaboration, communication, and overall practice culture. We’ve also seen practice owners see these improvements within their own teams and empower them to explore more of our programs, whether it be in-person or online.
Data-Driven Learning
As learning and development professionals, we know that educational programs need to demonstrate a measurable impact. Therefore, rather than only tracking course completion rates, we also measure long-term career outcomes, clinical performance metrics, and practice success indicators. This data-driven approach has been essential to our commitment to consistently optimizing our programs.
We track improvements in patient satisfaction, case acceptance rates, clinical efficiency, and team collaboration. These measurable outcomes demonstrate that comprehensive education programs can drive both professional satisfaction and business success, which is a critical message for those in leadership who evaluate educational investments. Our data-driven approach has enabled us to demonstrate a return on investment while continuously improving program effectiveness.
Removing Barriers to Career Success
Our commitment extends beyond traditional education and career support—the Aspen Dental Practice Ownership Program provides a clear pathway for dentists to become practice owners within the network. This progression model ensures that successful practitioners can build equity while continuing to benefit from educational resources and organizational support. “It’s important for new doctors to embrace onboarding opportunities,” advises one program graduate who is now a successful practice owner. “By immersing myself in the Doctor Learning Journey offered at Aspen Dental, I’ve been able to accelerate my career growth beyond what I initially thought possible.”
Important Lessons Learned
Throughout my journey in leading programming for TAG University, I’ve learned valuable lessons along the way, including the following:
• Culture integration is critical. Early and comprehensive culture integration significantly improves long-term retention and performance. Culture shouldn’t be treated separately from skills training—integrate it throughout the learning journey.
• Technology should enhance, not replace. The most impactful blended learning combines technological convenience with human mentorship. Use technology to enable and enhance human connection.
• Measure what matters. Move beyond completion rates to measure business impact. Correlate learning outcomes with performance metrics that matter to organizational success.
The Future of Dental Education
As the profession of dentistry continues to evolve, we believe that the demand for sophisticated training programs will only increase. Emerging technologies, changing patient expectations, and evolving clinical protocols require educational frameworks that can adapt quickly while maintaining quality and consistency. Our blended learning model, technology integration, and comprehensive approach provide a template that we hope to continue improving upon. The success we’ve achieved demonstrates that organizations willing to invest significantly in education can achieve superior outcomes in clinical care, business performance, and professional satisfaction.
We’re particularly excited about the potential for our approaches to influence dental school curricula and continuing education standards across the industry. When individual organizations invest in comprehensive education, the entire profession benefits through improved standards and quality patient care. TAG University continues to expand its educational offerings, with plans to train an additional 300 doctors in surgical implant procedures and 450 in restorative implantology. For more information about TAG University programs and career opportunities, visit careers. aspendental.com.
Katie Stangel
Vice President of Learning and Development
The Aspen Group
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Katie Stangel
