The International Training Institute was founded in 1998 by Dr. Rebecca Poling, an orthodontist in Anchorage, Alaska. ITI was created to offer exceptional clinical training for orthodontic staff. With the dawn of the Internet and digital technology, focused efficient training could be delivered to any individual in the world using interesting multimedia technology.
Complex procedures could be shown to anyone as if the individual were having an expert clinician standing right there sharing all the clinical tricks. Clinical staff members would now have available excellent visual and audio instruction that is designed to efficiently and effectively teach the individual all the details to become an excellent clinician. The usual method of training offered in a practice is when the most experienced staff member tries to think of and tell a new staff member all about a procedure in front of a leery patient, often passing on incorrect information in a process that is time consuming and using the time of an experienced staff member when the office is already short-handed.
Prior to dental school, Dr. Poling had had the unique opportunity to develop and direct the only Dental Hygiene Program in Alaska. She wrote the curriculum, built a clinic, hired faculty, accepted students and directed the program until the first class graduated and the program became accredited. The graduates of this program have continued to excel on national and state exams. From this experience, Dr. Poling recognized the need for a similar training program for orthodontic staff. With the availability of the Internet, this training could be delivered to the individual with testing similar to that in resident technical colleges. Clinical experience could be provided by private orthodontic practices. Individuals with this training would become very valuable employees with mobility and opportunities to advance. Certain orthodontic staff could obtain advanced degrees and teach orthodontic clinical procedures in designated facilities.
The training modules teach clinical procedures that have been shown to work in best practices that have demonstrated clinical excellence. They are designed to transmit information quickly and efficiently using graphics, animation, audio, video, and interactive testing. The individual can experience the whole module or select specific sections for focus on one concept. The individual can return to the last section of a module that was viewed, if learning has been interrupted. Testing for certification and reporting to state dental boards can be completed.
ITI has been recognized by:
