Implant placement and learning: your views?

Many of us learn about placing implants in various courses given throughout the United States. The cost of learning these procedure can reach $20,000 for a week of learning on cadavers, pig jaws, plastic models, etc. Most of the time, the learning goes on beyond that and so do the expenses.

My curiosity goes out to my colleagues by asking if in your opinion one can learn the implant placement procedures well in these courses or do you see any alternatives? The anatomy, the hardware, pharmaceuticals, the surgical protocol can and should be learned from sources like books, videos, journals, and various publications. Do our colleagues in medicine deal with the subject of learning new procedures in the same way?

Are the courses that provide hands-on opportunities by practicing on anything but people, under supervision, achieving their objectives? By sharing your experience we can help others who are anticipating their involvement in the treatment of patients with dental implants. What are your views on this subject?