5. Looking on the bright side – the view of a new graduate – published 30.01.2012
This was one from the 30th January 2012. The blog started to gather a little bit of momentum at that stage (certainly in my head). I published stuff about my new years resolutions and targets and the interesting things I’d like to do for that year; but I was still posting about once every 1-2 weeks.
The interesting things is this is when Cinema Club started and I’ve written a lot about Cinema Club here and in fact when I write this today I’m off to the cinema tonight with my great friend Stuart. I never managed to do 12 new albums a year, it obviously didn’t mean that much to me but I did manage to do well over 12 books and we always nails Cinema Club; so at least 2 out of the 3 things I wanted to do in that 2012 resolution list we made. This blog though below is fantastic reading for me because it is still exactly the way I feel about this. In fact, in February I’m off to Glasgow to speak to up to 200 dental students on the matter of ethics, second and fourth years, getting them before they even graduate
I read an interesting blog post today by Chris Barrow on private VT and it reminded me of the time I spent as a VT trainer.
I was privileged enough to be a VT trainer to 6 VDP’s (I could name them all quite easily if you asked me to) Also during that time I worked in a practice which had a sister practice which also had a VT. I then spent some years in the practice when I was not a trainer, but there were 2 VT's, so together with the 6 VT's that I was involved with myself, there were at least another 10 during my time at these practices that I was closely related to.
We developed a system during that time to interview prospective VDP’s at the practice (when you were still allowed to do that) and this was always a fascinating and uplifting process.
I remember (although it was a very long time ago) what it was like to be a new graduate and what I was like as a house officer at Glasgow Dental Hospital in Oral Surgery and Oral Medicine. I really had a sense at that time that I could change the world, or at least the NHS singlehandedly and that was my mission. I never understood the cursing and moaning of the cynics that were the older dentists and I gravitated towards people who were enthusiastic and still had a sparkle in their eye.
I graduated in 1994 and at that time I knew nothing of the “1992 contract issues” or anything to do with what might be a recession or negative equity. I just knew that I felt it was a privilege to be able to be a dentist and really couldn’t believe that the law would allow me to do the things I was allowed to do for patients.
As time goes by everybody gets a little bit more cynical and what we do routinely becomes routine, but I still lecture every year to VDP’s and always find it a fascinating exercise and something that leaves me truly invigorated.
It is a privilege to be a dentist, I realise it almost everyday that I come to work. To be allowed to take someone’s health in your hands and to care for them as best you can truly is a privilege and one that as professionals, we must never forget.
I still hope that I can be, and to the end of my career, maybe not the enthusiastic new graduate but at least a guy with a sparkle in his eye who harbours some enthusiasm and can inspire a little bit of hope in the new graduates of today.
Blog post number: 1503