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.
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