There in a line in The Lord of the Rings (the book) which has always struck me as being particularly poignant “the praise of the praiseworthy is above reward”.
Recently I had a referral from a hospital colleague for a paediatric surgeon who was in some difficulty with pain from an upper left 6. This man is from the Indian subcontinent and he is a hugely respected paediatric surgeon and has done incredible things and still does on a day by day basis. He had extreme pain from an upper left 6 otherwise perfect and no sign of an issue or problem.
Difficult diagnosis even from periapical radiographs, six dental colleagues at the hospital had seen them. We saw him in the practice and initiated root-canal treatment on the upper left 6 on a Friday. He had difficulty over the weekend and was in extreme pain, he came back on Monday and the tooth was sorted and resolved. This gentleman can honestly not sing our praises highly enough, he has understood the difficulty and problem of dental pain, how bad dental pain can be, and how relieved you are when it is finally alleviated. He praises us as highly as you could possibly imagine and this comes from someone who transplants organs in children.
The praise of the praiseworthy is indeed above reward, I had huge respect for this man’s skill and huge admiration for what he has done and achieved, and he goes out his way to take his time to thank us and express his gratitude for the skills in the practice.
Sometimes there are things better than money, in terms of payment for the treatment received, and praise from someone like this is one of those times.
Incidentally, this is the gentleman, who travelled to the United States as a fully qualified surgical consultant 2 years ago, to work for a year with an 80 year old surgeon. The 80 year old is one of the most famous surgeons in his field where he is no longer able to operate. He takes Fellows, who are already qualified, from around the world for a year and they act as his hands for a year. The 80 year old diagnoses in clinic with the Fellows beside him, decides on the treatment plan and books the patient for theatre. In theatre the 80 year old directs and the “younger man” does the surgery. The eyes of the 80 year old, the hands of the younger man. In clinic they both review. What a teaching model this is and what a way to benefit everybody in the Chinese contact.
The 80 year old wins, perhaps takes less wages, but it will take him to continue to work in this theatre he loves and to pass on his most invaluable experience. The Fellow wins because he gets to gain from the 80 year old’s experience and becomes better. The patient wins with enormous high quality care.
Who is brave enough to set up this model in the United Kingdom?
Bagsy I go first.
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