Of Dentists and Doctors
Sunday, February 4th, 2007Today, Dentists nationwide celebrated the start of Dental Health Week. It was celebrated at the SM Mall of Asia with parade of Floats made from Colgate boxes and an inter-school Cheerleading contest. I am a Medical Doctor and some of you might wonder what am I doing in a predominantly Dentist affair.
I am a part-time faculty to one of the country’s top dental school, the University of the East College of Dentistry. I teach medical subjects to students that will probably earn more than me in 6 years time. Anyways, the reason for this article is the difference I saw, between the organization of dentists and that of physicians.
The most obvious difference that I saw was that, the Philippine Dental Association, does a great job in telling the world (nation) that they exist! That they are there and they’re part of every dentists lives, from the time these dentists enrolled in college until the time they are drilling holes into the dental caries of their patients.While the Philippine Medical Association gets only noticed, especially by budding physicians is when they would demand your membership during a young physicians oath taking after passing the local PRC board. How ironic isn’t it?
As a physician, I have never heard of the PMA ever putting together a program, even though it only lasts for a day, as grand as what the PDA does every year. Yes we hold Medicine Week in our Medical Schools, but that’s just it, it’s all in thought, never are the Medical Students exposed neither are they oriented on who the officers of their soon-to-be "family". I never felt any rapport or any form of bonding between the professional Physicians and the Medical students during my Med School days. Heck, these so called mentor of ours even showed some distance, as if, we’re not yet worthy of their attention. And yet, after passing the board exam, all things change and suddenly, you’re part of a "family". So what gives my fellow Doctors?
It’s really sad how a group of Dentists could muster such a bond between the young and the old while those in the profession considered by many as "next-to-God" does not even move a finger to let the soon-to-be MD’s that "hey, we’re here and let’s celebrate this together". Oh yeah I forgot, Physicians have these so called, inter-school Quiz Bees or Clinico Pathologic Conferences, what fun huh?
