3 minute read
Professionalism
from UDA Action
We are members of a wonderful profession, Dentistry. It is full of learning opportunities, technical advances and meaningful relationships with patients, colleagues and staff. We live in a time when we can bless the lives of others, with our dental skills, better than ever before. We stand firmly on the solid ground set by those who came before us and were willing to contribute and make our profession a better place than they found it.
As professionals we have certain values that we ascribe to that have lead us to the wonderful position we are in today. If we abandon those values, we will have missed the boat and will contribute to a decline in our professional standing. Dr Raymond A. Cohimia DDS, the new executive director of the American Dental Association mention these in an article sent out a few weeks ago.
These values were taught to me by, among others, my father who was a dentist and served in many professional organizations including the UDA and the International College of Dentist.
● Professionals must have a higher level of education than the general public. ● Professionals must advance the art and science of their field for all people everywhere. ● Professionals must possess the ability to self-govern
Take anyone of these three values away, and we lose our blessed and earned title of “professional”.
Education comes in many forms. Advanced degrees and certificates, that are to be used to benefit others, come at much sacrifice in terms of time and money. We also learn from experience, continuing education, and from our mistakes (the school of hard knocks). To love learning is one of our great goals.
As we become more proficient in our chosen field, “the art and science of dentistry” we need to lift others. That can be our colleagues, patients, students or the disadvantaged of our society. Sharing our knowledge to help the common good is an obligation we should take willingly. Our patients deserve to be first in our priorities. The Doctor/Patient relationship is almost sacred. It allows us into the inner circle of peoples lives and can last for lifetimes, even generations. Putting others first will not only make us worthy of the title “professional” but also make us happy and allow us to love our work. Helping the underprivileged should be an area that every professional participates in, one way or another. We need to protect our doctor/patient relationship. It is one that should remain direct, unobstructed, and must not be dictated by any interferences of any kind.
In order to govern ourselves we must have those willing to represent us. If we don’t effectively govern ourselves others will do it for us. We must be organized and have an “association” that advocates on our behalf and gives us a standard to live by and practice by. We all do things a little differently but there are many issues where if we stand together we can be much more effective in advancing our profession. We can better control our circumstances and keep our chosen profession honored and highly respected. Our code of ethics, given to us by our American Dental Association and which are part of our legal statutes and DOPL Rules, is a great start in protecting our Dr/Patient relationship and maintaining the trust of society.
Our involvement in our dental associations is about governing ourselves and preserving a tradition of excellence and caring in a world of “What’s in it for Me”.
Thank you for doing your part, even if at times it is just being a supportive member. Free loaders, who love the benefits of our dental association and self-governance, but are not willing to support or help, are missing the boat. They are a part of life but if we have to many of them it is like having the proverbial albatross around our necks as we fight to protect our patients and our profession from outside interferences.
Maintaining the values of a “profession” is a cost of doing business. I pay my dues to the ADA/UDA with a smile because of how necessary it is and what our association does for me.
When you can, get involved. Be a part of: staying educated, advancing the art and science of dentistry and self-governance. Together we have a bright future that I look forward to. Thank you for protecting the profession that over the last 45 years I have grown to love.
Dr Brent A Larson ADA Delegate
