THE DENTIST – HOLDER OF THE “3M’s”
Alexandru Dumitru Brezoescu
As a liberal profession, being a physician is not similar to any other, as it occupies a special place and we can say without mistake that it is even a profession involving a personal sacrifice. To be a physician does not suppose only to implement the knowledge accumulated during one’s academic studies, but also to have a CALLING, in other words, that indispensable feature, besides other qualities without which you cannot be up to the standards medicine has reached in time.
A young person aspiring to the title of a physician must be sure that he holds some of the following features, while there are others he must gain: love for people, discipline, fairness, morals, permanent training, collegiality, respect for one’s predecessors – and the list can continue.
Besides these qualities, a future dentist should be also endowed with a good ambidexterity and therefore in my view, the dentist should possess the “3M’s” – mind, manual skills, mentor.
MIND – as, during his professional life, he has to accumulate a lot of knowledge in order to be able to establish a correct diagnosis and draft a treatment plan according to the diagnosis. The more he knows, the abler he is to choose from among several variants the one corresponding to the needs of the patient.
MANUAL SKILLS – as, in vain have you set a correct diagnosis, drafted an ideal treatment plan, if you cannot materialize it adequately and your technical execution is poor and finally it impairs you entire work.
MENTOR – as in life you have to follow a model, a true professional, who has those qualities which you aspire to possess and whom you wish to exceed in terms of your accomplishments.
We all have to agree that the profession of a dentist is special and it has to be practiced with devotion, honour and morality.
I formulated these recommendations for my younger colleagues, who are at the beginning of their professional journey, but also for the readers of Stomatology Edu Journal, a publication seeking acknowledgment in our medical activity.