Abuse in dental school
- Thread starter Fox3
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I think it's more common than not to experience that sort of treatment in dental school. For some reason a lot of the educators seem bent on lowering dental students' self-esteem. Maybe it's well intentioned to put students in their place in order to prevent them from thinking that they know everything and to make them be more critical of their work, but I think often it's just due to arrogance. That's not the case with every instructor or every institution of course.
I'm surprised considering all the anti-bullying awareness that's going on elsewhere that it is still acceptable and acknowledeged as the "norm" at dental school. Shut up and and put up (or out?) seems to be the gold standard. With the tremendous pressures dental students are constantly under, I just hope that it doesn't take a "Dental Columbine" before attitudes change.
I'm surprised considering all the anti-bullying awareness that's going on elsewhere that it is still acceptable and acknowledeged as the "norm" at dental school. Shut up and and put up (or out?) seems to be the gold standard. With the tremendous pressures dental students are constantly under, I just hope that it doesn't take a "Dental Columbine" before attitudes change.
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I heard a lady, suffering from depression in Taiwan and ignorant enough to think the dentist pulled the wrong tooth because her mouth was still hurting, poured some kind of "acid" over the dentist while he was working on a patient and destroyed his eyes as well as the patient's face.
Life happens.
Life happens.
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There have been many many research papers published on these issues. You can do a search on the Journal of Dental Education. All of them agreed that a humanistic environment was the most successful approach to dental education. The problem is at many schools the deans and other leaders in power still have the need to create a belittling, demeaning environment.
Our dean for 28 years, Dr. Dugoni has been preaching about this forever which is why we are lucky at our school to have a very respectful environment. There are other schools that have adopted this method of educating as well but not enough. As dentists we need to work together but how can these schools treat students like crap for 3 or 4 years and then expect them to forget everything upon graduation, come back to teach, donate, or collaborate with their collegues?
Students always enter school with so much excitement, dental schools should try and foster this enthusiasm instead of break it down. It would lead to much more compassionate graduates.
Our dean for 28 years, Dr. Dugoni has been preaching about this forever which is why we are lucky at our school to have a very respectful environment. There are other schools that have adopted this method of educating as well but not enough. As dentists we need to work together but how can these schools treat students like crap for 3 or 4 years and then expect them to forget everything upon graduation, come back to teach, donate, or collaborate with their collegues?
Students always enter school with so much excitement, dental schools should try and foster this enthusiasm instead of break it down. It would lead to much more compassionate graduates.
