Have u got put down by the Meds?

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tanwe461

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Hey all! Just something that Im curious about...
I often hear that Dental students are put down by Med students. They often say that the 'no brainers' get into Dent and they are the more superior bunch. Have you guys got that experience?
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First of all, Med vs Dent put downs demonstrate the ignorance of the antagonists if actually said with seriousness. If said in jest, I see little harm in such back and forth carping.

In the spirit of a little fun, here is some ammunation for the dental folks. A D3 told me that a professor who has taught both dental and medical students for many years remarked that dental students in general have more of a self sufficient "can do" attitude and are less likley to be whiners than medical students in general. The professor then went on to offer his opinion that the insurance companies were able to suck in physicians with the HMO trojan horse but could not trap dentists with the same ruse because of the general difference in personality traits between those who choose to go to medical school vs dental school.
 
Don't let any snotty meds get to you. I was a science education major in with all of the premeds in college. A couple of them said that I must have chosen sci ed because I wasn't smart enough to be a physician. :rolleyes: Funny thing is they ended up having trouble passing premed & both changed to business & I'm now in med school.

Those folks just like to look down on others so that they feel more important. Hopefully they'll get beaten down during rotations and residency so that they end up being decent people in the end.
 
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The professor has no idea what he's talking about.


Originally posted by groundhog
The professor then went on to offer his opinion that the insurance companies were able to suck in physicians with the HMO trojan horse but could not trap dentists with the same ruse because of the general difference in personality traits between those who choose to go to medical school vs dental school.
 
Originally posted by groundhog
The professor then went on to offer his opinion that the insurance companies were able to suck in physicians with the HMO trojan horse but could not trap dentists with the same ruse because of the general difference in personality traits between those who choose to go to medical school vs dental school.

While I would like to think this is true, the main reason we have avoided the HMO monsters is that our professional organization (ADA) has around 80% membership and the physicians professional organization (AMA) has horrible membership (around 30% the last I remember). That strength in the ADA is huge for us, we really have a lot of pull and lobying power because of the numbers. It is yet another reason to join the ASDA as a student (which also lobbies for student-based initiatives) and then the ADA once we are licensed!
 
Dcs,

On the other hand, it would not be unreasonable to assume that dentists join the ADA in significantly greater proportion than physicians join the AMA due to a general difference in personality traits found in those choosing to enter the two respective health care professions.
 
Originally posted by groundhog
Dcs,

On the other hand, it would not be unreasonable to assume that dentists join the ADA in significantly greater proportion than physicians join the AMA due to a general difference in personality traits found in those choosing to enter the two respective health care professions.

Agreed :thumbup:
 
Originally posted by Jone
The professor has no idea what he's talking about.
Did the professor try to say something like this?

DMO (dental HMO) is not feasible because the idea of primary care dentists is not possilbe. For example, a patient comes in with caries. Would the dentist be able to write a presciption to cure the caries like primary care physicians do? Should the dentist refer the patient to a specialist like primary care physicians do? Dentists know that they're not able to work with HMO, and they also know how to say 'no thank you.'
 
First of all, my friends who went to med school envy me. They all enjoy what they're doing, but they see the life I'll live 10 years down the road, while they'll be running the gauntlet still, or just getting out of it with the bain of an HMO/managed care to deal with.

Other med people I've come across look at us as colleagues. There will be instances where we are respected for our intricate knowledge of the cranium, while we respect them for their knowledge of the entire system, or their respective specialty. It all comes down to professional courtesy, and those who look down on dentists don't only do so to dentists. They also look down on PAs, RNs, Podietrists, and whoever else doesn't hold or isn't working towards an MD.

That said, I was told that a recent social with the med school here was a disappointment b/c the med students sheltered themselves from the welcoming dents. Maybe it was just that group or whatever, but everyone of my classmates at the gathering said they got the major cold shoulder from the other side.

Then again, there are dents who look down on non professionals. So pride comes in all flavors, and I'm not talking about the good kind either.
 
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