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Other News
| Campus Seminar and Ceremony |
Ethics: The Core of Dentistry
A major responsibility of the American Dental Association is to survey dentists on the “hot issues” in dentistry. Over the years, polling has revealed that the most important criteria for hiring new associates are clinical preparedness and high ethical standards. The two issues are really one, like two sides of a coin, with the same bottom line—trust. It’s the basis for patient care. It’s the foundation for academic integrity. It goes to the core of dentistry for reasons that are so obvious they are sometimes hard to grasp. A student who cheats is under-qualified and may lack knowledge crucial to the treatment of future patients. There is a strong correlation between cheating in school and cheating in patient care once the student graduates.
Faculty Development
There is no doubt that reiterating a commitment to high ethical standards is a top priority for the new administration of Dr. Henry Gremillion. Under his planning and the coordination of Dr. Toby Rodriguez, an all-day faculty development seminar was held in July on the topic of “Ethics and Professionalism.” The purpose was to invoke how ethics and professionalism are best practiced and taught by all members of the part- and full-time faculty.
The guest speaker was Larry Cook, DMD, who serves as the ethics chairperson (Florida section) for the American College of Dentistry. As part of his presentation, Dr. Cook showed photographs of Bernie Madoff and Enron as a graphic, shorthand way of communicating how a few can cause so much harm to the many.
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| Dr. Henry Gremillion, right, with guest speaker, Dr. Larry Cook, at the faculty development seminar on ethics and professionalism. |
First Things First
On September 11, all 118 incoming dental, dental hygiene and dental technology students convened in Auditorium C for the first-ever F. Harold Wirth Ceremony on Ethics and Professionalism. Surrounded by family and faculty, the students publicly pledged an oath that they wrote themselves. Following the ceremony, each student signed a pledge sheet that will be framed and hung in the breezeway corridor.
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New dental hygiene student “Von” Walters signs her name pledging to uphold the highest ideals of dentistry.
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Dr. Wirth was a long-time teacher in the dental school who had an enormous influence on a whole generation of dentists and dental students, not just here at LSU but throughout America. A core group of his former students, all of whom are accomplished dentists in their communities, have organized to continue the principles taught by Dr. Wirth and that is why the ceremony is named in his honor.
White Coat Ceremony
The White Coat Ceremony and the public pledging of a version of the Hippocratic Oath mark the momentous occasion when a student begins treating patients. Because students begin their clinical work in second year, administrators decided to move the White Coat Ceremony from freshman to sophomore year.
The common thread in all of these events is the need to emphasize and recommit to the integrity and trust of the dental profession. Year after year, surveys by the Gallop Poll have revealed that dentistry is considered among the top ten most-trusted professions in America. Countless generations of dentists have contributed to this sacred trust. |
