Page 29 - WesternU View - Spring 2015
P. 29
MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN
College of
Dental Medicine
Over the past few months, I’ve talked with several program
directors, faculty and practitioners who work with WesternU
CDM graduates. In a profession frequently dominated by the
technical demands of providing care, I expected most of the
comments to center on the graduates’ clinical skills, and the
feedback on their skills was indeed complimentary.
What was pleasantly surprising were the laudatory comments
related to our graduates’ non-technical or “soft” skills. The most
frequent descriptions included “professional,” “concerned about
the patient’s welfare,” “compassionate,” “caring,” “polite,”
“eager to learn,” and “here for the right reasons.”
Shortly before I left private practice to serve as dean at Creighton
University’s School of Dentistry, I had a new patient on my
schedule. Because I was departing in a few days, I asked the front
Steven Friedrichsen, DDS office if it was a mistake. They assured me that it was correct,
and I would understand once I met the patient.
As it turned out, she wasn’t interested in a clinical exam, but had
read about my pending transition to dental school dean. She
told me about a previous dentist who wouldn’t believe she was
in pain, and continued to work on her even though it was
obvious she was in agony. Retelling the story caused her eyes to
well up with tears. She said that she had a simple request: Teach
students to care for people with the same concern and
compassion she exhibited as a nurse.
Hearing the feedback from those who work with our graduates,
my eyes are the ones that tear up. It is a great joy to hear that
the faculty, staff and students are successfully meeting my
patient’s simple request.
WesternU View Spring 2015 27
College of
Dental Medicine
Over the past few months, I’ve talked with several program
directors, faculty and practitioners who work with WesternU
CDM graduates. In a profession frequently dominated by the
technical demands of providing care, I expected most of the
comments to center on the graduates’ clinical skills, and the
feedback on their skills was indeed complimentary.
What was pleasantly surprising were the laudatory comments
related to our graduates’ non-technical or “soft” skills. The most
frequent descriptions included “professional,” “concerned about
the patient’s welfare,” “compassionate,” “caring,” “polite,”
“eager to learn,” and “here for the right reasons.”
Shortly before I left private practice to serve as dean at Creighton
University’s School of Dentistry, I had a new patient on my
schedule. Because I was departing in a few days, I asked the front
Steven Friedrichsen, DDS office if it was a mistake. They assured me that it was correct,
and I would understand once I met the patient.
As it turned out, she wasn’t interested in a clinical exam, but had
read about my pending transition to dental school dean. She
told me about a previous dentist who wouldn’t believe she was
in pain, and continued to work on her even though it was
obvious she was in agony. Retelling the story caused her eyes to
well up with tears. She said that she had a simple request: Teach
students to care for people with the same concern and
compassion she exhibited as a nurse.
Hearing the feedback from those who work with our graduates,
my eyes are the ones that tear up. It is a great joy to hear that
the faculty, staff and students are successfully meeting my
patient’s simple request.
WesternU View Spring 2015 27
