Dentistry slighted again...this time by the Journal

Today, in the journal there was an article about the anatomy labs that we have to do for portions of our medical classes that frustrated me. It highlighted again, the biggest problem I have with the medical faculty.

Anatomy, seems to be very important in our medical classes. There is dissection of the thorax, abdomen, reproductive organs, upper and lower limbs and the head and neck. With each section of the body that is dissected, there is an anatomy bellringer that we have to do. I have yet to do one yet, and I imagine them to be pretty difficult.

This article that they had in the Edmonton Journal, Edmonton's Most 'reputable' newspaper was entitled the "ultimate gift". It was talking about how the Faculty of Medicine, not medicine and dentistry is, is one of the few remaining faculties in all of Canada and the only one left in Alberta that still has dissections. They were saying that despite the costs, the students seem to really benefit from it. I would have to agree. Despite some of the things that we have to do, it is a good learning experience. I have a much greater appreciation for the human body and where things are located in the thorax...since this is the only place where I have begun to dissect.

What was really annoying about the article is that it never once mentioned the dentistry students. I think that there were 4 students interviewed from first and second year but none of them were from dentistry. Just like the medical students, we have to do a ton of anatomy. We are only exempt from the lower limb and reproductive organs. The thing that annoyed me about it was the fact that once again, to the faculty, the dentistry students were ignored. We are only there, but not part of the faculty. Maybe they deem us to be a drain on resources. I have no idea.

Of course, it could have just been an oversight by the Edmonton Journal that they didn't put mention dentistry students. Maybe they didn't know, because the Anatomy lab directors failed to mention it. Maybe the anatomy instructors do not really like having the dentistry students there. I must say that I'm getting used not to being recognized. In class, we are usually described as 'future physicians' I think because many professors don't even know that there are dentistry students in the class. The reason why I want this to be corrected is because I want the public at large to know what dental students at the University of Alberta have to know. We don't just know teeth, we have to know the whole body.

In the words of Rodney Dangerfield...we just don't get no respect