Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition No. 4, 2015

Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition | 4/201512 TRENDS&APPLICATIONS provement of oral health in those countries less developed than our own. Despite this, a balance should be struck. Rewarding those hard- working, committed and talented of home candidates with scholar- ships for further training is com- mon overseas. Spare a thought… A young graduate recently told meabouthisexperiencesofapply- ing for jobs. Three people, two of whom were friends, had applied forapositionintheNorthEast.The interviewing principal came into the waiting room and said that he was not interviewing, as they all had very similar qualifications and credentials. All he wanted to know was who of the three would take the lowest sterling amount for a UDA. He promptly gave them three envelopes and asked them to write down the magic number. One applicant wisely got up and left. Two of the friends remained and seemingly agreed to write down the same amount. Unfortunately, the friendship came to a cata- strophic end when one applicant broke the pact and wrote a lower amount. He got the job and the principal pocketed the difference. The conscientious and capable, yet unsuccessful, candidate even- tually relocated to Australia, the reservoir to which some of our UK talent drains. When I heard this, my jaw dropped and my heart sank. This story smacks of a profession being squeezed from all sides, resulting in such acts of desperation. Imag- ine if you will dentistry in the UK as a sand-castle and we dentists eachagrainofsand.Whenbuilding a sand-castle, gently cupping the sand in a supportive way, as op- posed to squeezing it tightly, is a more efficient way of dealing with it.Squeezingittootightlyresultsin grains escaping between the fin- gers, and by the time one reaches the castle site, there is nothing left in one’s hands, but a few grains. It appears that the hands that are designed to facilitate and accom- modateoureffortstotreatpatients are gripping too forcefully, re- sulting in frustration and anger. Our young colleagues desperately want to build a career in this diffi- cult and hazardous environment. Spare a thought for them and help if you can. Editorial note: A list of references is available from the publisher. Aws Alani is a Consultant in Restorative Den- tistry at Kings College Hospital in London, UK, and a lead cli- nician for the management of congenital ab- normalities. He can be contacted at awsalani@hotmail.com. The DTI publishing group is composed of the world’s leading dental trade publishers that reach more than 650,000 dentists in more than 90 countries. PRINT DIGITAL EDUCATION EVENTS AD “It looks increasingly unlikely that a UK graduate with ﬁve years of debt in tuition fees will be able to afford to train and develop comprehensively...” DTUK0415_10_12_Alani 10.09.15 15:17 Seite 2 DTUK0415_10_12_Alani 10.09.1515:17 Seite 2

Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition No. 4, 2015

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