In The Information Superhighway: What It Will Mean, Vice President Al Gore stated futurist Alvin Toffler has written about three "waves" of civilization. In the First Wave, agriculture enabled nomadic people to settle into villages and cities. In the Second Wave, the industrial revolution made possible the modern industrial state. According to Toffler, a Third Wave has begun in which computing and telecommunications technologies will transform the global economy and have political and societal impacts every bit as profound as those of the First and Second Waves.
During a recent Multimedia Teaching Committee meeting, Terry Snider, Director of Advanced Technologies, lamented, "It's so hard to keep up anymore; wave after wave of new technologies are overwhelming us." The moment you learn one task, the task is upgraded, or the company goes out of business. I am reminded of one of the few graduation addresses when I was actually paying attention. The speaker stated that in the year 1850, all the technical knowledge that you would need to know to succeed for an entire year, could be found today in one issue of the Wall Street Journal. One Day's Wall Street Journal! Information overload? Burnout?
Yesterday, I received notice of an advanced camera that would fit into the root canal so that you could "see" the apex during endodontic therapy. This would link to digital and analog cameras already in use and thus to your office computer storing an electronic record of the patient's oral conditions. Since you don't think I'm a computer geek, try out a new product gluma that supposedly stops tooth sensitivity dead in its tracks. Be it cervical, deep dentinal decay, crown cementation, or poor amalgam margins. Casting aside the political territories, Acticite appears to be an excellent product for that last 5-7 mm pocket that we just can't eradicate. Our program will begin using this on selected patients in clinic this Spring 96 semester.
We are evaluating ultrasonice instrumentation in light of recent published literature supporting their significant use in a private practice setting. My own personal experience with patients and the new tips has been very favorable.
Just consider our newsletter! We are using Microsoft Publisher 3.0 for the first time in producing this newsletter. Word Perfect (the last newsletter) just wasn't designed for the number of pictures, graphics, line art, and text. I trust that you enjoy the changes; we have, also, attempted to supply you with a few interesting intellectual gems.
It's a distinct pleasure to add Dr. C. S. "Bud" MacElfish to the Newsletter. Dr. McElfish has been the Friday Clinic Dentist since forever. He has been writing a dental column in the Cumberland Time-News: Your Dental Health. and has agreed to provide a column each issue. I'm sure you'll enjoy this first article: Washington Plagued with Dental Ills.
The heart and soul of this news letter is the information about you and your classmates. Everyone reads their class year and then the years on either side. After so many years, just reading a sentence or two is a simple pleasure. All of our staff read about you and some of us have shared your joys and your hurts. We are sort of an extended Family. For example, this year as a first, one of our graduates, who became a dentist, Dr. Brenda Paul (Class of 1987) has embarked in private practice and naturally, required an ACC graduate Marsha Ferguson (Class of 1994).
If you're missing the message , we want to hear from you. Not all of us have won Lotto America as big and exciting news; what the heck, drop us a line.
There are several phone number, name, city, and state databases that I can use to locate missing graduates. I need to know married name if married and a general location such as city and state. If you know the husband's full name that would be best.
Unknown Addresses
Change, like it or not, is a constant in life. The more things change, the more they stay the same? Look at some recent headlines:
Study Finds No Link Between Amalgam and Decrease in Mental Abilities, Four of Five Dentists Say More Men Suffer from Bad Breath than Women, and Researchers Find Swimming May Stain Teeth.
I'll leave you with a couple of quotes:
There is a certain relief in change, even though it be from bad to worse; as I found traveling in a stage-coach, that it is often a comfort to shift one's position and be bruised in a new place. Washington Irving (1783-1859)
and this reality check: Today the world changes so quickly that in growing up we take leave not just of youth but of the world we were young in....Fear and resentment of what is new is really a lament for the memories of our childhood. Sir Peter Medawar (1915-87)
Finally, talk about change, see below:
"Market driven realities" will put up to 150,000 physicians, 300,000 nurses and 40,000 pharmacists out of work unless 20 percent of the nation's medical schools are closed by 2005 and physician, nurse and pharmacist training slots are cut up to 25 percent, according to a Pew Health Professions Commission report released November 17.
The Commission says more training must take place in ambulatory settings and that allied health professions should be crosstrained. While the Commission did not say which schools should close, it indicated those producing many specialists and little research are prime targets. It vowed to work with state officials and others to seek closings.
The American Medical Association, American Nurses Association and the Association of American Medical Colleges dispute the Commission's findings.