Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine - Synapsis Yearbook (Philadelphia, PA)

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president ' s page To the Class of 1980: What kind of doctor do you want? , I asked. Give me a well trained doctor, give me a doctor who reads. And a doctor who feels for his patient. This one will talk to people, and in plain words. And he will listen. He will not be hurried. He will identify with the patient. He has the personal touch. He will explain, gently and slowly, and over and ove r if necessary. He will share his patient ' s discomfort, he will know his patient ' s fears, and he will feel his pain. For the past four years, a number of the members of the faculty and administration of our college have attempted to impart to you an orientation to patient care such that described above. For, as it exists in the broad sense, this orientation to the care of the whole person is the nexus of the osteopathic philosophy of treatment. The osteopathic profession in 1980 faces a never before realized acceptance in the world of health care. The successful attempts to remove barriers to sharing of medical information by those who have preceeded you was not done in an effort to negate osteopathic distinctiveness; rather, it was an effort to develop the highest possible level of osteopathic care. And the subsequent interchange between the professions of osteopathic and allopathic medicine has been a fruitful one. I have stressed repeatedly that our affluence, in the sense of public and professional acceptance, should not serve as the source of the destruction of our professional integrity. Osteopathic care is not simply osteopathic manipulative therapy. It is a philosophic approach to patient care that implies an ever present awareness that the osteopathic physician is treating the whole person. This is the philosophy of care that has brought us to our present level of success. Our future, as a profession, is dependent upon you — and whether or not, and in what manner, you demonstrate this philosophy in your professional career. I wish to congratulate you upon this achievement, of which you should be so justifiably proud. I also congratulate your families, who I know share in your pride and have contributed greatly to your success. And most of all, I wish you well. We have been privileged and proud to have you as our students and I know that we will be proud of you as our graduates. God bless each of you. JfW J ' lLu iwtuA. Thomas M. Rowland