The 69th Doctor’s Day: A Hilarious Look at a Serious Ceremony
Ah, Doctor’s Day! You might think it’s a day for doctors to celebrate their hard work. Yet, just like a patient dodging an appointment, I dare say it’s also a chance for some cheeky commentary on how our medical professionals are faring in this world of paperwork and precision. So, let’s slice right into it, shall we?
Saint Luke, Patron Saint of Doctors and Other Trades
First off, lovely warm wishes to everyone gathered at the University of Sassari! I mean, nothing quite says “This is a serious event” like a crowd of doctors acknowledging the patron saint of their profession, Saint Luke. You could almost hear a collective “Amen” when Msgr. Gian Franco Saba opened with his praises, thanking doctors for their hard work during “a complex moment of great challenges and changes.” Sounds a bit like my last dentist appointment—with challenges, changes, and a lot of anxiety!
Numbers Game – The Medical Edition
Now, onto the numbers presented by president Nicola Addis. Apparently, in the glorious year of 2030/32, we’ll get about 20,000 shiny new doctors strutting out of medical school. But hold your applause! A mere 7,000 doctors will be retiring. Come on, who’s doing the math here? It’s like trying to shove more text messages into a full inbox—it doesn’t quite add up!
Addis, bless him, expressed solidarity over a colleague’s tragic passing. But here’s the kicker: he reminded everyone to keep ethics in mind. “It’s like your personal Bible,” he said. Great sentiment, but let’s hope they don’t interpret that literally at the next round of medical exams. The last thing we need is ‘thou shalt not mistake a heart bypass for a circumcision!’
The Dentistry Crisis: Where is Everyone?
And then, we had Carlo Azzena pop up to talk about the “acute shortage of dental professionals.” Honestly, folks, if the graduates in the audience were smart, they’d be injecting themselves into dentistry stat! There’s a golden opportunity here—a bit like finding a fiver in last year’s winter coat pocket. But please, don’t forget public healthcare! It’s the ‘rose between the thorns’ of funding cuts!
A Chance for Application and Oath!
Next up was Antonio Spano, the general director of Aou (not to be confused with the sound of my cat when it’s hungry). He opened his arms wide to welcome the new graduates with the enthusiasm of a toddler on a sugar rush. “We’ve got experience and cutting-edge technology!” he exclaimed. Quite a leap from clinging to golf clubs and old x-rays, eh?
Pierpaolo Terragni chimed in with a gentle reminder for new doctors to love their profession. Love? That’s rich, coming from someone who knows that when healthcare gets tough, the tough get going… to a karaoke bar. And Angela Spanu wrapped it all up with a nod to the future, saying new doctors would be “sought after.” Well, let’s just hope they don’t get mistaken for highly sought-after Uber drivers!
The Ceremony and the Gold Medals of Wisdom
Of course, what’s a ceremony without medals? 28 doctors celebrating their 50 years of service were presented with gold medals. Just imagine their faces—like kids in a candy store, which probably wasn’t too far off since they’ve been dispensing sweet nothings to patients for half a century. And then came the professional oath—an echo of promise and seriousness, interrupted just a bit by that one guy who forgot his line. It’s a classic moment, really, à la Rowan Atkinson style.
In a festival of camaraderie and camaraderie, all participants were united under a banner of ethics and humanity. Because, let’s face it, the difference between a good doctor and an algorithm trying to diagnose your “unexplained tummy troubles” is a warm, fuzzy feeling—that humanity that keeps us all sane, and maybe slightly less algorithmic.
Final Thoughts: The Human Touch in Medicine
The ceremony was live-streamed, of course, because what better way to celebrate than to broadcast it to the masses? If there’s one takeaway, it’s that behind all the statistics and paperwork, the essence remains: humanity in medicine. Add some laughter, a dash of cheekiness, and voilà! You’ve got a snapshot of what modern healthcare should aspire to be: heartfelt, humorous, and just a pinch chaotic!
So here’s to all the doctors out there—past, present, and future. May your lives be rich with humanity, humor, and an endless supply of coffee!
The 69th Doctor’s Day took place on the feast day of the patron saint of doctors, Saint Luke. The ceremony began at 4 pm on Thursday 17 October in the Aula Magna of the University of Sassari with greetings from the president of the Order, Nicola Addis who immediately gave the floor to Msgr. Gian Franco Saba. The archbishop of Sassari expressed “gratitude for the medical work carried out in a complex moment of great challenges and changes, an opportunity for growth for everyone”.
The president of the Medical Association Nicola Addis then spoke about the reform on the limited number for access to medical studies, recalling that the new rule provides for the access, in 2030/32, of approximately 20,000 new professional figures against the exit from the labor market of just over 7,000 pensioners. “Numbers that will not guarantee a job for future doctors.”
Addis continued by expressing solidarity with the Carabinieri for the accidental death of a colleague on the road. He asked for a minute’s welcome for the doctors who disappeared during the year and remembered with a “Fortza Paris” the soldiers of the Sassari Brigade, under the command of General Stefano Messina engaged in the Unfil peace mission in Lebanon and exposed, in an area of border, to Israeli bombings. The president of the Order concluded with best wishes to the award-winning senior colleagues and advice to new doctors: “always keep the code of ethics in mind, as if it were your Bible and don’t forget to take care of the patient and not just of his pathology, the difference between a doctor and artificial intelligence is humanity”.
Carlo Azzena, provincial president of the category, spoke about the shortage of dental doctors. “The 1500 graduates in Italy – said Azzena – are insufficient, but this must be an encouragement for the new dentists who will certainly find a job. They are asked not to forget public healthcare which, despite continuous cuts, continues to be an excellence in Europe”.
Open arms for new Aou graduates, Antonio Spano, general director declared: “Our company is ready to welcome you, we have experience and cutting-edge technology, but we need all of you”.
Pierpaolo Terragni, president of the degree course in medicine and surgery at the University of Sassari, recommended that new doctors love the profession, putting patient care at the center of medical activity.
“You are highly sought after, you have many opportunities” This is how Angela Spanu, director of the Department of Medicine and Surgery, began by stating that “it is a more complicated period than in the past, but the enthusiasm that drove you to graduate will also support you in making the best choice for the future.”
The ceremony then got underway with the presentation of the gold medal to the 28 doctors who reached the milestone of 50 years since graduation in 2024 and then continued with the call of the 87 surgeons and 4 dentists who signed up to the Order of doctors in the current year. Everyone was given the doctors’ code of ethics.
Before the fateful “I swear”, pronounced by young and old in chorus, the professional oath was read by the youngest new doctors: Francesca Nieddu for the surgeons and Giuseppe Doneddu for the dentists, with the help of the award-winning doyen, Francesca Carta .
The entire ceremony was filmed live and broadcast on social channels.
