Court Opinion

ID: 9583030
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 22:34:08.266723+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:37:05.077230
License: Public Domain

Birdsong, Judge,
concurring specially.
I have absolutely no quarrel with the application of the legal authorities on which reliance is made in this decision nor in the result. However, I feel compelled to enunciate a grave reservation to one portion of what is either expressly or impliedly involved in the decision. This reservation applies to the inclusion of students in the category of persons who may not by contractual agreement limit or avoid the results of their lack of professionalism and thus limit their liability for their acts which amount to simple negligence when held to the standards required of professionals of the discipline in which the student is studying and preparing himself.
I fully agree that a university such as Emory, one of its agencies, such p.s the dental school, or any of the professional teachers or instructors or employees, may not lawfully contract to indemnify themselves against their professional negligence. That clearly is the context and intent of the cases cited in the principal opinion. The public is entitled to expert professionalism and adherence to the professional standards by professors trained as dentists (or doctors or lawyers, etc.) and licensed by this state as proficient in that discipline. Such expectations also are reasonable of a reputable school of dental education as well as any person performing personal services of the professional type being taught who is acting on behalf of the institution such as an instructor or an employee.
However, I cannot place that same high degree of professionalism upon one who is seeking to learn the discipline and has not yet reached the point of expertise to be entitled to be a graduate of the school, licensed by the state or accepted by the profession as a fully qualified member. As recognized in the principle decision, it is an accepted practice for dental schools (and law schools) to allow its students to develop their professional abilities by working with members of the public. Members of the public are made aware of the student’s participation. While it is true that an accepted member of the profession is required to be in supervisory attendance, *612the patient (or client) is also aware that a student is doing the actual work. It is known generally that dental work performed by a student may be obtained at a reduced rate. Common sense evinces the conclusion that the patient exchanges the reduced rate for the training experience obtained by the student and the invaluable teaching vehicle thus available to the school. To deny the student and the school of this valuable “on the job training” perforce would require the beginning professional to obtain such on-the-job training through the medium of the first series of patients available to the new dentist. Surely such an undesirable social result should be avoided.
It is my considered opinion that a student should be excepted from the stringent limitations on liability laid down by the principle decision. A student may well be liable for intentional and wilful torts. But I consider it better reasoning and in the interests of the public to conclude that when a patient knowingly and willingly accepts the services of a student, the patient acknowledges that that same high degree of professionalism cannot be expected and that the patient can contractually (or impliedly) accept an assumption of the risk of dental care that may not be up to the high standards of professionalism expected generally of a member of the dental profession.
I recognize that the position advocated in this concurrence borders on matters of public policy. Thus the status of students and the legal responsibility flowing from their action while in training may well be a matter to be addressed by the state legislature.