Sorry I’m late to the party. As a resident, I must point out that if I did “just my job,” or even talked about it as “just a job,” I’d get fucking fired–or at the very least, talked to in a hushed tone.

Patients want us to be MAGIC. They want us to make things happen that only a god could make happen; they expect miracles; the only honest statements many of them want from us are the ones that reassure them. If you think patient expectations (evidenced neatly in the comments above) play any less of a role in God complexes than physician education does, especially with patient satisfaction being such a huge market force, you are living in a fantasy world with fairies and unicorns and skeletons doing it doggy-style.

Big love,
Signout

I have experienced horrific treatment by several drs. which I will not post as yet – but will later. [you don't want to miss it because it will curl your hair - or straighten it LOL]

Just wanted to comment that the Dr. K post is one example of a certified registered “a-hole” of a doctor.

It doesn’t matter one wit – if women’s bodies “bore you”
What matters is the respect each human deserves.

With a comment like yours, you don’t deserve any at all

[please, God - let him not be a dr. in my community!]

PhysioProf sounds exactly like the Physiology, Biochemistry and Cell Biology profs I had in med school. Hopefully they represent a minority of basic science PhD’s – unlike some people I try not to generalize an entire professon based only on a few people I have personally met.

I have never met a doctor who treated me with anything but respect and kindness. I have never felt looked down upon in a doctor’s office. You people who claim that good doctors are the exception to the rule have got it all wrong. Crappy doctors are the exception. (For the record I am not a physician and I have been to a lot of different doctors because I moved around a lot when I was younger.)

Also, I don’t understand the whole doctors having power trips notion. The way I see it doctors are there to help me feel better. I’m the one with the power. I can ask as many questions as I want. I can tell the doctor I don’t want to take that medication. I can refuse a treatment. I might be wrong, but it’s still my choice.

I’m in no way a medical professional (I’m a computer geek), but my family often trusts me to go with them when visiting a doctor (or lawyer, etc.) to be an attentive note-taker. Given the severe problems that have arisen in my family (from which, thankfully, I have mostly been spared so far), I’ve had more opportunity to speak and interact with members of the medical profession across various specialties than most.

I’ve encountered a few jerks. Vastly more often, though, my family and I were treated with respect, concern, and courtesy. The only general criticism I have of the medical profession is how *rushed* everyone was; but even so, most were understanding and willing to answer any and all questions about treatments, risks, alternatives, and so on. Many times I’ve had professionals tell me “I think it’s this, but it’s hard to diagnose; I suggest you get a second opinion”.

Perhaps instead of railing against the whole profession — which, by the way, immediately condemned this surgeon for his actions — we should focus our outrage on the individuals within it that treat people poorly.

Put another way, if your doctor is a jerk, TELL HIM (or her) — then go see another doctor.

Does anyone think there might be some confirmation bias going on here, both in the original posting and the majority of the comments?