Are doctors overrated?

[perthblue]

Hey guys,

Just wondering what the general view on doctors here is. It is traditionally a career of prestige, valued highly by society, with lots of trust put into it. But do we overvalue doctors?

Many doctors have poor interpersonal and communication skills, lots are too inflexible with their beliefs and methods possibly due to egotism, and generally seem poor at lateral thinking.

I also understand that the term 'doctor' is very general. The 70 year old at a suburban GP clinic with one eye on retirement is going to be a lot worse than a specialist at a reputable hospital, but it is the internet and we talk in generalities.

Personally, while it is an important job that requires lots of expensive training and requires long hours and dedication, it is perhaps a bit overrated and I think it attracts people to the job purely for the prestige/ego feeding.

Over to you, Bigfooty.

 

[edgie]

No.

Sent from mTalk

 

[por_please_ya]

Hmm... I think in some cultures, doctors are placed on a pedestal, bit like engineering as well. Indian culture comes to mind in particular (MWPP - you would have a greater opinion about this!!).

I definitely don't overvalue my family GP. She has known me since I was a small baby, and whilst I don't need to go to see her often (touchwood) every time I do I know I'm in good hands. She's very thorough, not wishy washy, doesn't charge the $10 fee when we go see her, and always tells us to go on her cancellation list because she makes time to see us. My Aunty goes to the same doc and she has saved her life, twice - once when she had an ectopic pregnancy, the other when she urged my Aunt to get tests on a lump, which lead to discovery of Stage III breast cancer (which she's been almost 10 years cancer free now). I will be so sad when my GP retires, whenever that may be

Overall, I think they are overrated in some cultures but not here in Australia. *shrug* I think for every shitty Doctor there are ten more great doctors who want the best outcome for the patient.

 

[Better Loosen Up]

I think when it comes to Doctors, you get the good and the not so good like every other industry. Their value to society however is without question.

 

[Kram]

The ones happy to prescribe benzos occasionally definitely aren't.

 

[exe ex machina]

Yes, doctors are not just overrated but close to scum. All they care about is handing out drugs to get their commission from big pharma. They especially prey on the elderly, saddling them with tons of pills that only rot them away gradually inside, thus giving them more pills to deal with the side-effects. Because you know old people are always hypochondriacs and want to extend their lives to spend more time with grand-kids etc. So they're very gullible and susceptible. The doctors see them, they hand out drugs and send them around to their Specialist friends, who send them around to other Specialist friends. They grab them and send them round the circuit of doctors, all taking their pound of flesh.

The only time doctors are worthwhile is when you actually need surgery. Otherwise, I don't trust them, and people should ignore everything they say. I've heard so many stories of people who share this sentiment of mine. Have specific stories that back it up.

There ARE a very few rare true old school doctors around, who genuinely actually diagnose illnesses correctly and prescribe non-surgery, non-pill-taking, natural remedies or natural dietary courses of action, because they genuinely want to heal/help people. But the vast majority are not like this.

 

[HahnPremium]

They are also heavily imbued with the inference of god complex in their education.
But id rather have em than not have em.

 

[Kram]

Yes, doctors are not just overrated but close to scum. All they care about is handing out drugs to get their commission from big pharma. They especially prey on the elderly, saddling them with tons of pills that only rot them away gradually inside, thus giving them more pills to deal with the side-effects. Because you know old people are always hypochondriacs and want to extend their lives to spend more time with grand-kids etc. So they're very gullible and susceptible. The doctors see them, they hand out drugs and send them around to their Specialist friends, who send them around to other Specialist friends. They grab them and send them round the circuit of doctors, all taking their pound of flesh.

The only time doctors are worthwhile is when you actually need surgery. Otherwise, I don't trust them, and people should ignore everything they say. I've heard so many stories of people who share this sentiment of mine. Have specific stories that back it up.

There ARE a very few rare true old school doctors around, who genuinely actually diagnose illnesses correctly and prescribe non-surgery, non-pill-taking, natural remedies or natural dietary courses of action, because they genuinely want to heal/help people. But the vast majority are not like this.

They are also heavily imbued with the inference of god complex in their education.
But id rather have em than not have em.

That sounds more like school teachers to be honest.

 

[HahnPremium]

View attachment 615653

That sounds more like school teachers to be honest.

Dont think so.
Gods are attracted to higher paychecks.

 

[exe ex machina]

Might as well just get this out now....

Types of people that GG hates, in no order, just all piled in together....

Parents
Teachers
Professors
Doctors
Police
Security
Politicians
Priests/Nuns/Brothers/Sisters/Cardinals/Bishops/Popes/Imams/etc
Sports Coaches
Forum Administrators and Moderators
CEOs/CFOs/etc
Lawyers
Judges
Older Brothers
Bosses
Intelligence Agents
Bank Managers
2ICs
Area Managers
HR Managers
Corporate Big Wigs
The NFL Commissioner
etc
etc

 

[utility]

As a profession they deserve to be respected but you'll always get bad eggs.

I thought GPs earn a lot more than they do. Apparently only 200-250k is common. I guess surgeons make the big bucks.

 

[Moonwatcher]

Might as well just get this out now....

Types of people that GG hates, in no order, just all piled in together....

Parents
Teachers
Professors
Doctors
Police
Security
Politicians
Priests/Nuns/Brothers/Sisters/Cardinals/Bishops/Popes/Imams/etc
Sports Coaches
Forum Administrators and Moderators
CEOs/CFOs/etc
Lawyers
Judges
Older Brothers
Bosses
Intelligence Agents
Bank Managers
2ICs
Area Managers
HR Managers
Corporate Big Wigs
The NFL Commissioner
etc
etc

2ICs

 

[exe ex machina]

2ICs

Generally speaking!! There are always exceptions

 

[Moonwatcher]

Generally speaking!! There are always exceptions

I'm not a 2IC, I was agreeing with you

 

[exe ex machina]

I'm not a 2IC, I was agreeing with you

Ok then, may they rot in hell

 

[William Wonka]

Might as well just get this out now....
Types of people that GG hates:
Forum Administrators and Moderators

Self loathing?

 

[MWPP]

The prestige thing may have been true in previous times, but there's a lot less respect from both patients and families these days. Patients and families have more power than ever before, and there's far more accountability too. The lateral thinking point is interesting- perhaps the apparent decline in the "art" of medicine is a side effect of a greater emphasis on protocols, guidelines and evidence based medicine (all of which have been beneficial to society, but may have also resulted in some deskilling when it comes to seeing patients who don't fit a typical presentation).

Changes in the entrance requirements , university syllabi and our job selection criteria (we have to reapply for our own jobs annually) have meant that the egos and poor interpersonal and communication are far more uncommon than before (and will become increasingly uncommon when the few who are left retire) but there are poor personalities in every profession so I won't make excuses for all of my colleagues. There are certainly many avenues for patients to complain against doctors and other health professionals, but no way for us to complain when we are treated poorly by patients and their families (and this actually happens far more often than the public realise). Stress can bring out the worst in people too (and this goes for both staff when there's a crisis or shortages, and patients/families who are going through a stressful time themselves).

As for the semi-retired GP vs. young hospital specialist comparison- I'm much closer to being the latter but I still dislike that generalisation. They are completely different jobs so it's impossible to say that either will be "better" or "worse". GPs are often undervalued by our own profession (and by some members of the public too) - "just a GP" is actually a saying, and it's one of my pet peeves.

There are far more prestigious and well paying jobs out there with better work-life balances and hours. The other forum I post on is one for medical students and junior doctors, and it's surprising how naive and altruistic some applicants are. Yes, doctors make a very comfortable income, but people still grossly overestimate how much most of us earn. It's not an easy pathway to ultimate riches in that it's a very long road to the "top" , it's a lifetime of learning and there are multiple sacrifices that occur along the way. Surgical specialities are higher paying because of our billing system, but they also work exhausting hours , pay huge indemnity and licence fees and often having training programs that are longer and more difficult to get into. There are also some serious cultural issues in medicine as a whole, but especially in some of these specialities.

In summary- I accept that medicine as a career is overrated as a career choice by many prospective applicants (not by doctors or other health professionals though) hence how competitive it is to get into. However, Doctors aren't overrated in Australia- neither by patients/families nor by colleagues/other staff. In comparison to the situation overseas, our working conditions and pay are better than most of our international colleagues', but with that comes less respect in that people are more questioning and are likely to believe Dr Google or TV medical shows over their GP, but also feel more entitled.

 

[Shell]

I dont think so- my own experiences with Doctors (particularly specialists or the time i ended up in the ER at the Royal) were fantastic. And nurses as well.

My childhood GP was great, very thorough, but obviously he retired a few years ago now. Go to a clinic now- some of them are srsly shithouse one will just hand you a med cert and do nothing to actually examine you (why i complain about this idk)- but I found this other one there, who is amazing. One asthma puffer I was not eligible to get, so she rang up the place and got permission for me to be prescribed it.

 

[SHAKESPEARE]

No.

If you can find a good doctor...you are golden.

 

[Brad Goodman]

Unless you're a cyborg they're pretty crucial

 

[Spongebob]

I prefer to get my medical advice from Instagram influencers and tv chefs.

Activated almonds and placenta cream are doing wonders for my cancer.

 

[Kram]

Like anything, mechanic, plumber, drug dealer.. Just got to find a good one and stick with them.

 

[Geoffa32]

I often joke that all you need to be a Locum is Google to my wife.

We have had to call one out a few times after hours for our 15 month son. Nothing major. So far each time my diagnosis concurs (via Google) with the Locum.


Our regular GP is pretty good.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

 

[tryitout]

People attend these large bulk billing practices and expect to get the five star treatment. It shouldn't matter where you go but it does, as with every other service based business.

People are happy to spend $20 a month on a streaming service but shirk at $20 for a private doctors visit. The difference is like night and day in my opinion.

 

[Better Loosen Up]

Might as well just get this out now....

Types of people that GG hates, in no order, just all piled in together....

Parents
Teachers
Professors
Doctors
Police
Security
Politicians
Priests/Nuns/Brothers/Sisters/Cardinals/Bishops/Popes/Imams/etc
Sports Coaches
Forum Administrators and Moderators
CEOs/CFOs/etc
Lawyers
Judges
Older Brothers
Bosses
Intelligence Agents
Bank Managers
2ICs
Area Managers
HR Managers
Corporate Big Wigs
The NFL Commissioner
etc
etc

Would it have been easier to have just gone with "people"?