<p>As a young woman I used to go to a family planning clinic in London for the pill - saw a different doctor every time. One time the doctor asked if I was due an internal exam and when I said no he responded “that’s a shame - I would like to have examined you” . Eeeeew. He was not a native English speaker so probably did not mean it the way it sounded but still…Eeeeew.</p>
<p>"aw, lighten up, swat parent! If you read a few posts back, someone acknowledged a need for a doctor praising thread! Go ahead and start it…</p>
<p>"I’m glad to say that I have no contributions to this “you shouldn’t have said that” thread, but I have read it with interest…</p>
<p>Keep in mind that 50% of all doctors finished in the bottom half of their class. I daresay some of the docs quoted above were some of them…or at least slept through the “tact” classes in Med school!!!"</p>
<p>Skill is not the same as tact. Judging by the grudges people here feel toward doctors, it really doesn’t matter however. You would be quite happy with any doctors as long as they smile, hold your hands and flatter you.</p>
<p>I would start an “accountant bashing” thread, but I do think that it is a bit sophomoric. Many statements can be taken out of context. And when push comes to shove, I am sure you are all hounding and whining to your doctors. When you aren’t complaining about them, that is.</p>
<p>The standards overall in medical schools are very high, so bottom of the class would be comparable to the top in many other professions, because most of the others couldn’t even get accepted to medical school. This is because the vast majority of college grads do not have the intelligence, the drive, or the organizational skills to do well in premed sciences, science ECs and MCATs. But the expectations for other professions are not as are high either. Others do not hold life and death in their hands, and for society, that is good. At least the others know their limits and did not even try to become doctors. If they could.</p>
<p>But keep on bashing. It sure is a positive contribution to society. And helps to solve the health care crisis, huh?</p>
<p>swatparent.</p>
<p>It’s clear that this is not funny to you. It is to some of us. Stop reading if it bothers you.</p>
<p>We don’t need a hall monitor here.</p>
<p>By the way, many medical schools are Pass/Fail, because the expectations are that doing the high intensity of work is enough, as opposed to competing for grades.</p>
<p>I will not ignore the doctor bashing, because that is like saying to ignore any other type of group tactics. If you were bashing ethnic or racial groups I would feel the same and feel inclined to defend the group. Doctors are basically hard-working people. </p>
<p>This is a public forum. Start your own private yahoo group if you want privacy.</p>
<p>Now bash away! But expect responses if so.</p>
<p>As the wife if a doctor I feel this thread is all in fun. We could start a thread of stupid things moms says. I could list several things I or my friends have said; I still think these friends are intelligent people. Some are doctors, teachers, accountants, etc.; being smart does not mean you always think before you speak, or know everything about your profession. </p>
<p>Many of the above post were related to a doctor not having a great bedside manner. They might be the smartest doctor in the state, but when you can not communicate with your patients, you are missing the whole picture. I for one want a doctor that is both smart and cares about me. Someone I can talk to and respects me as a person. If I don’t connect with one doctor, I will find another.</p>
<p>When my children were babies, I first went to the pediatrician that everyone loved. I liked him just fine until I met his partner; I loved the partner! We just clicked and his personality was similar to mine. I switched and was so glad I did. Was there anything wrong with the first doctor, absolutely not; I just felt more comfortable with the second doctor.</p>
<p>Really, finding humor where we can is a good thing! I still chuckle at the picture of that poor neurologist looking at my feet and asking me if I had brain damage! Er, you tell me…</p>
<p>I still go to doctors. I don’t go to the guy who was my doctor, didn’t realize it, and made a pass at me at a party!! (Another story) But I respect and need physicians in my life.</p>
<p>Doesn’t mean that some interactions are not funny in the retelling.</p>
<p>swatparent: I look at medical doctors like I do those in any other profession. There are excellent ones who really know what they’re doing. I don’t care if they “smile, hold my hand, or flatter me,” as long as they know what they’re doing, know the right course of treatment, are up on the latest research, and don’t treat me as a “one size fits all.” Then there are the others-- those who have had me leave their office-- scratching my head over how they could have ever made it through med school. I could certainly add several more horror stories to this thread, but I’ve chosen not to do so. I could also add some terrific stories to offset those. </p>
<p>I will say, though, that for each idiot MD out there (and in my experience, there are too many), there’s another one who seriously knows what he or she is doing. And when my health or life, is on the line (or health or life of a family member)-- you can bet that I’m going to seek out the very best. And for me, the very best has little to do with his or her “organizational skills” and “drive,” or how much he or she “flatters” me and “holds my hand.” </p>
<p>I’m enjoying this thread, and I actually think it is useful-- especially for those with less experience, who might have the mistaken impression that all doctors know what they’re doing, and that you should never question his or her approach, or advice. Doing so may not solve the “health care crisis” on a global scale, but it sure might serve to help your own “health care crisis,” whatever that may be, or whenever it might rear its ugly head.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>So is my car mechanic (well, former car mechanic). He still didn’t have a clue. </p>
<p>I also think this is a fun thread. :)</p>
<p>I think it is long overdue to stop with the dr on a pedestal treatment.
We need to take responsibility for our own health care- to be informed and to know what is a reasonable recommendation.
Health care costs will go down, when tests that will not change course of treatment are optional, not automatically done just because the drs own a lab or have an ultrasound in the office.</p>
<p>In the cases I cited- a bad attitude by drs led not to " hurt feelings" , but bad care.
When you do not respect your client, when you do not take their knowledge of their condition seriously, you are not only belittling, but you are dispensing bad care & charging for the priviledge.
If drs spent more time listening to patients, they could be getting a better idea of appropriate treatment, without having to prescribe what may be expensive and inaccurate tests that cloud the issue
[U.S</a>. Health Care Most Expensive & Most Error Prone](<a href=“http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2005/medical_errors.html]U.S”>Hospital Errors and Patient Death)</p>
<p>Swatparent your defensiveness regarding the injuries that those in the medical profession have inflicted on CC posters, reminds me of teachers who refuse to acknowledge that there are those in teaching, who need to be retrained/ retire.
What are you afraid of?
When the doctor induced labor with my mother so that he wouldn’t have wasted his time getting to the hospital & it resulted in my month long hospital stay-that probably contributed to the problems I am still having today-( not to mention increased costs resulting from the month long stay in the NICU, rather than waiting until labor started and ontime delivery) including dyspraxia.</p>
<p>When I noticed that my baby had stopped moving in utero over a weekend- when my obgyn was not on call & I was told that it wasn’t anything to worry about with out seeing me- it might have resulted in her death.</p>
<p>When my own dr came back a few days later- he promptly put me in the hospital- found that her heart was deacclerating after movement & arranged for a crash delivery which saved her life, but if the weekend dr had been my provider- she wouldn’t be around.
My Dr heard my concerns and took them seriously, but the dr who assumed he knew better- was giving crappy care.</p>
<p>When Drs respect their patients they improve the health care system and provide better care.</p>
<p>I also think that this is a great thread. </p>
<p>My husband and I are attorneys - now THAT’S a profession that gets routinely bashed (and sometimes deservedly so!). </p>
<p>There are great doctors, and as we all know, there are some real doozies. As someone else said, they do NOT belong on a pedestal. It takes many learned skills - not just those in the medical field - to make the world go round.</p>
<p>One theme in this thread that needs to be articulated is that what doctors say really matters to and is really heard by patients. I don’t think some doctors are aware of how significant their words are to their patients; they just make stupid, throw-away comments and don’t realize the impact on a sick, worried, medically unsophisticated person.</p>
<p>So true, Very Happy. Physicians see things all the time. Patients/families with life threatening illness do not. My 81 year old mother 2 years ago went through major open heart surgery-difficult decision already because of her age at surgery.</p>
<p>Despite lots of preoperative testing physician and PA insisted after the surgery that mom had previously undiagnosed pancreatic cancer-a death sentence
in most cases! Cetainly would not have put mom through all the surgery only to die months later!</p>
<p>It was not true despite physician and Pa acting as if it were a fact. It created weeks of unneded turmoil for my sister and me. Mom is still alive and will have 84th birthday tomorrow! Engineers and scientists in general seem more humble about their skills. Physicians are great and definitely needed as well but are not infallible.</p>
<p>So true, Very Happy. Physicians see things all the time. Patients/families with life threatening illness do not. My 81 year old mother 2 years ago went through major open heart surgery-difficult decision already because of her age at surgery.</p>
<p>Despite lots of preoperative testing physician and PA insisted after the surgery that mom had previously undiagnosed pancreatic cancer-a death sentence
in most cases! Cetainly would not have put mom through all the surgery only to die months later!</p>
<p>It was not true despite physician and Pa acting as if it were a fact. It created weeks of unneeded turmoil for my sister and me. Mom is still alive and will have 84th birthday tomorrow! Engineers and scientists in general seem more humble about their skills. Physicians are great and definitely needed as well but are not infallible.</p>
<p>swatparent: Chip on your shoulder, much? The complaints here have most been along the lines of the doctor being incompetent or saying something grossly insensitive/inappropriate.</p>
<p>No profession should be on a pedestal where its practitioners are above criticism.</p>
<p>So now let’s start with the good things docs have done or said.</p>
<p>Like, after the birth of my second son, the pediatrician who examined him exclaimed, “He’s perfect!”</p>
<p>I was sooooooo happy!</p>
<p>My kids’ pediatrician, who made it clear to me that MY observations were not only important … they were absolutely necessary. I was assured that if I thought something was wrong, I was probably right … so my child was to be seen if I felt she needed to be. It was nice to be treated with such respect.</p>
<p>And then there was the time I had a mole removed where the sun don’t shine. My gyn was kind enough to do it after hours, when there would be no one around to hear my yelping! :)</p>
<p>The best was the wonderful heart guy my mom went to before she moved to FL (where crummy doctors seem to congregate). During one office visit, he was so concerned about her that he put her in his Ferrari & drove her to the hospital himself, got her admitted & set up, then returned to finish his office appointments. He’s my hero.</p>
<p>And then there was the time my husband was hospitalized with a suspected heart attack. (He didn’t have one.) His internist was explaining the medical aspects of things to me – what tests they’d run, what they showed – but I was most concerned with his mental state. I finally interrupted the doc and said, “I’m completely confident that you guys will figure out what’s wrong with his heart. What I’m most concerned about, however, is that he’s extremely depressed about having these symptoms, and I need you to address that.”</p>
<p>Bless his soul, he made a bedside visit to my DH and wound up talking to him for about half an hour. Made my husband (and me) feel very very good.</p>
<p>there is a reason they call it ‘practicing’ medicine ;-)</p>
<p>I don’t mind the honest mistakes made by excellent professionals. (of course I can only say that because the results were fine). Last operation my surgeon missed a “bleeder”. I had to go back for immediate second surgery. He readily admitted to my husband that he missed it, and had to return. I appreciated his honesty, his skill in immediately spotting the problem, and his willingness to move ahead instead of trying to cover it up. It is the surgeons that think they know it all that bother me! I asked one dermatologist a simple question about a mole that was to be removed. His answer was something like" That’s too complicated for me to explain (to you), and I don’t have the time". That was the last visit to him!</p>
<p>Okay, this isn’t a doctor story but a paramedic story. Where my mom lives, you have to buy an annual “subscription” to the ambulance service, or pay a very high price. My mom has the subscription.</p>
<p>She had a valve replacement 5 or so years ago. This past year, she woke up in the middle of the night very uncomfortable. Not sure what was wrong, but unwilling to call for help, too. Tried several different positions and activities to make the pain go away. (She was alone; she is a widow.) Around 4 or so in the morning, when the pain was not subsiding, she decided she might be having a heart attack, and called the paramedics. She met them at the door with, “I’m afraid I might be having a heart attack.” They did not so much as take her pulse or blood pressure. They said, probably not, but you don’t want us to drive you there, because then you’d be stranded in the hospital without a ride home.</p>
<p>She asked how she should get there, then, and they told her to DRIVE HERSELF … which she DID.</p>
<p>She was admitted, for several days worth of tests. Tests were abnormal, but the cause was never found. Meanwhile, she had to park far away, and walk to the hospital, and then find someone to come and get her car and take it home!</p>
<p>She won’t let me write a letter of complaint, because she’s afraid there will be repercussions next time she needs help.</p>
<p>Thank God she didn’t have a heart attack while driving, or walking from the parking lot in the middle of the night.</p>
<p>This was in Erie County, PA. She spends winters in Florida. She gets MUCH better health care in Florida (a different experience than a previous poster had.)</p>
<p>Holy cow. That’s unbelievably stupid. They probably just didn’t want to be bothered.</p>