Paul Levy explores this further, and compares physicians to celebrities and sports figures:
All of this suggests a tremendous ambivalence about the profession and those in it. It’s really not that surprising. It is inherent in any position of power and influence and prominence and perceived wealth. We admire our political, commercial, and sports heroes but also are quick to call them bums and crooks when they don’t meet the standards we have set for them. We should expect some of that reaction in the highly personal field of medicine, especially since our interaction with a doctor is likely to occur when we are most vulnerable.
Related posts:
- Ethics in medical blogging
- Unsung medical staff
- How Doctors Think and the real world
- Waking up during one’s own autopsy
- Doctors are now interviewing patients in Canada
- Chatty doctors
- Primary care doctors struggle to survive, even in Beverly Hills
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Well said.
MDieties… The Massachusetts Medical Society quote of 1846 is still apt as to what the desired perception is… unless it comes to results commensurate with what one would expect from a divine being (then there are bad outcomes and providers are just human).
As far as the following:
“And yet, almost every parent would love to see a son or daughter become a doctor.”
It’s about the $$$.
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