Falling Down Professions

[Grits]

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/06/fashion/06professions.html?scp=1&sq=falling+down+professions

This was an interesting story in the Times a couple of Sunday's ago. It was the most popular, most emailed piece for several days on their website.

There may be something in this piece that one can gleen as "change" from many years ago.

[46zilzal]

Not the same as it was when I watched Medic, Dr. Kildare, Ben Casey, Not As a Stranger, The Interns, The New Interns..

A lot of it is glamorized and the hard work, long hours or b.s.paperwork, continued medical education, not having a life outside of that damned pager going off to tell the same patient the same thing 20 times, etc etc.

I can understand it. You become married to your profession and your real wife becomes the mistress. You are in school LONG past your contemporaries earning almost nothing.

Looking back over it, it is too expensive on your life.

[Greyfox]

Looking back over it, it is too expensive on your life.

I'm not disputing what you are saying. However, that is exactly the reasoning that Medical Schools use to favor the "old Boys" network that you've mentioned before. The belief is: "The son of a Doctor knows the commitments that have to be made. He doesn't have to learn them. Therefore we prefer ..."

[46zilzal]

I'm not disputing what you are saying. However, that is exactly the reasoning that Medical Schools use to favor the "old Boys" network that you've mentioned before. The belief is: "The son of a Doctor knows the commitments that have to be made. He doesn't have to learn them. Therefore we prefer ..."
And many many of those are in it totally for nothing else but the money.

You've sat on the admission board? You know people who make those decisions? When I was a mover, we loaded up a guy going to Washington. He had been the dean of admissions at Stanford. He said he had to quit because he couldn't stand turning down qualified people. He was upset at the favoritism.

Commitments to patients are one thing, the business of medicine is quite another. THAT is the surprise.

[Greyfox]

You've sat on the admission board? You know people who make those decisions? .

Very close. :ThmbUp:

[46zilzal]

Very close.
And I was close to dating Sigourney Weaver too, she just didn't know it!!

[Tom]

Was that YOU in Alien???? :rolleyes:

[JustRalph]

For about a year I had a job where I investigated Doctor's and Nurses for everything from ethical violations to criminal complaints and I can tell you, not once did I ever think " I should have been a Doctor" some of these guys are suicidal within five years of leaving school.........and some are just so unhappy they treat everybody like shit until they ruin their careers with drugs and alcohol........by then they usually have no friends either.........it is nothing like Marcus Welby.............

I also have a few acquaintances that are Attorney's and all of the them hate their jobs...........but so do most of the cops I know..........


Great link........good article ........Thanks

[Tom]

And the dems want to assign us to these drug docs.

[Indulto]

And the dems want to assign us to these drug docs.I think there could be more oversight of the personal behavior and ethics of medical professionals under UHC. I don't see quality of care going down, just the number of doctors on the golf courses at any given time. ;)

Re: your views on the right to health care. I agree with some of it, but not all. Surely the right to charge unconcionable fees, waste resources, and base recruitment on anything other than ability can't be tolerated, but the ethics and attitudes of patients, politicians, and lawyers will need adjustment as much as the medical professionals to make it work.

The current system can't be right if the main determiner of who gets good, concientious care -- and who gets to live or die -- is how much one can pay.