We're a generation who knows what it means to be without a physician. After almost 20 years of looking for doctor I ended up going to med school - it would be faster. We're disillusioned with the health care system, concerned that it will fail us and our families in our times of need. During some group discussions we have covered the concept of allowing our family to jump the queue of diagnostic testing to ensure that they are seen and treated while the disease is still manageable.
It boggles my mind that physicians of previous generations don't recognize that we don't put as much faith in the system as they do. Neither do our future patients.
The internet and poor availability of health care have made doctors less important. On more than one occasion over the past two weeks I've seen patients bring in pages they've printed off the net and question the doctor's decision regarding tests to the point of getting a second opinion on the same day. The patients are assuming that they know more than the physician who has been studying the material for years. Granted, this is how we are taught to approach the physician - patient encounter, always ask the patient what they think the problem is since they'll have a good grasp of what's going on since it's happening to them. Some patients take this as the doctor not knowing what is happening. In reality it's often the doc fishing for a fact that the patient has hidden as though this is an episode of CSI.
When I was growing up, my family doc knew all. The man was a brilliant diagnostician and a terrific doctor. Our community loved him and held him in the highest esteem. Who could blame him for wanting to be a doctor 24-7?
When your patients aren't providing you with that love and support, I think it's easy to see why many of my generation of doctors feel a strong need to make sure their life outside of work satisfies their well being. Docs that are now entering the work force are choosing to work fewer hours and spend more time with their families, hobbies and life outside of work. Macleans magazine misinterpreted this as female docs choosing to leave their profession to raise their families, but it's the men as well. The "pink ghetto" is a concept that many older, male docs choose to believe is true. I've had several docs over the past few weeks say things to me like "female doctors should be sterilized before entering med school", "women doctors are the reason we have a shortage right now" and my favourite who said both, "white males are discriminated against in the admissions process" and "there are more women than men in med schools now which is just going to make the doctor shortage greater as we move forward". Wow.
I don't deal with incorrect, inflammatory statements in an acceptable way - i.e. nodding and smiling. It's bull shit.
I'm not done ranting, more on this soon.
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