What specialty has the most grateful patients

[PREMEDitated22]

In a mood right now and just really tired of dealing with ungrateful people. It really burns me up when you help people and then they spurn you. So it made me wonder what specialty has the most grateful patients? Or does grateful patients revolve around the kind of doctor you are and doesn't discriminate in any specialty? I know in Medicine you wont always have grateful patients and sometimes you have to just grin and bear it but I still do wonder. Also, wasn't sure if this should be in the allo or pre-allo, so here we go lol..

*searched for this but didn't really get an answer.

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[The Buff OP]

Oncology.

 

[Shirafune]

If I had to guess, the parents of inpatient pediatrics cases are probably the most grateful after a successful case. Of course, if the patient outcome isn't good, then parents can become really nasty. It really helps that pediatric patients can sometimes have the cheeriest dispositions.

 

[jl lin]

Depends upon how ill they are. Really sick kids are not cheerful, even if under heavy, continuos sedation--b/c we have to bring them up from time to time to check neuro status, etc.

But I will say that there are many parents that are truly grateful. Personally I think family-centered care has helped with this; b/c it relieves the parents' and children' s anxiety a lot, and b/c they truly see we are doing everything we can for their children.

 

[Munty]

I shadowed in Ophthalmology and the doctor said one of her favorite parts of the job is the gratitude most of her patients show because she literally gives them back their vision.

I would think transplant surgery or surgical oncology (which falls under several surgical subspecialties) would have the most grateful patients... given you are successful in saving their life, that is.

 

[Cyberdyne 101]

I'm guessing orthopedics generally has grateful patients.
@Tired @RogueUnicorn

 

[Biochemistry2014]

Another vote for oncology. Generally, the more in need of help the patient is, the more grateful they will be after being found a solution.

Of course, if you are not able to find a solution for a needy patient, you may experience the opposite of gratitude.

 

[TBV]

Derm

 

[deleted407021]

I'm guessing orthopedics generally has grateful patients.
@Tired @RogueUnicorn

Saw several dozen patients with a joint replacement specialist. From all backgrounds, each seemed quite grateful and happy to be on their feet, pain free.

 

[Planes2Doc]

From what I've seen so far... Outpatient > Inpatient. Inpatient medicine isn't what it looks like in the media.

 

[PREMEDitated22]

Appreciate the comments going to look more into ophthalmology, derm, and oncology.

 

[Spector1]

I think you probably get extremes of grateful and very unhappy patient with specialties like oncology that treat serious illnesses. For every grateful patient, you will probably need a million bucks of malpractice insurance coverage to fend off the angry ones.

 

[thatwouldbeanarchy]

I suspect that you'll find ungrateful patients in just about every specialty. Obviously, it's nice to have patients who are kind and appreciative but I think it's worth asking yourself why you expect patients to express gratitude to you for doing your job? Sure, it's nice when they do but I don't really see it as an obligation. In some ways, all it does is reinforce and perpetuate an already existing power dynamic.

 

[Lannister]

Derm

Wait really? I would think derm would have the least grateful patients...

 

[TBV]

Wait really? I would think derm would have the least grateful patients...

In my experience (albeit limited) people are very appreciative and compliant with derm as they can see their pathology and receive tangible results. @GuyWhoDoesStuff might have more he wants to say as a near attending...

 

[Lannister]

In my experience (albeit limited) people are very appreciative and compliant with derm as they can see their pathology and receive tangible results. @GuyWhoDoesStuff might have more he wants to say as a near attending...

Interesting...it just seems like everyone I know (including myself) hates their dermatologist and thinks they're useless My friend's dermatologist literally almost killed her, she was on a medication (which I am also on) for acne, and was supposed to test her potassium levels frequently, but he never did and she ended up in the ER with SVT.

 

[The Buff OP]

I'm guessing orthopedics generally has grateful patients.
@Tired @RogueUnicorn

Ortho as well. Pain relieve to a lot of their patients is +++.

 

[TBV]

Interesting...it just seems like everyone I know (including myself) hates their dermatologist and thinks they're useless My friend's dermatologist literally almost killed her, she was on a medication (which I am also on) for acne, and was supposed to test her potassium levels frequently, but he never did and she ended up in the ER with SVT.

Hopefully the exception and not the rule

 

[TBV]

Ortho as well. Pain relieve to a lot of their patients is +++.

I think you mean $$$

 

[username456789]

Wait really? I would think derm would have the least grateful patients...

Absolutely not. Now, in some niches, you get a large percentage of patients who are crazy from the beginning. Those people enter the physician-patient relationship already either distrustful or more likely with wildly unrealistic expectations. This is usually found in cosmetic dermatology. Otherwise, like in orthopedics, we often cure, and our patients love us for it.

People can't see their A1C decrease from 9.0 to 6.0, but most of what we do is tangible and obvious/ visible to the patients, and they tend to very much appreciate that.

 

[Dr. Death]

Husbands of plastic surgery patients

 

[Psai]

Husbands of plastic surgery patients

Depends on who is paying

 

[Spinach Dip]

Some ideas to consider:


OBGYN - If both mom and baby come out healthy, approval rating is near 100%.

Anesthesia - None of your patients will remember you... so none will be ungrateful. Success?

Cosmetics - Was: A. Now: D. Very grateful. Would recommend.

Reconstructive - Things like OMFS, spinal, and some orthopedics, which can literally give people their lives back.

 

[Glandzburg]

Urology

 

[Annabell Lee]

I think any specialty would have a mix, based on the person's disposition and how well you click. You can do everything right and a patient will still be grumpy with you. And other patients you might not be able to help much, but maybe you can satisfy an emotional need and they will be super grateful.
I've gotten overwhelmingly positive responses from little things that wouldn't even register as important to me.

Personally I love hospice patients, and I think some of that is because they are so grateful. They don't expect you to cure them, so you usually don't have to deal with the disappointment. And from what I've seen the family is usually really grateful to the hospice team even after the death because they make things easier for everyone.

 

[SnakeDoc9497]

Wait really? I would think derm would have the least grateful patients...

Idk...I would be pretty grateful if a doc removed a huge wart from my face or cleared up a face full of acne for me. Just a thought.

 

[Lannister]

Idk...I would be pretty grateful if a doc removed a huge wart from my face or cleared up a face full of acne for me. Just a thought.

I guess that thought was based on my personal experiences. I had multiple dermatologists who were unable to figure out how to get rid of my horrible acne, until I finally made a suggestion for a medication and he was like "Yeah sure, I'm not sure if that will work though". Three years later and I haven't had a single zit since I started that medication.
Same dermatologist did a biopsy on some thing on my ass to see if it was cancerous. They made me pay for another appointment after the biopsy just to tell me, "the biopsy looked good". They couldn't give me any more info, like what it actually was. And then refused to let me make an appointment to have it removed, telling me I had to see another doctor but not telling me why no one at that office could do it. They suggested a doctor at a hospital like an hour away from my school, but I told them I don't have a car and can't go that far, and they basically just told me I was screwed and there was nothing they could do. So I ended up having to make an appointment back home for December, and in the intervening months this thing, whatever it is, has been spreading like crazy and now I'm probably going to have to have half my ass removed.
Okay. Sorry. Rant over.

 

[MD2BE92]

Saw several dozen patients with a joint replacement specialist. From all backgrounds, each seemed quite grateful and happy to be on their feet, pain free.

Respectfully, I disagree. Worked in the Ortho field for years now...and unfortunately those patients with chronic disease (many non-compliant) are frequent fliers of any large Ortho practice. Would not say that they are the majority, but often they overshadow the compliant, grateful patients. Side-note: ever shadowed a spine surgeon?

 

[deleted393595]

So it made me wonder what specialty has the most grateful patients? Or does grateful patients revolve around the kind of doctor you are and doesn't discriminate in any specialty?

Path... because they're all dead!

Can I get a drumroll please?

EDIT: Just realized how morbid that sounds - I in fact like my patients alive! It's just that your average "patient" in the medical examiner's office is statistically less likely to give you sass

 

[MdoggCzar]

I think all patients are grateful but particularly the VA population

 

[deleted407021]

Respectfully, I disagree. Worked in the Ortho field for years now...and unfortunately those patients with chronic disease (many non-compliant) are frequent fliers of any large Ortho practice. Would not say that they are the majority, but often they overshadow the compliant, grateful patients. Side-note: ever shadowed a spine surgeon?

I've interviewed one, but not shadowed. Idk if he had a "gratefulness" problem or not.

I can see what you mean. Obvi more to ortho than joints, so plenty of potential for different patient types.

 

[PREMEDitated22]

Path because they're all dead.

Can I get a drumroll please?

Lol I actually really like being involved with patients though so that's not going to work

 

[DubVille]

Hospice and palliative care. Well families are happy it was shocking as media student and rotating through as a resident.

I'm jaded being in pain/rehab and seeing ortho failures (quite rare for hips/knees) it really skews my perspective on the great outcomes for 90-95% of joint surgeries. That said, tons of back surgeries fail. Most of that is due to non anatomic pathology and questionable patient selection for surgery. Granted no amount of melds or surgeries will help a large portion of those patients.

 

[Theseus]

Some ideas to consider:


OBGYN - If both mom and baby come out healthy, approval rating is near 100%.

Anesthesia - None of your patients will remember you... so none will be ungrateful. Success?

Cosmetics - Was: A. Now: D. Very grateful. Would recommend.

Reconstructive - Things like OMFS, spinal, and some orthopedics, which can literally give people their lives back.

Anesthesia- Who cares about gratefulness when you can solve crossword puzzles or play Candy Crush in the OR?