My view is that engaging in such conversations is tantamount to troll-feeding. I think that the important part of health care in this country, for better or worse, is that it is interdisciplinary. I would not pretend that I know how to fill cavities, nor will I ever be more skilled at reading a blood smear diff than a med tech. As far as money goes, there is something to be said for a job in which patients often pay you cash for your services (plastic surgery, dentistry, chiropractic), and the cost of education for a PA is nothing compared to medicine at a state school. While docs' salaries will be tough to ascertain ten years from now, most still think that you'll get your money back in the long run.
I am a med student, yes, but if I were looking for a health practitioner to breed with, I'd probably be more inclined to hunt for a pharmacist or PA as long as I didn't work directly with them.
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The whole, "everyone has valuable skills we should appreciate" is legitimate, but not really the issue he's discussing. He's pointing out a double-standard physicians and future physicians have to bear, exacerbated by the fact that peripheral care providers' respect for the role of the physician is declining. It sounds like he's saying that people lower in the hierarchy make subtle derision of future physicians but he would be considered "out of line" to make the same comments in return.
Of course, the advice given previously to "just let it go" is appropriate, but it sounds like we're hearing what happens when people take enough seemingly unearned shots at a person. It used to be the case where people would say potentially denigrating things about physicians, but the understanding still stood that physicians still have the power and are pretty much universally respected. Nowadays, that has morphed into a sort of "socially justifiable criticism", since the emergence of the new healthcare paradigm of "physicians and their care are expensive" has fostered the growth and allotment of power and practice rights to peripheral and midlevel providers. Not surprisingly, the power struggle (not as dramatic as that to most) has ramifications more personal in nature - resulting in some hostility and professional contention probably due mostly to insecurity and a legitimate desire to be respected. So it's not that people are "out of line" to criticize, it's that they're acting as to be expected considering the professional dynamic out there.
Go look at any flame war between MD's and pretty much any other provider (DPM, PA, RN, DNP, etc.) and you'll see at least one or two people arguing the similarities between their profession (or themselves) and a physician. Again - they're probably justified in doing so, since of course similarities exist. But, unfortunately, MD's have become comfortable with their power monopoly and have grown to expect that people respect that physicians provide a service no one else can provide. Shining light on the fact that parts of our role may be replaceable and on the similarities between us and providers lower in the hierarchy instead of what makes us special and unique conflicts with those preconceived expectations and may make us feel like the respect we get falls short of what we "deserve" (expect).
It's controversial because, 1) there may be consequences (health-related and legal) to relieving physicians of practice rights by extending them to others, again because of this idea that we provide a service no one else can, 2) egos are involved, and 3) you've got to wonder if this dynamic hasn't emerged because of the financial structure that prioritizes cutting costs of providing healthcare and a more modern, egalitarian professional infrastructure.
The fact that they criticize you and your profession probably just reflects insecurity, however.
I haven't laughed this hard in a long time! Thank you for making my day : )
