difference between "eh" doctors and "exceptional" doctors

[it.]

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So I read a thread a while back wherein someone made a comment about some people just being born for the job, that there are those doctors that are just "exponentially" better than most. I'm just wondering, what do you think distinguishes those great doctors from the rest of the herd? Could it be just pure talent (and if so, what kind of talents?), a lot of dedication and passion, or perhaps a mixture of all?

 

[doc05]

it's a mixture of all and lots of intangibles. unfortunately, patients can rarely tell the difference, but for other physicians it is easy to tell.

 

[Dire Straits]

I'm just wondering, what do you think distinguishes those great doctors from the rest of the herd?

great doctors:

great fund of knowledge (not limited just to their specialty)
great lateral thinkers and problem solvers
great clinical skills
dedicated to their career and to the care of their patients
lots of energy and stamina compared to other doctors
will check and recheck things themselves to make sure they get the correct info

rest of the heard:

adequate fund of knowledge
adequate lateral thinking and problem solving abilities
adequate clinical skills
not as dedicated to their career or patients (the "it's just a job" mentality)
get lazier and more complacent as they get older


talent is just one factor that separates a great doc from the rest. a lot of it has to do with dedication. i know a doctor in his late 60s who can run circles around doctors half his age with his energy level and sharpness of mind.

 

[Tallguy]

great doctors:

great fund of knowledge (not limited just to their specialty)
great lateral thinkers and problem solvers
great clinical skills
dedicated to their career and to the care of their patients
lots of energy and stamina compared to other doctors
will check and recheck things themselves to make sure they get the correct info

rest of the heard:

adequate fund of knowledge
adequate lateral thinking and problem solving abilities
adequate clinical skills
not as dedicated to their career or patients (the "it's just a job" mentality)
get lazier and more complacent as they get older


talent is just one factor that separates a great doc from the rest. a lot of it has to do with dedication. i know a doctor in his late 60s who can run circles around doctors half his age with his energy level and sharpness of mind.

Wow...did you say late 60's...that is so old.. ...Hopefully nobody reports you to AARP... Now if you said 80's or 90's I would be more surprised, just like when I hear about Dr. DeBakey at Baylor who is 96. I know plenty of people that are still sharp and energetic in their 60's...
🙂
(Before people rip on me...i am just joking around...no disrespect Dire)

 

[Mumpu]

The "eh" doctors are from Canada. 😛

Yes, I think some people are naturals. There are definite genetic predispositions for things like clinical acumen and hand-eye coordination.

 

[Fenrezz]

I'm just wondering, what do you think distinguishes those great doctors from the rest of the herd?

Haven't you been paying attention to SDN? Obviously what makes a great doctor is enough volunteer time, 3.8+ undergrad GPA, and a 30+ MCAT. The rest is all nonsense.

 

[SanDiegoSOD]

Haven't you been paying attention to SDN? Obviously what makes a great doctor is enough volunteer time, 3.8+ undergrad GPA, and a 30+ MCAT. The rest is all nonsense.

And a publication or two as an undergrad assures physician omnipotence! 😛

 

[liverotcod]

Haven't you been paying attention to SDN? Obviously what makes a great doctor is enough volunteer time, 3.8+ undergrad GPA, and a 30+ MCAT. The rest is all nonsense.

But you forgot: Must be motivated only by the desire to "help people."

 

[IlianaSedai]

difference between "eh" doctors and "exceptional" doctors?

Wouldn't we all like to know.

Too bad you can't really characterize it. Nobody's perfect. Some are better than others overall. All are better at some "doctor" skills than others. Some are better at teaching but worse in their medical knowledge; some are better at talking to patients but worse at teaching; some are better at being efficient but worse at talking to patients.

It's true that patients don't know the difference. Generally, they'll like the one who's friendlier. When we as doctors are looking for someone to treat me/my mother/my grandmother, we're looking for someone who is thorough, current with their knowledge, evidence based, runs all the right tests, and has a low complication rate. Someone that other doctors are willing to go to. I couldn't care less about personality (beyond a reasonable line, of course) as long as they go through accepted guidelines of practice and don't have too many complications. Grandma won't say the same thing.

Meeting a bunch of doctors is like meeting a bunch of fishermen. They all have strengths and weaknesses. Some, overall, are either more likable or better at fishing than others. A few are fortunate enough to be both friendly and good at catching fish. There's nothing special or remarkable or hallowed about it.

 

[YouDontKnowJack]

i fall into the 'eh' category. so that's all i know about.

no. i'm not here to help people. i'm here to help people help me to make a living and not get sued.
yes. it's just a job. just show me the money.

uh uh uh. shut up. i don't need to hear: "you shouldn't go into medicine for the money". just shut up.


eghhh... 👍

 

[Dire Straits]

i fall into the 'eh' category. so that's all i know about.

no. i'm not here to help people. i'm here to help people help me to make a living and not get sued.
yes. it's just a job. just show me the money.

uh uh uh. shut up. i don't need to hear: "you shouldn't go into medicine for the money". just shut up.


eghhh... 👍

bitterness is one cardinal sign that you picked the wrong career.

 

[tupac_don]

Wouldn't we all like to know.

Too bad you can't really characterize it. Nobody's perfect. Some are better than others overall. All are better at some "doctor" skills than others. Some are better at teaching but worse in their medical knowledge; some are better at talking to patients but worse at teaching; some are better at being efficient but worse at talking to patients.

It's true that patients don't know the difference. Generally, they'll like the one who's friendlier. When we as doctors are looking for someone to treat me/my mother/my grandmother, we're looking for someone who is thorough, current with their knowledge, evidence based, runs all the right tests, and has a low complication rate. Someone that other doctors are willing to go to. I couldn't care less about personality (beyond a reasonable line, of course) as long as they go through accepted guidelines of practice and don't have too many complications. Grandma won't say the same thing.

Meeting a bunch of doctors is like meeting a bunch of fishermen. They all have strengths and weaknesses. Some, overall, are either more likable or better at fishing than others. A few are fortunate enough to be both friendly and good at catching fish. There's nothing special or remarkable or hallowed about it.

Doctors are like fisherman eh. I like that analogy. I'll take it even further, some fisherman are better than others in their technical skills like tying the hook, throwing the line to the right spot, working the reel properly, (intubating, operating,placing central lines) while others are just eh. Also some fisherman are better at picking the right spot to fish, where they can maximize the amount of fish they catch than. In the same vein, doctors, pick the right profession to be in, where they can help the most pts. Then again some fisherman are lazy and will have someone else fish for them (PA's NP's) and just like to eat fish (make money). 😉 Finally, some fisherman, like fishing for the sake of fishing, others like to eat fish (money), they are not in it for the sport (helping patients/medicine for sake of medicine) Well I thought that fishing analogy was fun so I took it even farther.

 

[Cpt.Hook Hamate]

Doctors are like fisherman eh. I like that analogy. I'll take it even further, some fisherman are better than others in their technical skills like tying the hook, throwing the line to the right spot, working the reel properly, (intubating, operating,placing central lines) while others are just eh. Also some fisherman are better at picking the right spot to fish, where they can maximize the amount of fish they catch than. In the same vein, doctors, pick the right profession to be in, where they can help the most pts. Then again some fisherman are lazy and will have someone else fish for them (PA's NP's) and just like to eat fish (make money). 😉 Finally, some fisherman, like fishing for the sake of fishing, others like to eat fish (money), they are not in it for the sport (helping patients/medicine for sake of medicine) Well I thought that fishing analogy was fun so I took it even farther.

Great doctors are those with great bedside manners and those who not only treat the illness but work to help heal the "spirit."

I worked with a great physician during 3rd year in a clinic and every time we went into a room to see a patient he would empahize the personal problems that the person had such as having a chronic illness and being able to take care of their children. Needless to say, he had to move to a much bigger office because his patient load literally spilled outside the door of his office because he always received so many referals..absolutely the coolest doc I know.

 

[tupac_don]

Great doctors are those with great bedside manners and those who not only treat the illness but work to help heal the "spirit."

I worked with a great physician during 3rd year in a clinic and every time we went into a room to see a patient he would empahize the personal problems that the person had such as having a chronic illness and being able to take care of their children. Needless to say, he had to move to a much bigger office because his patient load literally spilled outside the door of his office because he always received so many referals..absolutely the coolest doc I know.

I disagree, cool doesn't necessarily mean good doctor. THere are lot of great doctors who are pricks, but are great clinicians. I just think that people in general are more apt to relate to someone, who has good bedside manner and is good, rather than someone who might ignore them, but is a great doctor. I mean all the pt knows about the doctor, is how the doctor treats the pt. I think for the most part pts assume that all doctors are built equal, which is not the case. However, the only tangible way pts measure their doctor's "competency" is based on how nice the doctor is towards them and how much attention the doctor gives em. Personally I would rather have someone, do a great job and ignore me, rather than someone who is very nice, maakes sure I am ok, but is incompetent. I think that obvious answer is that you want a doctor who is personable as well as competent, however the case is that doctors are overworked, work under deadlines, and deal with life and death situations. So it makes sense that doctors, are more business oriented and less pt oriented. After all a doctors job is to take care of the pt and make him better, not to be a friend. Just my two cents.

 

[quiz]

the spirit has a lot to do with healing. if my doctor is doing a great job, but i don't know it because he ignores me i'll end up coming to my own conclusions. it's totatlly dependent on the field. you could coax a lot out of someone if you talked to them. perhaps if they're comfortable with you they'll talk to you more and give you more to work with. i'd give up a little competency for a doctor who was more cordial for routine stuff. on the other hand if i had to pick a surgeon whom i didn't meet until i was unconscious, the at that point i would pick competency. it's totattly specialty dependent. good luck to you all in picking the right one for you.

 

[FlowLimited]

the spirit has a lot to do with healing. if my doctor is doing a great job, but i don't know it because he ignores me i'll end up coming to my own conclusions. it's totatlly dependent on the field. you could coax a lot out of someone if you talked to them. perhaps if they're comfortable with you they'll talk to you more and give you more to work with. i'd give up a little competency for a doctor who was more cordial for routine stuff. on the other hand if i had to pick a surgeon whom i didn't meet until i was unconscious, the at that point i would pick competency. it's totattly specialty dependent. good luck to you all in picking the right one for you.

Epic bump.

 

[da8s0859q]

Hellooooo, 2005!

(I think it's ridiculous to say that an "eh" doctor is one who sees medicine as just a job.)

 

[MossPoh]

I disagree, cool doesn't necessarily mean good doctor. THere are lot of great doctors who are pricks, but are great clinicians. I just think that people in general are more apt to relate to someone, who has good bedside manner and is good, rather than someone who might ignore them, but is a great doctor. I mean all the pt knows about the doctor, is how the doctor treats the pt. I think for the most part pts assume that all doctors are built equal, which is not the case. However, the only tangible way pts measure their doctor's "competency" is based on how nice the doctor is towards them and how much attention the doctor gives em. Personally I would rather have someone, do a great job and ignore me, rather than someone who is very nice, maakes sure I am ok, but is incompetent. I think that obvious answer is that you want a doctor who is personable as well as competent, however the case is that doctors are overworked, work under deadlines, and deal with life and death situations. So it makes sense that doctors, are more business oriented and less pt oriented. After all a doctors job is to take care of the pt and make him better, not to be a friend. Just my two cents.

You say that about skill and what not but results actually improve when the doctor takes the time to acknowledge external problems. A gifted clinician may be great at solving problems, but if he or she doesn't see that there are other aspects to the problem then it is worthless. Patient encounters are not significantly longer when you acknowledge other patient fears. A great doctor isn't just good at diagnosing and treating (although you need that too), they are good at relating to the patient and understanding the human aspects of health. You aren't necessarily becoming a friend when you ask if there is stress at work or at home, but you are finding out other things that may affect health.

To be the "exceptional" doctor one has to have great skills as a clinician of course, but if they are missing other aspects and nobody wants to visit them then they are hardly exceptional. I've been to skilled docs that treat you like a piece of dirt. You say you'd want that now, but you feel like crap when you leave. You felt ignored and really don't feel like they got to the root of the problem. It is easy to say you want that when you aren't in the midst of it.

 

[Nanon]

You say that about skill and what not but results actually improve when the doctor takes the time to acknowledge external problems. A gifted clinician may be great at solving problems, but if he or she doesn't see that there are other aspects to the problem then it is worthless. Patient encounters are not significantly longer when you acknowledge other patient fears. A great doctor isn't just good at diagnosing and treating (although you need that too), they are good at relating to the patient and understanding the human aspects of health. You aren't necessarily becoming a friend when you ask if there is stress at work or at home, but you are finding out other things that may affect health.

To be the "exceptional" doctor one has to have great skills as a clinician of course, but if they are missing other aspects and nobody wants to visit them then they are hardly exceptional. I've been to skilled docs that treat you like a piece of dirt. You say you'd want that now, but you feel like crap when you leave. You felt ignored and really don't feel like they got to the root of the problem. It is easy to say you want that when you aren't in the midst of it.

Beautifully said. 👍👍👍

 

[Jolie South]

You say that about skill and what not but results actually improve when the doctor takes the time to acknowledge external problems. A gifted clinician may be great at solving problems, but if he or she doesn't see that there are other aspects to the problem then it is worthless. Patient encounters are not significantly longer when you acknowledge other patient fears. A great doctor isn't just good at diagnosing and treating (although you need that too), they are good at relating to the patient and understanding the human aspects of health. You aren't necessarily becoming a friend when you ask if there is stress at work or at home, but you are finding out other things that may affect health.

To be the "exceptional" doctor one has to have great skills as a clinician of course, but if they are missing other aspects and nobody wants to visit them then they are hardly exceptional. I've been to skilled docs that treat you like a piece of dirt. You say you'd want that now, but you feel like crap when you leave. You felt ignored and really don't feel like they got to the root of the problem. It is easy to say you want that when you aren't in the midst of it.

I definitely agree.

 

[Dr2bme]

Great thread

 

[endocardium]

Great thread

When I was in school a great doc once told me that there were two things that made a doctor great vs. just competent:

1) Always care about your patient
2) Always be open to learning

It's not the "not knowing" that gets most people into trouble, knowledge can be supplemented, but a lack of caring and commitment to learning.

 

[turkeyjerky]

You say that about skill and what not but results actually improve when the doctor takes the time to acknowledge external problems. A gifted clinician may be great at solving problems, but if he or she doesn't see that there are other aspects to the problem then it is worthless. Patient encounters are not significantly longer when you acknowledge other patient fears. A great doctor isn't just good at diagnosing and treating (although you need that too), they are good at relating to the patient and understanding the human aspects of health. You aren't necessarily becoming a friend when you ask if there is stress at work or at home, but you are finding out other things that may affect health.

To be the "exceptional" doctor one has to have great skills as a clinician of course, but if they are missing other aspects and nobody wants to visit them then they are hardly exceptional. I've been to skilled docs that treat you like a piece of dirt. You say you'd want that now, but you feel like crap when you leave. You felt ignored and really don't feel like they got to the root of the problem. It is easy to say you want that when you aren't in the midst of it.

I've never been to a doctor, skilled or unskilled, who's treated me like a piece of dirt. I've never witnessed a doctor treat a patient like dirt, nor have I ever. Likewise, I've never seen a plumber, hairdresser, acupuncturist, cashier, nurse, waiter, teacher, or random person on the street treat someone like a "piece of dirt". The only two types of people whom I have seen do this are cops and landlords (and insurance administrators, but c'mon they don't qualify as people in my book😛). Saying that someone treats another like a "piece of dirt" is really impugning their character and should be avoided unless it is objectively true.

People tend to be too sensitive to perceived slights against them. Patients, because they are sick, even more so. Even small affronts against them, the kind we all experience everyday, can become major issues. This is a problem and demands a capable bed-side manner in physicians. Not all physicians have such great interpersonal skills (just as is true for the vast majority of the general population), but this does not mean that they go around treating patients like dirt to be trampled.

 

[da8s0859q]

I've never been to a doctor, skilled or unskilled, who's treated me like a piece of dirt. I've never witnessed a doctor treat a patient like dirt, nor have I ever. Likewise, I've never seen a plumber, hairdresser, acupuncturist, cashier, nurse, waiter, teacher, or random person on the street treat someone like a "piece of dirt". The only two types of people whom I have seen do this are cops and landlords (and insurance administrators, but c'mon they don't qualify as people in my book😛). Saying that someone treats another like a "piece of dirt" is really impugning their character and should be avoided unless it is objectively true.

People tend to be too sensitive to perceived slights against them. Patients, because they are sick, even more so. Even small affronts against them, the kind we all experience everyday, can become major issues. This is a problem and demands a capable bed-side manner in physicians. Not all physicians have such great interpersonal skills (just as is true for the vast majority of the general population), but this does not mean that they go around treating patients like dirt to be trampled.

Truer words were ne'er spoken -- especially the bolded part. Lord knows I'm guilty of that.

 

[Mr hawkings]

I've never been to a doctor, skilled or unskilled, who's treated me like a piece of dirt. I've never witnessed a doctor treat a patient like dirt, nor have I ever. Likewise, I've never seen a plumber, hairdresser, acupuncturist, cashier, nurse, waiter, teacher, or random person on the street treat someone like a "piece of dirt". The only two types of people whom I have seen do this are cops and landlords (and insurance administrators, but c'mon they don't qualify as people in my book😛). Saying that someone treats another like a "piece of dirt" is really impugning their character and should be avoided unless it is objectively true.

People tend to be too sensitive to perceived slights against them. Patients, because they are sick, even more so. Even small affronts against them, the kind we all experience everyday, can become major issues. This is a problem and demands a capable bed-side manner in physicians. Not all physicians have such great interpersonal skills (just as is true for the vast majority of the general population), but this does not mean that they go around treating patients like dirt to be trampled.

.👍

 

[endocardium]

Yeah, I agree, but there is a difference between having a good bedside manner and really caring about your patients. It's easy to confuse the two. You can be fabulous in front of your patient (and their family) and they might really like you for the 10 minutes you talk to them, but it takes real dedication to do them right. A great doctor will go that extra mile while his colleague will move onto his next patient and never look back. That's the difference between a so-so physician and a great one. Many physicians fail to completely own their patients.

 

[da8s0859q]

.👍

I see the bolded cops part, but... good and bad in every profession.

 

[Mr hawkings]

I see the bolded cops part, but... good and bad in every profession.

When you look like me, you only seem to encounter the bad

 

[Kong Bu]

To be an exceptional doctor I think you just have to care and actually feel compassionate towards each patient. The exceptional part follows after that, but you can't just treat each patient as someone on a schedule or just another person to perform surgery on.

 

[USCguy]

One of our retired faculty always says, "Compassion without competence is fraud." That being said, I always thought I would take the supercompetent jerk over the 50th percentile doc who was nice anyday. However, after spending a lot of hours in doctors offices over the past two years with different family members and interacting with their different doctors, I've changed that mentality. I very much prefer going to a doctor who comes off like they really care about you (even if they really don't). Besides, doesn't UWorld teach us that most malpractice cases can be avoided by good communication between the doctor and the patient. I believe that good communication isn't possible if you are a jack***** to your patients.

It's different strokes for different folks, but i would take the cute girl who is nice over the supermodel B**** anyday

 

[endocardium]

One of our retired faculty always says, "Compassion without competence is fraud." That being said, I always thought I would take the supercompetent jerk over the 50th percentile doc who was nice anyday. However, after spending a lot of hours in doctors offices over the past two years with different family members and interacting with their different doctors, I've changed that mentality. I very much prefer going to a doctor who comes off like they really care about you (even if they really don't). Besides, doesn't UWorld teach us that most malpractice cases can be avoided by good communication between the doctor and the patient. I believe that good communication isn't possible if you are a jack***** to your patients.

It's different strokes for different folks, but i would take the cute girl who is nice over the supermodel B**** anyday

Perhaps so, and I think most would be swayed by people who act like they care. It's a good trait, especially if it is genuine. I can assure you, I would be turned off by fake niceness. It's really unappealing. Anyway, I believe you are right about the malpractice thing. If patients like you, they are less likely to sue you. However, it's never just one extreme or another and it isn't all about avoiding getting sued. It's actually possible to have a physician who isn't a jerk (actually cares) and is excellent (more than merely competent) at his or her job. I work with them everyday. Yes, and there are even ones who I would consider to be great, because they going the extra mile to make sure that their patients are taken care of. Imagine that. There are also ones that I think really suck, even though they are nice to their patients. These are the guys that like to pawn their patients to someone else, forget to ask important history questions, are less than thorough with their workup (because they want to get them out of there), and miss the GI bleed, or whatnot, or give them inappropriate meds based on what the EKG machine is saying. Yeah.

 

[turkeyjerky]

One of our retired faculty always says, "Compassion without competence is fraud." That being said, I always thought I would take the supercompetent jerk over the 50th percentile doc who was nice anyday. However, after spending a lot of hours in doctors offices over the past two years with different family members and interacting with their different doctors, I've changed that mentality. I very much prefer going to a doctor who comes off like they really care about you (even if they really don't). Besides, doesn't UWorld teach us that most malpractice cases can be avoided by good communication between the doctor and the patient. I believe that good communication isn't possible if you are a jack***** to your patients.

It's different strokes for different folks, but i would take the cute girl who is nice over the supermodel B**** anyday

Since when did we start defining "exceptional" as the avoidance of malpractice suits?

 

[cpants]

The quality which makes an exceptional doctor is the same quality that makes an exceptional cake baker, architect, mechanic, teacher, or any other profession out there. That quality is truly giving a crap about your work and your clients. Anything else mentioned in this thread really stems from that one, most important thing.

 

[USCguy]

Since when did we start defining "exceptional" as the avoidance of malpractice suits?

My intent was more along the lines of an exceptional doctor will already naturally do the things that will prevent malpractice suits. The USMLE World part of the comment was sort of in jest (I laughed the first time I had a question that mentioned that in the explanation).

 

[Pembleton]

I believe that good communication isn't possible if you are a jack***** to your patients.

As a random, pointless aside, I was wondering what swear word has five letters and is preceded by jack. 😉

 

[USCguy]

As a random, pointless aside, I was wondering what swear word has five letters and is preceded by jack. 😉

hahaha, I originally typed @ followed by two $'s, but it automatically converted it to 5 *'s. not sure why

 

[CorazonDoc]

I like a lot of this thread, but it is too broad. The qualities that make an exceptional surgeon vs. a family doc vs. a pathologist are very different.

I want my family doc to care about me and be interested in even my most mild complaints (like the current scrape on my knee).
I want my surgeon to know his/her stuff and be somewhat hyperactive and intense (often arising from large volume of cases they see that leave them with not enough time to put on the "I care show" for me).
I want my pathologist to have really thick glasses and smell like formaldehyde.

 

[sprinkibrio]

.

 

[sprinkibrio]

It's true that patients don't know the difference. Generally, they'll like the one who's friendlier. When we as doctors are looking for someone to treat me/my mother/my grandmother, we're looking for someone who is thorough, current with their knowledge, evidence based, runs all the right tests, and has a low complication rate. Someone that other doctors are willing to go to. I couldn't care less about personality (beyond a reasonable line, of course) as long as they go through accepted guidelines of practice and don't have too many complications. Grandma won't say the same thing.

There is a false perception on this board that exceptional competence and likability are mutually exclusive. They are NOT! And for those of you who actually know who you are talking about (MS3 and beyond), don't confuse the fact that Joe Surgeon may be an ass to you, but is a perceptive listener that projects confidence and care in front of his patients.

 

[Mr hawkings]

There is a false perception on this board that exceptional competence and likability are mutually exclusive. They are NOT! And for those of you who actually know who you are talking about (MS3 and beyond), don't confuse the fact that Joe Surgeon may be an ass to you, but is a perceptive listener that projects confidence and care in front of his patients.

So true. I once met one of my boss's coleagues and he couldnt be a bigger *******. He was rude and arrogant and made me feel really small and insignificant by the way he spoke to me (i was helping them with a project).

Then i read an article about him where he had been doing cleft palate repairs in Africa for free for the last 10 years and everyone quoted in the article raved about how much he cared about patients and what a saint he was.

 

[SheLiBeLi55]

As a random, pointless aside, I was wondering what swear word has five letters and is preceded by jack. 😉

lol I just wondered the same exact thing... glad im not the only one

 

[TheSky]

I speak from personal experience with good and bad doctors, as well as conversations with patients:

A great doctor:
a. one that knows her/his stuff (you won't believe what kinds of incompetent people are practicing medicine)
b. explains stuff to his patients about their medical condition (even non-medical people want to know what's going on with their bodies)
c. has people skills

A bad doctor:
a. one that doesn't know her/his stuff
b. refuses to explain stuff to patients, or is unable to
c. lacks people skills, is rude, talks down to patients because they don't have the "MD" after their name
d. one that gives up on the patient and tells them to see another doctor. This shows the doctor's incompetence and unwillingness to deal with difficult cases.

 

[DrJosephKim]

A great doctor is not only extremely competent, but has the ability to demonstrate exceptional compassion and empathy towards patients.

You'll meet many physicians who are pompous, arrogant, and super-bright. You may be respected by colleagues because of your level of expertise, but those who are unable to demonstrate compassion are not well-respected by patients.

 

[maceo]

I. Personally I would rather have someone, do a great job and ignore me, rather than someone who is very nice, maakes sure I am ok, but is incompetent..

Unfortunately what WILL get you in trouble is if you are not nice. to patients or staff. They actually will take you off of the medical staff, send you to sensitivity training, niceness training they will sanction your license and priveleges even if you are superb clinically . But if you are marginally competent,,, and a nice super guy.. you wont even be noticed. You have no idea how the standards are ass backwards.

 

[da8s0859q]

Unfortunately what WILL get you in trouble is if you are not nice. to patients or staff. They actually will take you off of the medical staff, send you to sensitivity training, niceness training they will sanction your license and priveleges even if you are superb clinically . But if you are marginally competent,,, and a nice super guy.. you wont even be noticed. You have no idea how the standards are ass backwards.

I realize I'm a month+ away from M1 and thus have no room to talk, but I've been told or read things like this time and time again.

Really does make sense. It's amazing how far a little kindness and/or charisma can go.

 

[atl27]

Really does make sense. It's amazing how far a little kindness and/or charisma can go.

lol! let me know who you want operating on your kid after a bad car accident, the "nice and charismatic" surgeon with the ok skills, or the technically superior surgeon who isn't as "kind."

 

[Mr hawkings]

lol! let me know who you want operating on your kid after a bad car accident, the "nice and charismatic" surgeon with the ok skills, or the technically superior surgeon who isn't as "kind."

I think for the purposes of this debate, surgery may be an unfair example to use. Especially in an emergency situation like the one you suggested. In those situations, you are less likely to be affected by "niceness" (or the lack thereof).

A better example would be if you were admitted after complaining of chest pain, which of those doctor would you prefer to walk into your room that morning. Personally, i would pick the "nice" one with average clinical skills over the ******* with superior clinical skills.

And by the way, you can have both in one doctor.

 

[da8s0859q]

lol! let me know who you want operating on your kid after a bad car accident, the "nice and charismatic" surgeon with the ok skills, or the technically superior surgeon who isn't as "kind."

I was talking about the benefit -- the benefit for the doc, to his own career -- in being a "nice guy". Apples and oranges.

 

[mjl1717]

Exceptional physicians (not talking surgeons here) in my opinion..

1)have excellent people and communication skills.
2) have vast "Osler like" fund of knowledge.
3) can empathize with the patient and are compassionate at the right time.
4)part of being in this sect IS publishing, being able to teach and being very ambitious..
5) there peers respect them and have an idea of what they are doing(even if its only from the corner of there eye)
6) know the value of humor.
7)get those sort after "word of mouth testimonials" like they are nothing!


End of story..

 

[ThisLittlePig]

Exceptional doctors are a good mix of competency,professionalism,skill and empathy.

At the heart of their practice they always remember that as a Physician they are to cure sometimes,to relieve often and to comfort always.