would you think anything of me, good or bad or nothing at all, if I said to your face..... I want to go into FM to "know something about everything." <--- it is mostly truth, aint it?
Nah I wouldn't care really. I welcome anyone who has a serious interest in FM. It wouldn't start a bar fight or anything, but I wouldn't say OMG, we're BFF's. So to answer your question, it'd be a draw.
My thing (and it's probably just me because I'm a bit odd) is whenever I hear people try to make distinctions between FM from other specialties with the whole "know little/something about a lot" or "jack of all trades, master of none" thing... I just think they're missing the point. Almost like saying something just to say something, you know?
Because to me, it's about knowing/mastering to the best of your ability enough to take care of the patient well. It has nothing to do with a little or a lot. It has to do with doing what's right for them.
Two patients who present in similar fashion can result in dramatically different diagnoses, management plans, and outcomes... all based on some very small subtlety. And, for me anyways, sometimes figuring it out and making decisions based on some of those subtleties require some pretty (IMO) high level thinking and complex decision making. And maybe it's just me, or not being a seasoned veteran, or whatever, but sometimes I struggle with that, especially when the evidence/protocol is not helpful, straightforward, or widely accepted and it comes down to your "clinical judgment". And these may just end up being a pretty big deal (undergo an invasive test, or a big surgery vs. non-op/medical management, or the wrong diagnosis, or a decision that will affect your reputation).
So, whenever I hear the whole "know little/something about a lot" or "jack of all trades, master of none" thing, I don't really think it applies to what I did with Patient X and all the effort, diligence, research, energy, and risk-taking I put into that case.
I mean, to a certain extent, it almost devalues the work I just did, as if to say in a way, knowing little about a variety of things means you should be paid little for a variety of things. I just don't think the generalization is that accurate of a picture. And I don't think people who commit themselves to taking care of patients would agree with that either.
I dunno, does anyone else feel this way? I'm probably just being a wuss (with a "p & y", as one of my attendings told me, ha!)...
Well... you know, that being said, the generalization is a bit generous on other fronts. There're so many things I know absolutely *nothing* about... to say I know even a "little" would be a tall tale, if not an outright lie. Heh!