specialty reputation dichotomy

[freelancewriter]

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I pulled this off the derm forum on ezboard. It's an interesting question, but that forum is quite limited. I'm looking forward to some insight.

"I read an article about monkeypox in a public newspaper:
http://www.wausaudailyherald.com/wdhlocal/279638352490585.shtml

and found a source press release on the Web with personal interviews of some of the involved dermatologists:
http://www.marshfieldclinic.org/mc/releases/details.asp?id=2279

Dermatologists were essential in discovering monkeypox in the Western Hemisphere, and hopefully in time to isolate it before it spread to the wild.

While derm is looked upon as a prestigious field within the medical community, I don't think the general public views it as prestigious. Dealing with moles, rashes, lesions, etc. is likely dirty work in the public's eye, and a pediatrician is probably more revered.

The monkeypox outbreak helps validate the importance of derm.

Does anyone else think there is a reputation dichotomy ?"

What specialties have a dichotomy between prestige within the medical profession and how the public views the specialty?

 

[Crypt Abscess]

I think the opposite dichotomy exists for emergency medicine. The public views emergency medicine as a very sexy field with doctors that do everything from emergency surgery to emergency C-sections (I think this is due, in large part to TV shows such as ER). On the other hand, within the medical community, they are often despised for several reasons one of which is the perception that they consult out almost everything that walks through the door.

 

[Primate]

On EM, one of our residents recently told me that he picked a 4 year residency, in part, so that others (as in the folks called on consults) would have greater respect for him/EM docs. The thought was that with one more year of training than IM docs, they'd be taken seriously. The above dichotomy must be a pretty profound one to get people to do an extra year of residency!

To be sure, there were other reasons he did the 4 year deal, but the reputation was specifically mentioned.

Colo-rectal also comes to mind. Oh, wait, nobody thinks that's sexy until THEY have a 'roid. Then they quickly learn to appreciate and respect a good C-R person (can't tell you how many pilots I know who now fall into the latter category!). 😀

P

 

[iwakuni_doc]

Originally posted by Primate
Colo-rectal also comes to mind.

Rectum...damn near killed him!


That just never stops being funny😀

 

[Freeeedom!]

crypt...hahahahaha

Everyone thinks everyone else is stupid ya know.

EM thinks IM are slow moving idiots
Surg doesn't respect FP
Cards don't respect anyone
Rads sit in a cave and hedge

 

[coldsteel]

Another one is trauma surgery. The public thinks that these guys spend all day and night knee deep in blood pulling people back from the brink. In reality it seems like most of their time is spent either rounding on trauma patients dumped on them by neurosurgery and ortho, or doing appys/lap choles/hernias. Nothing wrong with that, just an observation.