why are people in the medical field less superficial?

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batista_123

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I love people who work in the medical field. In general, they are the least superficial people you will ever meet.

when I talk to someone who works in the medical field, I feel like I can be myself. I can say exactly what's on my mind, and they won't get offended or creeped out. I don't have to filter anything, I can say exactly what I am thinking.

They can't care less if I am wearing a Rolex watch or a $5 chinese one. They can't care less if my shirt is from Ralph polo with a $200 price tag, or a piece of garbage that I have been wearing for the past 10 years. my nails could be long or short. my teeth could be white and straight, or yellow and crooked. They can't care less.

They are just more mature, I think they see "beyond" what everyone else sees. kind of like: imagine a group of 5 year olds are playing a game. the adult knows the result of this game won't make a difference in anyone's life, he sees "beyond" the game.

now the question is:
1. do you agree
2. why is it that people in the medical field are not superficial like everyone else?

by the way, I am not talking about when these people are actually working (so the answer is not "they are just being professional") I am talking about when they are not working (for example, when you see them at Subway or coffee shop or whatever)
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It sounds like you think people in medicine are enlightened monks. I would say "no" to that idea.

Like any population, there is variance among the individuals.

The sample you observed thus far happened to be less "superficial", perhaps?

I have seen plenty of med students that come off as superficial and others that don't seem to give a crap about anything.
I've seen plenty of down to earth docs that don't value materialistic possessions as much as, say, simple hobbies (ie hiking, kayaking)...and plenty of docs that put a lot of value in having ultra nice sports cars, rolexes, and mcmansions.

I would imagine that a lot of people in the field tend to be sleep deprived, overworked, and perpetually tired...this likely results in them not wearing their gucci suits and vera wang shoes when you "see them picking up lunch at subway" as you mentioned. In other words, at that point they don't give a damn about what they are wearing or what kind of car you rolled up in (...in opposition to any enlightened state of thought on mortality and "what matters" in life).
 
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I'd guess that there is a normal distribution (or near to it) of people on the not superficial to superficial spectrum in the medical fields. You may have met a sampling of people on one end. Or it may be that there are pressures that exist that would preclude the "superficial" people from displaying such behaviors and attitudes.
 
People in the medical field are as varied as everyone else in life. I've known physicians who only care about getting the newest sports car and I've known ones who drive beat up old clunkers. It's not "maturity," it's simply priority. For example, all of my clothes are probably around fifteen years old. Why? Not because I'm "unpretentious" but because a) I've fortunately not turned into a blimp and can still fit into them and b) I never wear anything other than scrubs. So that shirt and jeans is still just as good now as it was fifteen years ago. My watch is a Timex Ironman watch that I think I got for $35, but I rarely wear it because who needs a watch in the hospital? I know some physicians who like to sport the chunky, gold watches, though, and consider it a fashion accessory more than a tool to tell time. A lot of physicians also put their money into things that you won't see at work, like their home. This guy you think is Friar Tuck may live in a mansion and you wouldn't know it unless he told you. And, frankly, some physicians may just be poor. For example, I know one guy who has four kids and that can't be cheap, so I'm unsurprised that he isn't driving some blinged out car.
 
ruralsurg4now said:
People in the medical field are as varied as everyone else in life. I've known physicians who only care about getting the newest sports car and I've known ones who drive beat up old clunkers. It's not "maturity," it's simply priority. For example, all of my clothes are probably around fifteen years old. Why? Not because I'm "unpretentious" but because a) I've fortunately not turned into a blimp and can still fit into them and b) I never wear anything other than scrubs. So that shirt and jeans is still just as good now as it was fifteen years ago. My watch is a Timex Ironman watch that I think I got for $35, but I rarely wear it because who needs a watch in the hospital? I know some physicians who like to sport the chunky, gold watches, though, and consider it a fashion accessory more than a tool to tell time. A lot of physicians also put their money into things that you won't see at work, like their home. This guy you think is Friar Tuck may live in a mansion and you wouldn't know it unless he told you. And, frankly, some physicians may just be poor. For example, I know one guy who has four kids and that can't be cheap, so I'm unsurprised that he isn't driving some blinged out car.
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I dunno, Walter White drove a Pontiac Aztec for a long time after he had some scratch. Maybe those docs are just trying to throw the scent for the fuzz. 😉
 
Physio Doc 2 Be said:
I dunno, Walter White drove a Pontiac Aztec for a long time after he had some scratch. Maybe those docs are just trying to throw the scent for the fuzz. 😉
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I had to look up who that was because I never got into "Breaking Bad." 🙂 I'm more of a "Sons of Anarchy" and "Walking Dead" guy, although I dropped off watching both this season. For some reason, I abruptly stopped caring about those shows. I do like watching "The Goldbergs" on ABC. That show cracks me the heck up. 🙂
 
batista_123 said:
They can't care less if I am wearing a Rolex watch or a $5 chinese one. They can't care less if my shirt is from Ralph polo with a $200 price tag, or a piece of garbage that I have been wearing for the past 10 years. my nails could be long or short. my teeth could be white and straight, or yellow and crooked. They can't care less.

They are just more mature, I think they see "beyond" what everyone else sees. kind of like: imagine a group of 5 year olds are playing a game. the adult knows the result of this game won't make a difference in anyone's life, he sees "beyond" the game.
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What? Have you interacted with surgeons yet? I think you are in the "doctors are angels who save the world" zone. I've been there...
 
Physio Doc 2 Be said:
Everybody hates on the cutters.
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It really depends on where he is. I've seen surgeons in rural areas who drive beat-up pickup trucks and go hunting on weekends and I've seen surgeons in large cities who have fifty suits that are individually tailored. Either way, I don't really think any surgeon cares what he thinks about them.
 
hello,

Actually, it seems that my opinion has been misinterpreted. I am not saying people in the medical field are not materialistic. I am saying they are not judgmental. It doesn't matter if you are steven spieldberg or a homeless guy, they will look at you the same.
If you go to their office with a crappy shirt that has several holes and stains, after you walk out, they won't whisper among themselves "did you see his shirt? what a loser" they just don't judge.
 
I once walked into the hospital w/ my white coat on but I was wearing track pants instead of dress pants/khakis. I got a lot of judgmental looks. Mostly from doctors. Theory disproved.
 
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Disagree with OP entirely. No different to the general population - docs, nurses, techs, PA's are people too.
 
batista_123 said:
hello,

Actually, it seems that my opinion has been misinterpreted. I am not saying people in the medical field are not materialistic. I am saying they are not judgmental. It doesn't matter if you are steven spieldberg or a homeless guy, they will look at you the same.
If you go to their office with a crappy shirt that has several holes and stains, after you walk out, they won't whisper among themselves "did you see his shirt? what a loser" they just don't judge.
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I think you will look back and laugh at this comment if you ever get into medical school.
 
batista_123 said:
If you go to their office with a crappy shirt that has several holes and stains, after you walk out, they won't whisper among themselves "did you see his shirt? what a loser" they just don't judge.
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You just can't hear them apparently.
 
I stopped reading after "I can say what I want"

You have got another thing coming if you believe that... people may not act offended but go around and **** you over. Some people are cool, but it's definitely not everyone.

Also, OB/GYN = superficial cliques.
 
batista_123 said:
hello,

Actually, it seems that my opinion has been misinterpreted. I am not saying people in the medical field are not materialistic. I am saying they are not judgmental. It doesn't matter if you are steven spieldberg or a homeless guy, they will look at you the same.
If you go to their office with a crappy shirt that has several holes and stains, after you walk out, they won't whisper among themselves "did you see his shirt? what a loser" they just don't judge.
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Omg! Get out of here! People judge, you're just oblivious to it lol. I can't wait for you to overhear what people say about other people behind their backs and realize they do it to you, too.
 
batista_123 said:
hello,

Actually, it seems that my opinion has been misinterpreted. I am not saying people in the medical field are not materialistic. I am saying they are not judgmental. It doesn't matter if you are steven spieldberg or a homeless guy, they will look at you the same.
If you go to their office with a crappy shirt that has several holes and stains, after you walk out, they won't whisper among themselves "did you see his shirt? what a loser" they just don't judge.
Click to expand...

Please don't wear shirts with holes and stains... Hopefully something or someone pops your bubble soon. Reality is a good thing, especially for your med school application.
 
batista_123 said:
hello,

Actually, it seems that my opinion has been misinterpreted. I am not saying people in the medical field are not materialistic. I am saying they are not judgmental. It doesn't matter if you are steven spieldberg or a homeless guy, they will look at you the same.
If you go to their office with a crappy shirt that has several holes and stains, after you walk out, they won't whisper among themselves "did you see his shirt? what a loser" they just don't judge.
Click to expand...

1. I have no clue where you got such an absurd idea. I've been fascinated by the lack of effect medicine has had on the character, insight and personalities of most people.
2. If I had to venture what you're talking about...I did notice a small change in my attitude towards disfigurement and emotional response to gore. Very quickly I began to see what some people call gross/scary/disconcerting to be just consequences of mechanisms gone wrong --> lack of visceral repulsion. If I see a sloppy guy with ketchup on his shirt and facial hair however, I still think "ugh, loser alert".
 
batista_123 said:
hello,

Actually, it seems that my opinion has been misinterpreted. I am not saying people in the medical field are not materialistic. I am saying they are not judgmental. It doesn't matter if you are steven spieldberg or a homeless guy, they will look at you the same.
If you go to their office with a crappy shirt that has several holes and stains, after you walk out, they won't whisper among themselves "did you see his shirt? what a loser" they just don't judge.
Click to expand...

333.gif
 
Haha, this is great. You're kidding yourself if you think that physicians are non-judgmental and don't talk about people. Trust me, I'd have medical school paid for if I got a dollar for every time a physician or colleague judged somebody and shared their opinions aloud.

Either OP is naive, or has successfully made a decent troll post.
 
The silly thing is that all the people who are saying that everyone in medicine IS superficial are just as wrong as the OP is for saying the opposite. If you guys have never met a physician who doesn't care about appearances, then you haven't ever been in a hospital. I know and have known lots of physicians who don't care if you're wearing the cheapest tie that's ever been made, or a K-mart pair of loafers. That's what the OP was talking about. Yeah, obviously if you come in with a huge hole in the front of your pants and your underwear is showing, then of course people will talk. There are lots of physicians who own very few clothes, far fewer than the medical students. I knew girls in medical school who I don't remember wearing the same clothes two days during a rotation. Meanwhile, you'll see female attendings who wear the same clothes at least once every week, which is practically being a hobo for women.
 
ruralsurg4now said:
The silly thing is that all the people who are saying that everyone in medicine IS superficial are just as wrong as the OP is for saying the opposite. If you guys have never met a physician who doesn't care about appearances, then you haven't ever been in a hospital. I know and have known lots of physicians who don't care if you're wearing the cheapest tie that's ever been made, or a K-mart pair of loafers. That's what the OP was talking about. Yeah, obviously if you come in with a huge hole in the front of your pants and your underwear is showing, then of course people will talk. There are lots of physicians who own very few clothes, far fewer than the medical students. I knew girls in medical school who I don't remember wearing the same clothes two days during a rotation. Meanwhile, you'll see female attendings who wear the same clothes at least once every week, which is practically being a hobo for women.
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It is falsely optimistic (to the point of being naive) for a person to think that nobody in the medical field is judgmental.

OP, it's great that you have such high esteem with our profession but lets be real; No population, even the physician population, is going to be free from judgment, opinions, or stereotypes.
 
Yeah, no.
 
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My guess is no time + no money = limited means to be superficial ☺️
 
batista_123 said:
hello,

Actually, it seems that my opinion has been misinterpreted. I am not saying people in the medical field are not materialistic. I am saying they are not judgmental. It doesn't matter if you are steven spieldberg or a homeless guy, they will look at you the same.
If you go to their office with a crappy shirt that has several holes and stains, after you walk out, they won't whisper among themselves "did you see his shirt? what a loser" they just don't judge.
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Couldn't be further from what I've experienced
 
pathologyDO said:
It is falsely optimistic (to the point of being naive) for a person to think that nobody in the medical field is judgmental.
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Agreed. But all I said was that it's equally false to say that nobody is NOT judgmental. It went from him saying everyone is non-judgmental to now everyone is saying that everyone in medicine is some pretentious snob who sports diamond-encrusted sunglasses and wears tuxedos and ball gowns to work. That's equally silly.
 
batista_123 said:
hello,

Actually, it seems that my opinion has been misinterpreted. I am not saying people in the medical field are not materialistic. I am saying they are not judgmental. It doesn't matter if you are steven spieldberg or a homeless guy, they will look at you the same.
If you go to their office with a crappy shirt that has several holes and stains, after you walk out, they won't whisper among themselves "did you see his shirt? what a loser" they just don't judge.
Click to expand...

Going to med school was like going back to junior high. Complete with a hallway full of lockers, gossip/judgment for everything you did, cliques galore, and a surprising number of hormone-crazy virgins.
 
ruralsurg4now said:
Agreed. But all I said was that it's equally false to say that nobody is NOT judgmental. It went from him saying everyone is non-judgmental to now everyone is saying that everyone in medicine is some pretentious snob who sports diamond-encrusted sunglasses and wears tuxedos and ball gowns to work. That's equally silly.
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I think there is a difference between being judgmental and superficial/vain.
 
ruralsurg4now said:
But all I said was that it's equally false to say that nobody is NOT judgmental. It went from him saying everyone is non-judgmental to now everyone is saying that everyone in medicine is some pretentious snob who sports diamond-encrusted sunglasses and wears tuxedos and ball gowns to work. That's equally silly.
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You are just the eager little contrarian.
 
ruralsurg4now said:
I had to look up who that was because I never got into "Breaking Bad." 🙂 I'm more of a "Sons of Anarchy" and "Walking Dead" guy, although I dropped off watching both this season. For some reason, I abruptly stopped caring about those shows. I do like watching "The Goldbergs" on ABC. That show cracks me the heck up. 🙂
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Looks like we have something in common. I love sons of anarchy.
 
southernIM said:
Going to med school was like going back to junior high. Complete with a hallway full of lockers, gossip/judgment for everything you did, cliques galore, and a surprising number of hormone-crazy virgins.
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This is terrifying to me
 
touchpause13 said:
Looks like we have something in common. I love sons of anarchy.
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It's OK. Like I said, I was really into it last season, but I really haven't watched it this season. A lot of times the show tries to get too artificially complex where everything is six layers of secrecy and everyone involved is betraying everyone else. It gets a little tiresome. Like, this whole thing where they have to fake a pregnancy and then fake a fight followed by a fake miscarriage in order to get Jax to sign the custody order is really more elaborate than would ever happen in real life.
 
There are people like that in every field.. Doctors, teachers, engineers, military, janitor, zoo keeper, astronaut, social worker, waitress, barista, mechanic, pilot, psychologist, accountant, biologist, gardener, contractor, gangster, barber, athlete, fireman, paramedic, subway sandwich artist, plumber, exterminator, lawn mower, bus driver, prostitute, inn keeper, chimney sweep, race car driver, talk show host, stay at home mom, programmer, politician, musician, carpenter, blacksmith, cricket farmer, apple picker, or drug dealer.

You could meet just one or two great people in ANY of these professions and generalize that they are all good people.
Bottom line: people suck, no matter the profession.
 
LOL at the line about wearing a shirt with holes/stains in it and not having someone talking about it behind your back (if not directly to your face).

OP, you'll learn quickly enough (if you get into medical school), no worries.
 
I agree in some way. Doctors do get jaded and cynical, as result of their job, but that can also get them to be less judgemental. There is a flipside to every trait. It is hard to keep being "superficial" when you are at the ER and you have to cope with anyone that comes in.
 
batista_123 said:
I love people who work in the medical field. In general, they are the least superficial people you will ever meet.

when I talk to someone who works in the medical field, I feel like I can be myself. I can say exactly what's on my mind, and they won't get offended or creeped out. I don't have to filter anything, I can say exactly what I am thinking.

They can't care less if I am wearing a Rolex watch or a $5 chinese one. They can't care less if my shirt is from Ralph polo with a $200 price tag, or a piece of garbage that I have been wearing for the past 10 years. my nails could be long or short. my teeth could be white and straight, or yellow and crooked. They can't care less.

They are just more mature, I think they see "beyond" what everyone else sees. kind of like: imagine a group of 5 year olds are playing a game. the adult knows the result of this game won't make a difference in anyone's life, he sees "beyond" the game.

now the question is:
1. do you agree
2. why is it that people in the medical field are not superficial like everyone else?

by the way, I am not talking about when these people are actually working (so the answer is not "they are just being professional") I am talking about when they are not working (for example, when you see them at Subway or coffee shop or whatever)
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Wow I must not know the right people.

Lots of people in the medical field I know (RN,MD,techs) are very superficial...

Spend hours getting ready, always dress up, talk **** about those who don't dress up or wear the newest clothes.
 
styphon said:
Spend hours getting ready, always dress up, talk **** about those who don't dress up or wear the newest clothes.
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There are a lot of timeless looks. If you follow trends, you'll always be behind. If you're spending hours getting ready, you're doing it wrong.
 
This topic made me laugh at your naivety. I may not be a doctor but I know a few and they are very superficial. Also on my vet rotations it amazes me how they are nice to the client's face, but are absolutely evil as soon as the door is shut. I worked with an american vet, and the very first thing she said to me was how the general public was stupid and full of losers. Unfortunately, I can't say that she was wrong. I don't know how doctors manage to deal with them all of the time. At least vets have a break with the animals. Sorry to burst your bubble but nearly everyone judges people, whether it's right or wrong. Seriously, I have to stand away from some people during consults, they disgust me so much. Imagine if I actually had to do a physical exam on them *shudders*.
 
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Yeah, vets can be brutal too. Complaining that the cat won't take personal responsibility for its health and be a leech to the animal kingdom. That's what happens when Mr. Fat Cat won't start an exercise program, eat a well balanced diet, stop knocking whiskey in the milk bowl and get off narcotics.
 
KnuxNole said:
Yeah, vets can be brutal too. Complaining that the cat won't take personal responsibility for its health and be a leech to the animal kingdom. That's what happens when Mr. Fat Cat won't start an exercise program, eat a well balanced diet, stop knocking whiskey in the milk bowl and get off narcotics.
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They really can't tell anyone if you smack them for non-compliance.
 
Reminds me last week i was doing h&p to this outgoing 87 year old senior. He had hematmesis, no portal hypertension signs and when asked denied significant alchool intake, hence i put variceal bleeding into last of DD's. Went for a quick browse at the process and bammm: Upper Endoscopy: esophageal varices and history of heavy alcoholism. I felt betrayed, but then I though, ohh well, cant realy blame him, and a feeling of magnanimity flooded me. That was the day i started playing god, and i liked it.
 
I love that OP started a thread about how doctors don't judge people and then proceeded to get judged by every user responding to this thread. Strong work, folks.
 
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