Whither primary care

“Time to study now. Not sure if I should focus on pharmacological effects in treating disease or on researching how to spend an hour with every patient and still afford to pay malpractice insurance without a large inheritance.”

Go for the inheritance. I do begin to get the idea, however, that underneath all the concerned chat you (pl.)think you’re doing everyone a favor by choosing medicine as a vocation. Don’t. Be a golf coach, in the end you’ll be happier and will meet beautiful rich women, some of them with their own breasts.

The world will not collapse without you in your scrubs. Ok, it’s already collapsing, but what’s the big deal? Bunch of greedy bastards anyway.

Just do the whole John Gault thing and withdraw your unhumble excellence because we (the non-doctors, the unwashed, unscientific) are not worthy of it anyway. C’mon, call the world’s bluff – just pull out now and let the chips fall where they may.

You don’t want all the liability and debt and we’re tired of little weasels whining about the cost of medical school so let’s end it all now. Ok?

As another aside, could hospitals or doctor’s offices get any uglier colors schemes? Is it important to someone somewhere for a trip to the emergency room to be like visiting a military consignment center? It’s one thing to be a good scientist but is it really necessary to dress like Sarah Palin’s gynecologist?

It’s obvious that people are passionate about what is going on. It’s also obvious that there is a huge problem with the system. Patients are not happy with the care they are receiving and doctors are not happy with the lack of care they are pushed into giving because of they high cost of doing their business.
Some of the people discussing their views of doctors with expensive watches and second wives seem to be basing their facts on a stereotype. Obviously, not all doctors can live that way. Those that do probably come from money already. Those people also sound jealous, which makes no sense, why in the world would you be jealous of someone that is has already had one failed marriage and spends their time spending money?
Anyway, most doctor’s are not like that. My doctor is amazing. I shadowed her last summer. She really does a lot more than what we, the patients, think while we see her for those 10 minutes. She never once sat down in the 8 hours a day I was with her. She was running around the whole time: taking care of patients, filling out their paperwork, answering questions by phone from people looking for free care that they have come to expect, talking to people about how their lives are going, trying to reach out, dealing with a drug rep, trying to find free drug samples for those that cannot afford it in her practice, instructing nurses, worrying about bills and not being able to pay her bills because patients were canceling their appointments or where late setting her whole day back. It’s not the doctor’s that run behind, it’s those people that show up 5-10 minutes late that set the practice back 30 minutes for everyone else.
We all want change. Arguing and trying to place blame will get nothing done.
Try to understand where the other is coming from w/o stereotyping or harboring ill will toward a stranger that you do not know.
You want a change? Come up with one, promote one, vote.