Disdain for doctors

[Chrisada]

On a pregnancy board I am on these women hate doctors! I mean if anyone says something about her doctor suggesting a c-section all hell breaks loose. They say things like, "he just wants to get your money for the c-section," "doctors are idiots" or "he's just being lazy and doesn't want to wait around for the baby," etc. I grew up surrounded by docs so have never heard people voice such disdain for them. Do alot of people honestly feel this way? Have people said weird stuff to you once they see you are married to one? The only comment I have personally got is, "Oh, he's going to be one of those people who take all of my money."

[HouseofWool]

Re: Disdain for doctors

I've never heard such blatant disrespect for the profession like what you've described. I do hear the "he'll make good money" line all the time.

Does your pregnancy board have a strong preference towards midwives and homebirths?

[Tenacious_D]

Re: Disdain for doctors

I hear a lot of negativity...it's sad. Especially after people find out DH is in medicine they still share their gripes with the medical field in general. Not sure where it comes from though..

[Chrisada]

Re: Disdain for doctors

I've never heard such blatant disrespect for the profession like what you've described. I do hear the "he'll make good money" line all the time.

Does your pregnancy board have a strong preference towards midwives and homebirths?

It actually doesn't. But I have noticed that alot of the women do not have higher education. So I wonder if it's them not understanding all of the training a doctor goes through and only seeing docs as people who make a whole lot of money and play golf on the weekend. But I have actually seen this on more than one pregnancy board.

[Pollyanna]

Re: Disdain for doctors

You'll find that opinion if the pregnancy board you're on is particularly crunchy. I used to be on one and read some of the threads to dh. He was like, "how do you even stand to read this bs". He gets frustrated when he has to deliver dead babies because either mom only wanted a home birth or mom waited too long to come in during labor.

[Chrisada]

Re: Disdain for doctors

The weird thing is that these are not crunchy women! I mean these are the same ones talking about how they still sometimes have a beer while they're pregnant and how they will be waitressing up until they go into labor. There just seems to be a general consensus of do not believe a word your doctor says even though you are entrusting him to deliver your child.

[GrayMatterWife]

Re: Disdain for doctors

"Doctors can't be all that smart, or they'd be IBs [investment bankers]."

This, of course, was before the current state of the economy.

[GreyhoundsRUs]

Re: Disdain for doctors

From what you've described - this woman sound like they are just plain "ignant"

[Urowife]

Re: Disdain for doctors

I find the same thing on a pregnancy board that I lurk on (I wonder if it's the same one!). Some of them seem to like their doctors, but others just feel that they are out to get them or only in it for their own benefit (pushing folks to c-section for convenience, etc.). And, it's definitely not a crunchy board. It gets annoying!

[Bittersweet]

Re: Disdain for doctors

I’ve run across it. Generalized statements raise my hackles, however, a lot of what I hear is stemming from prior bad experiences. I sympathize with that … sh*! happens. As with any other profession there are both good and bad practitioners and that’s what I try to emphasize to haters.

What I don’t understand is the disdain that it sounds like these women have for their own physicians. Freedom of choice people – if you don’t want a medically managed/minded birth, choose a midwife.

[MrsK]

Re: Disdain for doctors

I do hear the whole, "you've got it made, he'll be rich" thing. (BS, I'll always have the ability to out-earn him and I'm supporting him now!)

But more often than not, when people find out that DrK is training to be a psychiatrist, we get hit with all sorts of negativity . . . disappointed people saying, "Oh, I thought he was going to be a *real* doctor."

Or those people that think he has to be a nut himself. For instance, when we stayed at a B&B for our anniversary trip, we were seated with a nice though awkward couple for breakfast. They told DrK that in their experience many psychiatrists choose to specialize in areas where they have personal experience, for instance, recovered drug addicts treating addiction. And then they tactlessly asked DrK about his "problem". He handled it well - told them that psychoanalysts are required to go through analysis as part of their training and that analysis is not just for troubled people. They just smiled smuggly at each other because the notion of a psychoanalyst in analysis confimed their suspitions.

Also, in most institutional settings, psychiatrists get ZERO respect from their patients --and often from other doctors. DrK is rotating on a psych ward now and many of his patents are too sick to know that they are sick. They hate him and they want to "kill" him. (This frightens me because a psychiatrist-friend of ours was actually murdered in his office by a patient.) The paitents become paranoid and attempt daring escapes or become violent -- or in one case, call 911 -- when he does not give them drugs that they should not have (addiction and self-medicating is a huge problem). For the most part, he doesn't have patients that want to be there or that are grateful to their doctor for treating them.

In the meanwhile, many of his patients have additional serious untreated medical issues that contribute to, create, or are caused by their mental health problems. He's had a lot of patients come in for mental health treatment to find himself diagnosing brain tumors, very advanced cancers, hormone imbalances, or finding that their bodies are unhealthy due to their own mistreatment (self-mutiliation, anorexorea, STDs, suicide attempts). All the while people tell him that he's not a *real* doctor.

Sorry, I just get so angry on his behalf.

[DCJenn]

Re: Disdain for doctors

The medical profession doesn't help itself either with Grey's Anatomy and ER where 'everyone' is able to close that gunshot wound and then have mad passionate sex in the call room. (and if the TV had ever seen a 'real' call room, they'd understand how funny that is to those of us in the know)

That's what makes my husband nuts about House- they're interns and residents (ID, lets not forget) but they ALL are able to read films, do surgery, and what he really enjoys- do the MRIs/EKGs/EEGs themselves. (I'm not sure my husband even knows where the 'on-switch' is- that's why he has EEG techs who do nothing but EEGs in a partnership with the neurologists!)

Jenn

[fluffhead]

Re: Disdain for doctors

Hell on E.R. a resident can do laproscopic brain surgery in Exam 3!
But I hear nurse Carol Hathaway is gonna be on tomorrow. I'm so there!

[poky]

Re: Disdain for doctors

In fairness to House..they're fellows, not residents. At least in the first few seasons, when I was still watching, they were. I'm assuming the replacements also are.

But yes, the idea that they do all their own lab work and scans and tests, etc. is patently ridiculous (where are the techs and nurses?). The reality makes more less interesting TV, though, I guess...

[houseelf]

Re: Disdain for doctors

The medical profession doesn't help itself either with Grey's Anatomy and ER where 'everyone' is able to close that gunshot wound and then have mad passionate sex in the call room. (and if the TV had ever seen a 'real' call room, they'd understand how funny that is to those of us in the know)

That's what makes my husband nuts about House- they're interns and residents (ID, lets not forget) but they ALL are able to read films, do surgery, and what he really enjoys- do the MRIs/EKGs/EEGs themselves. (I'm not sure my husband even knows where the 'on-switch' is- that's why he has EEG techs who do nothing but EEGs in a partnership with the neurologists!)

My husband is pretty pissed that he doesn't get to change in a locker room with people that lock like Katherine Hegl.

Kelly