Comment Re:It has to do with arrogence (Score 1) 158
How many medical schools have you attended that you can make such an authoritative sounding statement? None of the medical schools I have known nor the one which I attended told us to refer to each other as "doctor" during the second year. Most of us were pretty damned shy of ever referring to *ourselves* as doctor at any time during medical school, even during clinicals during which most of my patients would call me "doctor." I have always addressed my colleagues by either first or last name and continue to do so today.
The "boot camp" reference is true to a sorts, in that part of the point of medical school is merely the building of knowledge but also the instillation of common values that western medicine holds dearly, so that they are continued in future generations of physicians--things like treating your colleagues with respect, preserving patient confidentiality, primum non nocere, etc.
The title is an honorary of sorts, much like "sir" or "mister," but one largely peculiar to our profession. It's one borne of tradition, and one that I think patients prefer. Maybe you don't like it, but I honestly feel that most patients don't want to be examined, to be poked and prodded, to reveal all sorts of personal secrets to by somebody they refer to as "Bob" or "Jacky." Maybe I'm wrong, but such has been my experience.
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The "boot camp" reference is true to a sorts, in that part of the point of medical school is merely the building of knowledge but also the instillation of common values that western medicine holds dearly, so that they are continued in future generations of physicians--things like treating your colleagues with respect, preserving patient confidentiality, primum non nocere, etc.
The title is an honorary of sorts, much like "sir" or "mister," but one largely peculiar to our profession. It's one borne of tradition, and one that I think patients prefer. Maybe you don't like it, but I honestly feel that most patients don't want to be examined, to be poked and prodded, to reveal all sorts of personal secrets to by somebody they refer to as "Bob" or "Jacky." Maybe I'm wrong, but such has been my experience.
-=greg=-
