First of all I want to thank every one for their responses to my last post, the advice was impeccable and I feel more sanguine about my prospects than ever before.
I would however like to address another matter.
I have been in a shadowing program at my local hospital and have learned so much about medecine and how the medical system operates. I know that this experience will be invaluable. But I must admit I have notices a bit of a sarcastic attitude tends to permiate the medical community around here.
Is this an anomaly limited to So. Cal. or is this an industry wide problem? And how can I avoid the pit falls that promulgate the sacasm. I do believe that this is the right choice for me and I do know alot of physicians and have long been friends with many doctors, but I have noticed a certain amount of “jade” from time to time and wondered what the root cause would be and also wonder if this has anything to do with the high suicide rate among Doctors? I’m thinking maybe more extended leave of absence from practice (longer vacations) may benefit. What abuot some positive diversions? What can be done?
Thank you!
Steven0808
You’re seeing typical stress-relieving responses in people who are feeling overburdened. Having worked in other fields, I can tell you that this is not exclusive to medicine. It’s just really jarring when you have this notion of the physician as “saving people,” and you hear him or her making disparaging remarks about the people being saved… honestly I don’t see it as any different from, say, customer service folks who put someone on hold and then say, “A$$hole!” under their breaths, but there’s this long-standing idea that we are somehow Better Than That.
Ya know what, doctors are people too. If you had been in clinic with me on a recent day where I was despairing of ever doing anything effective for a particularly challenging patient, you would’ve heard me cheerily comment to someone (out of the patient’s hearing), “I think I’ll refer her to Dr. Kevorkian.” (in case you’re way younger than me, Jack Kevorkian is the retired pathologist in Michigan who spent time in jail for physician-assisted suicides) Mind you I am ALWAYS nice to patients - at least I think I am, and the feedback I get is usually pretty good - but that does not keep me from venting a bit when they’re out of my presence. If I couldn’t let off steam in that way, which for me involves a lot of somewhat snide and nasty humor, this job wouldn’t be nearly so much fun.
Sure, time off helps. But when you ARE at work, the days are long, the demands are incessant, and it’s just hard sometimes. Do hold on to your idealism and your determination to be a “good doctor,” because even when you get to be a nasty old cynic like me (after just 15 months of residency!!!) you will still be a nice person almost all of the time. But in the meantime, remember: Doctors are people first, and we actually aren’t any better than any other people out there. 
Mary
Quote:
If you had been in clinic with me on a recent day where I was despairing of ever doing anything effective for a particularly challenging patient, you would’ve heard me cheerily comment to someone (out of the patient’s hearing), “I think I’ll refer her to Dr. Kevorkian.” (in case you’re way younger than me, Jack Kevorkian is the retired pathologist in Michigan who spent time in jail for physician-assisted suicides) …
Dr. Kevorkian is still in prison. I have a friend that works as a guard in the prison where he’s at. He says that Dr. Kevorkian is not very well liked and that he acts very arrogant. Keep in mind that is someone elses thoughts, not mine! Here’s a link to his info in the Michigan prison system.
http://www.state.mi.us/mdoc/asp/otis2profile.asp?mdocNumber=284797
Doesn’t surprise me to hear that people who have actually met him think he’s arrogant - he certainly came across that way. He really got off on the idea that he was such a pioneer and it was clear that his way of “helping” people was intended to get a lot of glory for himself. He took advantage of desperate people who needed someone with compassion to HELP them and support them, and I always felt that he was mostly in it for the publicity for himself and his crusade. If you really just wanted to help people die, you could surely do it without calling 60 Minutes to come film it. 
Hope he’s enjoying prison, the jerk… [wanna know how I really feel???]
Mary