What’s Plaguing Our Doctors?
It’s easy to forget that physicians are people too — insecurities and imperfections included
Everybody goes to the doctor from time to time. For some, visits are a frequent occurrence, while for others they are mercifully rare. However often we seek medical advice or need treatment, most of us, quite naturally, tend to be preoccupied with our own concerns and make all sorts of assumptions about the doctor who is listening to us, taking our medical history, or cutting into us during an operation. If we think of them at all.
We take it on trust that the doctor is up to the task and doesn’t feel tired or overwhelmed. We rarely consider whether the doctor is terrified of accidentally hurting us. We tend not to worry whether they are bright enough for the job — after all, they will have trained for years and passed countless exams to get through medical school and beyond. We don’t wonder if the doctor likes patients at all, finds them disgusting, or resents the responsibility inherent in patient care. Instead we imagine that doctors enjoy their work and find it satisfying to treat patients like us.
Over the past 20 years, working with doctors as a vocational psychologist, I have seen and heard things that are hidden from patients. In my first job, I shadowed hospital consultants…
