Becoming a popular doctor: What is in it for you?
Most human beings strive to become popular. It is a way to get attention in this world. But should a doctor strive to be popular amongst his patients ? Why?
But why doctors are usually arrogant and have poor bedside manners? Do Doctors not care about the impression they make? I have developed a hypothesis on that. When people get sick, they become very vulnerable. Even though they may hate going to the doctors, they may hate needles and MRIs and tongue depressors, they will still come running to the doctors to get better. After all the survival instinct is the strongest of all instincts. On the other hand, as we physicians pass through the rigourous hard labor of medical school and residency, we become less sensitive. Remember how a cadaver in the first year of medical school sent shivers down your spine, and yet now you hardly pause after a code blue.
So here you have a situation where people need a doctor, no matter how they behave to them. And as more patients tolerate such behavior, the physicians become more arrogant and abrupt. Now I am not saying all of us are like that, but lets admit it we all know someone who is.
Why should physicians be polite and project good bed side manners? Here are seven reasons why?:
1) Customers love Customer Service: Patients put a lot of emphasis on a good bed side manners.
2) Patients will respect their doctor, if the doctor respects them.
3) If the doctor is popular among his patients, he doesn’t need even a single penny in advertising cost. They will happily do all the boasting for him.
4) If something goes wrong, the arrogant MD is most likely to get sued.
5) Just like good reputation brings more patients to the medical practice, a bad reputation will stop others from coming.
6) If you are nice to someone when they are sick and down, they will become fiercly loyal to you.
7) One act of rudeness wil wipe out all the goodwill generated by a good treatment.
Next series of post will discuss how to become a popular doctor.
One Response to “Becoming a popular doctor: What is in it for you?”
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I have met a guy who change the job from a new born intensive care RN to home depot employee.The reason he gave to me was he did not care anything any longer. Then I asked him what do you mean?. He said he has been working so long in the field(NICU) that he does not feel a thing when he was doing his job, that include resuscitate a newborn, fail, wrap up the dead infant and send to morgue. It did not pause him from his routine. Then one day he noticed that he did not feel sad for the deaths of his friend’s wife, uncle and few relatives. He realized himself he has become very insensitive and so he took drastic action of changing the job.
I like this article pointing out what we are missing on our typical busy doctors life. We should remain professional, at the same time, we have to remain humane and sensitive to other’s life changing events.
I found that the most popular doctors are not necessarily smartest but they are very caring and sensitive to their patient needs.
They listen and answer when somebody has to say something.
:)