Which type of medical Doctor would you rather work on you?

Joemonkey

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Mar 3, 2001
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So, would you rather have a Doctor motivated by money or by the drive of the job itself operating on you?
 

Joemonkey

Diamond Member
Mar 3, 2001
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Honestly I believe there are benefits to both, the one motivated to only be a great doctor regardless of pay would be quite passionate about treating your symptoms just to feel good about themselves, whereas the one motivated by money would be quite passionate about treating you in order to get a promotion/patent/published/etc.

If all doctors made a max of $50,000 a year, how many people do you think would go to med school? Apparently there are lots of folks passionate about teaching... think the same would happen w/ doctors?
 

MrChad

Lifer
Aug 22, 2001
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There are many fields where you can make as much or more than a doctor without the years and years of training required and the stress and enormous responsibility of holding someone's life in your hands. I would venture to guess that most, if not all, doctors who are willing to take on those responsibilities do so because they are passionate about what they do, not because they want to earn 6 figures.

Placing an artificial cap on doctor's salaries would create a huge shortage of doctors and create higher turnover in the field. Your comparison to teaching is flawed; the teaching demographic of many school districts now consists of older teachers nearing retirement waiting for their pensions and young teachers who burn out after a few years or move to another industry to make more money. Would you want a similar situation for health care?
 

OrganizedChaos

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Apr 21, 2002
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i would assume the one motivated by the money would try harder not to get hit with a malpractice suit.
 

Joemonkey

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Mar 3, 2001
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Originally posted by: OrganizedChaos
i would assume the one motivated by the money would try harder not to get hit with a malpractice suit.

I think they both would do that about the same. Money Doc = no more money, Drive Doc = no more Doctoring.

what about trying out new unproven treatments? the ones motivated by money would do it as soon as they can for the recognition, fame, and published articles while the ones motivated by wanting to heal people would use it as a last resort?
 

RadiclDreamer

Diamond Member
Aug 8, 2004
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Originally posted by: Joemonkey
Honestly I believe there are benefits to both, the one motivated to only be a great doctor regardless of pay would be quite passionate about treating your symptoms just to feel good about themselves, whereas the one motivated by money would be quite passionate about treating you in order to get a promotion/patent/published/etc.

If all doctors made a max of $50,000 a year, how many people do you think would go to med school? Apparently there are lots of folks passionate about teaching... think the same would happen w/ doctors?

But there is already a shortage of doctors
 

Homerboy

Lifer
Mar 1, 2000
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Passion no question.
Passion they are looking for a fix for you.
If money is there game they will want me as a returning customer.
Same reason I don't look for a mechanic (or any trade) motivated by money.

As far as the post about doctors making a max of $50K, I personally know lots and LOTS of doctors and medical students (I play basketball with people from the medical college here weekly) that are drvien by nothing more than the passion to be a doctor. Sure they enjoy the money...actually most dont as they are so far in debt from school or the normal pay as an early graduate that they don't have $$, but they wanted and WANT to be a doctor first and foremost to help people.

Ask ANY pediatrician.... they get paid the worst, have the worst hours and arguably the worst patients why they do it.
Now anesthesiologist? (woohoo! Spelled right on the first crack!)... thats a different story. :)



 

markgm

Diamond Member
Aug 23, 2001
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I go to the one who is both. My dentist is obsessed with making everything perfect, though he charges for it. I like to save money but don't like to skimp on my health. I'm satisfied and he is too.