SO; YOU WANT TO BE A DOCTOR?
READ THIS FIRST
“Half of physicians are disengaged, burned out, and demoralized and plan to either retire, cut back on work hours, or seek non-clinical roles, according to a new nationwide survey commissioned by The Physicians Foundation”.From the 9/25/2016 issue of MedPage Today (Half of Physicians Demoralized, Dissatisfied Survey: Job Dissatisfaction Rampant in Medicine)
Earlier this week, the Physicians Foundation published their ANNUAL SURVEY — this one of a cross-section of over 17,000 doctors from around the country. In light of what we know about the ways that big government is intruding on the rest of society, the results should not shock you as much as they probably will. According to this study, only one quarter of practicing physicians think that electronic records improve practice efficiency, while over double that many think just the opposite (only 6% see ICD-10 as improving efficiency). And on top of the fact that 80% of surveyed physicians believe they are overextended to the point they could not see another patient, they are spending over 20% of their time on non-clinical paperwork.
Add the amount of non-clinical paperwork to the mountains of clinical paperwork they must do, and we recently learned that in an average workday, doctors are spending over twice as much time doing paperwork as they are spending with patients (HERE). What is the result of this burgeoning medical bureaucracy? Plainly stated, the at least half of American doctors hate their jobs. If you think I’m overstating my case, look at the results of the survey.
Almost 2/3 of those polled are pessimistic about the future of their profession, with well over half looking to either retire or bail and do something else (work for the insurance industry, work for BIG PHARMA, become a professor, become a “consultant,” etc, etc). So; before you complain about your job, just be glad you didn’t sign up for the 4 years of college, 4 years of medical school, 3 to 5 years of residency, and the numerous board certification exams it takes to become a physician, just to dread going to work each day. But let’s discuss the bigger picture here as it pertains to you the patient; the one who is going to the doctor because you are struggling with CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASES, AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES, and / or CHRONIC PAIN.
Do you really want to go to another doctor who is not only “burned out, depressed, and demoralized” — a doctor who is going to do the same thing(s) all the previous doctors did — more TESTS, more IMAGING, and more DRUGS? For Pete’s sake people, your doctor’s never even taken two minutes to talk with you about the healing benefits of an anti-inflammatory diet (HERE)! They can’t. As you’ve just seen, even if they wanted, they simply don’t have the time. They are being buried in red tape and paper work (not to mention “EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE“).
What does this mean for you, the patient? It means that ultimately your health is up to you. But then again, it always has been. Whether you are OVERWEIGHT or have FIBROMYALGIA, THYROID PROBLEMS, RA, INFLAMMATORY BOWEL ISSUES, DIABETES, A LEAKY GUT, or are not even sure what the heck you have (HERE), my site will at least get you thinking out of the box and point you in a direction that will actually help INSTEAD OF HARM. To see what I’m talking about, simply CLICK THE LINK.
