Physicians by Ted Bacharach MD (retired)
Not too many years ago the attraction of medicine as a profession was tremendous. There continues to be considerable attraction but compared to the past it has shrunk considerably. The reason for this is not entirely clear although the image of the physician as depicted pictorially tends to reflect how the medical profession is viewed. Once upon a time the physician pictured holding his bag on his away to see a patient portrayed the physician as an independent professional as did the picture of a concerned physician sitting at a bedside attending a patient. This image has generally been replaced by a professional who is part of an organization with a specific function, dressed in appropriate “scrubs” and not one of the people who make any major decisions.
Agreed, but what does what we wear have to do with the way a doctor is envisioned compared to the good ol’ days? Scrubs are washed daily. White coats were washed once or twice a year, if you’re lucky. Ties? Never.
That’s why I like to think of hospitals as “health care factories.”
I am old enough that this brought a small tear to my eye. I am not unhappy my children, all with or enrolled for advanced degrees, chose other professional fields.