Stop expecting doctors to be robots
You know something that really annoys me? Iâve seen it a fair bit, when non-medical friends, or just people I know/online say things like:
âMy doctor actually googled something when I was in the room with her, how unprofessional!!â
âMy doctor was about to prescribe me something, but before he did he said he had to check in his book for what to give?? Seems pretty incompetent.â
Like, what other careers do we hold to this ridiculous standard of having to remember absolutely everything off the top of their head? Especially in a field where there is A) a ridiculous amount to remember and B) things evolve quickly and change every single damn year.Â
Would you think a scientist is not up to scratch if they have to consult some diagrams/reference charts while conducting an experiment? Would you sack your lawyer if they wanted to read up on a specific law for the case? Is a barista useless for checking the recipe for a less-ordered drink? Doctors arenât robots, and I wish people would realise it is pretty much impossible to remember every single guideline, obscure symptom, and drug dose for every condition. Especially the drugs - weâre literally allowed our BNFs (drug books) in our exams because hun, nobody got time for memorising all that.
Seriously, doctors have the knowledge to piece things together and ask the right questions, that doesnât mean they have to remember everything - many things are fine to look up. As long as the doctor knows they exist it doesnât mean theyâre incompetent! Surely double-checking can only be a good thing.
(Disclaimer - I know that people probably donât mean any harm by saying it, and wonât realise how much of a high expectation it is. So Iâm not hating. But I just find it annoying lol)
Honestly Iâm struggling not to forget everything I know and Iâm just a third year, if I were expected to have every single thing there is to know about medicine in my fingertips as a practicing doctor Iâd probably spontaneously combust đ
Like fam⊠I would trust my doctor MORE if they consulted CMDT or Medscape or UpToDate before prescribing me a medicine⊠that honestly shows me they wonât pretend to be an almighty hand of life or death, and that theyâre not playing around with my healthâŠâŠ
Exactly! Iâd definitely prefer a doctor who checks UpToDate in front of me, rather than an old-school doctor who confidently, but wrongly uses guidelines that s/he learnt years and years ago.
đđđđđTHISSSSS!!!





















