How would you describe a competent, good doctor?

Question

Should a good doctor be old? Are there doctors who practice with passion and not for paycheck? Or are them all passioned?
Ask one or several of my questions.Thx

Answer 1

Age is just a number..as long as they are mentally competent (no senility) to do their job.
There ARE a few docs that practice becuase they care for humanity. But most are in for the money and prestige.

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

If you are looking for a good doctor ask your friends. If you want a great doctor...ask a nurse. I work in the ER but needed surgery. I don't have a lot of contact with surgeons (thank God) so I called the nurses (not in the OR but the recovery room). They see the patients as they come out of anesthesia and how well they do (this way you handpick your anesthesiologist) No pain or puking after surgery is very important! The other BEST resource is the ICU nurse. They are so specialized they can tell you who to stay away from and who to trust. They see bad outcomes from surgeries, poor management of medical patients, and typically know more than the doctors do......There is a very old, very good book called "Doctors Don't Keep You Alive...I Do"....written by a nurse of course. A good, competent doctor should LISTEN to you. He must be board certified and you should always 'interview' him to get to know each other prior to making a decision.
As far as the paycheck goes....well the sad fact is, most of them need it. Malpractice premiums are at an all time high and unless they are work-a-holics (not someone I want taking care of me) then they aren't making as much as ppl assume.

Answer 4

My oncologist is what I can consider a great doc. I have been with him for three years. He definatly has passion. He has always been honest and upfront with me about everything regarding my condition, including the negatives, but encouraging at the same time. The one time I was really in trouble and almost died (I was in ICU for 2.5 weeks sedated on a ventalator) he saw me daily, and apparently some days more than once. He is an excellent doc in diagnosing problems that I have had. He helped me get set up with my public insurance when I was first diagnosed. Sadly he is leaving the hosp soon to do research. But he is excellent. He actually cares about his patients, but not so much that he gets too attached to do his job.

My other oncologist is a good doc as well, as far as diagnostics and treatment and knowing what he is doing. But he has crappy bedside manners. He was in the military for a while, which is where he got most of his training, and he is just very rigid sometimes. But, he has always been good at his job.

I dont think age has any bearing, although some new docs can be a bit cocky. A good quality is to listen to the patient. There was one hosp stay I had that the residents I was dealing with didnt want to listen to anything I said. The end result was they threw me into a panic attack with the needles of doing a lumbar puncture and I puked on one of them. They listened to me after that.

Answer 5

A good doctor has nothing to do with age. You probably want somebody who is younger,(so they will understand you), but not too young(otherwise they may just be starting out.) A doctor who practices just for a paycheck is not a good doctor-a doctor needs to want to help you.