How should doctors be employed?
BMJ 2016; 355 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.i5394 (Published 06 October 2016) Cite this as: BMJ 2016;355:i5394
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It is true that future doctors should be chosen for their motivation to care, and that financial motives are contradictory to the medical vocation. McCartney is also right though, that doctors spend a lot in their effort to train, and even to be able to continue to practise, and that should be
Another important quality that doctors should maintain also revolves around care - care about their colleagues' welfare. "Sharing is caring". It is not uncommon these days for GP locums to only accept sessions with no visits, or for salaried doctors to set their own terms, such as refusing to do medical reports or extended hours. Flexibility is valuable, but adequate consideration of colleagues is also needed.
With regards the motives of non-GP employers, though we must not be naive to all GPs being ideal employers, health care seems to be turning into "health scare".
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Physician, heal thyself and thy profession
Physicians who reflexively blame themselves or their patients for poor clinical outcomes are overlooking other possibilities. While it is true that some physicians make mistakes and that some patients don’t cooperate, it is equally true that healthcare is imperfect, and that some modalities simply don’t work. This is why physicians don’t enjoy better health than their patients. So disappointed or disaffected physicians and patients should learn to question the underlying assumptions and science of healthcare.
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