It's a long read but it's worth it, just grab a bucket of pop corn and preferably a malt drink while you read.




I met a young doctor who used to work under me recently. I
had just completed my night rounds in the hospital and I
was leaving for home.
And then I saw him. He was unkempt, exhausted and
appeared famished. Worst of all, he looked like a man who
has totally given up on being a doctor. He appeared
hesitant when I asked him what was wrong, but I could not
just leave him there.
After much persuasion and insistence on my part he agreed
to join me for a late supper. While he ravaged through his
first proper meal of the day, he finally opened up. He has
started working for the past week in a new speciality.
Though the hours are longer, it was not an issue. He was well
aware of the sacrifices he was expected to make.
However, the degradation, humiliation and constant
harassment have finally taken their toll. He was literally
chased out of the ward just minutes before he met me
because he could not remember the details of a patient he
clerked. He was not allowed to refer to his notes and had to
recite the lab results by heart like a trained poodle. The
words were abusive, hurtful and condescending. And worst
of all, it was said right in front of the patient.
He finished his meal and stood up to leave. And as he left
he said this “Please don’t worry about me. I will be fine”. I
was not convinced. The shame of being publicly humiliated
is not a stain that washes easily.
The doctor-patient relationship often takes centre stage,
but the epitome of good clinical practice depends on how
the doctors treat each other. The medical profession is
filled with fragile and vulnerable egos that often have
trouble working with each other in a genuine collaboration
of trust and mutual respect.
We complain, argue, fight and obsess for the sake of our
patients, but do we dare reflect for even an iota of
moment our actions and attitude towards our fellow
caregivers?
So what went wrong in the noblest of professions and how do
we fix it?
Stop the stereotyping of doctors
“The surgeon knows nothing and does everything. The
physician knows everything and does nothing. The
psychiatrist knows nothing and does nothing. The
pathologist knows everything, but always a week too late”.
“Surgeons are egomaniacs, anaesthesiologists are lazy,
orthopaedic surgeons are meatheads, obstetricians are
mean and brain surgeons think they are God”
There isn’t a single medical speciality that has not been
ripped apart and ridiculed.
As I continue to mature and evolve in clinical practice I
have encountered a variety of doctors. And most of them
share a common trait. They live under a grand delusion
that their speciality is the only one that matters and worth
doing. They have strong negative feelings about doctors who
have chosen a different career path and have a deep
seated urge to insult them at every opportunity they get.
This has to stop. Every facet of medicine is equally
important.
As a cardiologist I depend on the primary care physicians
to detect and refer their patients to me early for cardiac
interventions. It would be near impossible for me to screen
all the patients with coronary artery disease in the
population. I lean heavily on the cardiac surgeons for cases
not amenable to minimally invasive interventions. The
endocrinologists help us manage the difficult diabetics who
need expert fine tuning of their insulin regimes. The
emergency physicians are crucial front liners in diagnosing
acute cases and stabilizing them prior to sending them to
the cardiac care unit. The intensive care specialists help us
manage the ventilated patients and are crucial to the
running of our cardiology services.
Every single doctor provides an important aspect of patient
care which complements the work of the other. We work like
a grand complex machine where every part is imperative to
the running of sound and safe clinical practice. We are all
equally important. And that is the often forgotten
‘stereotype’.
You don’t need to criticize or challenge other doctors to
earn respect
I read an article recently where a rival oncologist told the
parents of a young patient with incurable cancer that he
could have saved her life had she been brought to him
earlier. He completely disregarded the considered opinion
made by the oncologist who actually managed the patient
from the beginning. His actions were borne without actually
consulting the managing oncologist and in that one frivolous
statement completely shattered the foundation of trust
the parents had on the treating team. This unnecessary
disagreement between doctors often compromises the best
interest of the patient.
Rival doctors often spread malicious lies about their
colleagues. I have a friend who works in an established
private centre and a rival cardiologist once told one of his
patients that “he was a far more brilliant cardiologist” and
that my friend was less experienced than he was.
Another surgeon told personal details about another doctor
to his patients including mistakes he made as an intern and
his unfortunate marital problems.
Just recently I overheard a junior doctor thrashing his
ward colleague in front of the nurse’s station. He knew I
was within earshot and yet continued to speak ill of his
colleague who happens to be a trustworthy, humble and
talented doctor.
This leads to lack of trust between doctors and dents one’s
reputation. A patient is unlikely to respect a doctor who
openly criticizes another and may feel threatened you
would do the same to them.
Bullying is not a necessary evil for training doctors
One of my mentors told me prior to my training as a
physician that one of the most important attribute I was
expected to develop was a thick skin to criticism and
condescension.
Each doctor invariably undergoes a different form of
bullying throughout a long career. It can be as subtle as
denying one the privilege of referring to a patient’s note
while presenting a case just seen barely fifteen minutes
ago amid a flurry of admission. Or it can be downright
humiliating like being called ‘stupid’ and ‘incompetent’
during morning rounds for an incorrect answer.
I have seen senior surgeons screaming at their residents
and interns during surgery for seemingly simple or
negligible errors. Every small mistake during surgery is
magnified out of proportion and a running commentary
will follow suit on how the doctor ‘does not have what it
takes to be a good surgeon’.
Physicians are often in a foul mood early in the morning if
the lab results are not available on time although the
interns would have personally delivered the blood samples
to the lab technicians. The interns will face the brunt of
their anger knowing full well they did nothing wrong.
Radiologist are often condescending when interns request
for an emergency CT scan as they are an easier target
compared to the senior consultant whose orders the interns
are carrying out.
Family physicians and general practitioners are often the
object of irate registrars and consultants who feel they
contribute nothing to proper patient care not realizing the
crucial role these primary care physicians play in screening
patients prior to sending them to tertiary care.
A paediatrician may swear at a doctor for missing an
intravenous cannulation on a preterm neonate and then
adopt a serene demeanour when facing the parents of the
child.
We often excuse doctors who are bullies because they are
‘great with patients’ and are ‘brilliant clinicians’ or ‘gifted
surgeons’. This hurts the profession more than you can
imagine.
Doctors trained in this hostile environment will foster deep
resentment towards their peers. It becomes ingrained in
their psyche. Once they get better and more confident they
will develop the same impatience that was shown to them
towards their junior doctors. And they will in turn become
the very bullies they once despised.
This never ending vicious cycle will continue and the interns
will mature into senior doctors thinking that bullying and
condescension is a necessary tool for training doctors.
Bullies are cowards. Period. There is no way we can justify
the actions of those who continuously seek ways to make the
lives of others miserable. Since bullies only respond to
strength, the medical hierarchy should start becoming much
stronger. Cultures that shun the bullies making them look
weak instead of the recipient should be fostered. This is
easier said than done as the bullies often sit at the top of
the food chain but cultures change because people are
committed and steadfast in changing them.
Good and honest communication saves lives
Newly minted doctors need proper training to become
competent and safe. They should be encouraged to ask
questions and any uncertainty regarding a patient’s
management will be cleared during the rounds. The young
doctors learn by observing the intricate process of decision
making that goes into managing a patient and in time they
will become better clinicians.
Suppose a senior registrar or a consultant barks at every
question as it is a ‘waste of his precious time’ or that ‘you
are supposed to know this’. The junior doctors will hold
back their questions or doubts for they are preoccupied with
fear of appearing incompetent or lazy. They fall into the
trap of placing emphasis on trying to save face and look
like they know what they are doing at all times rather than
admitting ignorance.
The interns will dread the clinical rounds and will only
perform the most basic of duties such as tracing the lab
results, writing the discharge summary and updating the
progress notes. They will immerse themselves in paperwork
and avoid spending time preparing for clinical rounds.
Since the interns and junior doctors are often the ones
manning the wards after clinical rounds while the
consultants and registrars are engaged in the busy clinics,
subtle deterioration in a patient’s clinical condition can go
unnoticed. The interns who lack proper clinical training to
detect such dangers or even the ones who may suspect
something wrong but hold back in apprehension out of
creating a false alarm, may not alert the senior doctors
until its too late.
The patient’s care is severely compromised and the interns
will retreat further into their shell as they will be blamed
for this unfortunate event. If the interns try to defend
themselves and argue back, they will be blackballed
throughout their career in medical practice and labelled
for insubordination.
And shame does not encourage improvement. The culture
of blame and punishment fosters more mistakes and
fatalities. Doctors do not report their errors for fear of
retribution.
And our mistakes will work its way down to affect the
patient’s lives.
The doctor-patient relationship paradigm depends closely
on the doctor-doctor relationship. Bad and damaging
cultures foster a hostile atmosphere that erodes trust,
tarnishes good communication and promotes disrespect
within the medical community. The role doctors play in
harming each other ubiquitously affects the patient’s care,
however unintentionally.
If we work in an environment where we are kind, tolerant
and respectful of each other, we will in turn be more
humane to our patients. Young doctors will be nurtured in
system that is steeped in kindness and compassion and
they in turn will become sound clinicians who resonate the
same values.
It is, as Plato once said “Be kind, for everyone you meet is
fighting a harder battle”.

this is the bane of the medical practice especially in nigeria...

emitope:
this is the bane of the medical practice especially in nigeria...

Seriously and it affects the cooperation and handling of duties, sometimes I find it hard to even read the prescriptions the doctors dish out and when u ask a fellow doctor he will castigate the issuer as an amateur and so on, there is this disunity between them.

what a noble profession. hoping to join the train soon but sometimes hearing this stuff seems most consultants r overbearing but they also passed through the same training.

hopeforcharles:
It's a long read but it's worth it, just grab a bucket of pop corn and preferably a malt drink while you read.




I met a young doctor who used to work under me recently. I
had just completed my night rounds in the hospital and I
was leaving for home.
And then I saw him. He was unkempt, exhausted and
appeared famished. Worst of all, he looked like a man who
has totally given up on being a doctor. He appeared
hesitant when I asked him what was wrong, but I could not
just leave him there.
After much persuasion and insistence on my part he agreed
to join me for a late supper. While he ravaged through his
first proper meal of the day, he finally opened up. He has
started working for the past week in a new speciality.
Though the hours are longer, it was not an issue. He was well
aware of the sacrifices he was expected to make.
However, the degradation, humiliation and constant
harassment have finally taken their toll. He was literally
chased out of the ward just minutes before he met me
because he could not remember the details of a patient he
clerked. He was not allowed to refer to his notes and had to
recite the lab results by heart like a trained poodle. The
words were abusive, hurtful and condescending. And worst
of all, it was said right in front of the patient.
He finished his meal and stood up to leave. And as he left
he said this “Please don’t worry about me. I will be fine”. I
was not convinced. The shame of being publicly humiliated
is not a stain that washes easily.
The doctor-patient relationship often takes centre stage,
but the epitome of good clinical practice depends on how
the doctors treat each other. The medical profession is
filled with fragile and vulnerable egos that often have
trouble working with each other in a genuine collaboration
of trust and mutual respect.
We complain, argue, fight and obsess for the sake of our
patients, but do we dare reflect for even an iota of
moment our actions and attitude towards our fellow
caregivers?
So what went wrong in the noblest of professions and how do
we fix it?
Stop the stereotyping of doctors
“The surgeon knows nothing and does everything. The
physician knows everything and does nothing. The
psychiatrist knows nothing and does nothing. The
pathologist knows everything, but always a week too late”.
“Surgeons are egomaniacs, anaesthesiologists are lazy,
orthopaedic surgeons are meatheads, obstetricians are
mean and brain surgeons think they are God”
There isn’t a single medical speciality that has not been
ripped apart and ridiculed.
As I continue to mature and evolve in clinical practice I
have encountered a variety of doctors. And most of them
share a common trait. They live under a grand delusion
that their speciality is the only one that matters and worth
doing. They have strong negative feelings about doctors who
have chosen a different career path and have a deep
seated urge to insult them at every opportunity they get.
This has to stop. Every facet of medicine is equally
important.
As a cardiologist I depend on the primary care physicians
to detect and refer their patients to me early for cardiac
interventions. It would be near impossible for me to screen
all the patients with coronary artery disease in the
population. I lean heavily on the cardiac surgeons for cases
not amenable to minimally invasive interventions. The
endocrinologists help us manage the difficult diabetics who
need expert fine tuning of their insulin regimes. The
emergency physicians are crucial front liners in diagnosing
acute cases and stabilizing them prior to sending them to
the cardiac care unit. The intensive care specialists help us
manage the ventilated patients and are crucial to the
running of our cardiology services.
Every single doctor provides an important aspect of patient
care which complements the work of the other. We work like
a grand complex machine where every part is imperative to
the running of sound and safe clinical practice. We are all
equally important. And that is the often forgotten
‘stereotype’.
You don’t need to criticize or challenge other doctors to
earn respect
I read an article recently where a rival oncologist told the
parents of a young patient with incurable cancer that he
could have saved her life had she been brought to him
earlier. He completely disregarded the considered opinion
made by the oncologist who actually managed the patient
from the beginning. His actions were borne without actually
consulting the managing oncologist and in that one frivolous
statement completely shattered the foundation of trust
the parents had on the treating team. This unnecessary
disagreement between doctors often compromises the best
interest of the patient.
Rival doctors often spread malicious lies about their
colleagues. I have a friend who works in an established
private centre and a rival cardiologist once told one of his
patients that “he was a far more brilliant cardiologist” and
that my friend was less experienced than he was.
Another surgeon told personal details about another doctor
to his patients including mistakes he made as an intern and
his unfortunate marital problems.
Just recently I overheard a junior doctor thrashing his
ward colleague in front of the nurse’s station. He knew I
was within earshot and yet continued to speak ill of his
colleague who happens to be a trustworthy, humble and
talented doctor.
This leads to lack of trust between doctors and dents one’s
reputation. A patient is unlikely to respect a doctor who
openly criticizes another and may feel threatened you
would do the same to them.
Bullying is not a necessary evil for training doctors
One of my mentors told me prior to my training as a
physician that one of the most important attribute I was
expected to develop was a thick skin to criticism and
condescension.
Each doctor invariably undergoes a different form of
bullying throughout a long career. It can be as subtle as
denying one the privilege of referring to a patient’s note
while presenting a case just seen barely fifteen minutes
ago amid a flurry of admission. Or it can be downright
humiliating like being called ‘stupid’ and ‘incompetent’
during morning rounds for an incorrect answer.
I have seen senior surgeons screaming at their residents
and interns during surgery for seemingly simple or
negligible errors. Every small mistake during surgery is
magnified out of proportion and a running commentary
will follow suit on how the doctor ‘does not have what it
takes to be a good surgeon’.
Physicians are often in a foul mood early in the morning if
the lab results are not available on time although the
interns would have personally delivered the blood samples
to the lab technicians. The interns will face the brunt of
their anger knowing full well they did nothing wrong.
Radiologist are often condescending when interns request
for an emergency CT scan as they are an easier target
compared to the senior consultant whose orders the interns
are carrying out.
Family physicians and general practitioners are often the
object of irate registrars and consultants who feel they
contribute nothing to proper patient care not realizing the
crucial role these primary care physicians play in screening
patients prior to sending them to tertiary care.
A paediatrician may swear at a doctor for missing an
intravenous cannulation on a preterm neonate and then
adopt a serene demeanour when facing the parents of the
child.
We often excuse doctors who are bullies because they are
‘great with patients’ and are ‘brilliant clinicians’ or ‘gifted
surgeons’. This hurts the profession more than you can
imagine.
Doctors trained in this hostile environment will foster deep
resentment towards their peers. It becomes ingrained in
their psyche. Once they get better and more confident they
will develop the same impatience that was shown to them
towards their junior doctors. And they will in turn become
the very bullies they once despised.
This never ending vicious cycle will continue and the interns
will mature into senior doctors thinking that bullying and
condescension is a necessary tool for training doctors.
Bullies are cowards. Period. There is no way we can justify
the actions of those who continuously seek ways to make the
lives of others miserable. Since bullies only respond to
strength, the medical hierarchy should start becoming much
stronger. Cultures that shun the bullies making them look
weak instead of the recipient should be fostered. This is
easier said than done as the bullies often sit at the top of
the food chain but cultures change because people are
committed and steadfast in changing them.
Good and honest communication saves lives
Newly minted doctors need proper training to become
competent and safe. They should be encouraged to ask
questions and any uncertainty regarding a patient’s
management will be cleared during the rounds. The young
doctors learn by observing the intricate process of decision
making that goes into managing a patient and in time they
will become better clinicians.
Suppose a senior registrar or a consultant barks at every
question as it is a ‘waste of his precious time’ or that ‘you
are supposed to know this’. The junior doctors will hold
back their questions or doubts for they are preoccupied with
fear of appearing incompetent or lazy. They fall into the
trap of placing emphasis on trying to save face and look
like they know what they are doing at all times rather than
admitting ignorance.
The interns will dread the clinical rounds and will only
perform the most basic of duties such as tracing the lab
results, writing the discharge summary and updating the
progress notes. They will immerse themselves in paperwork
and avoid spending time preparing for clinical rounds.
Since the interns and junior doctors are often the ones
manning the wards after clinical rounds while the
consultants and registrars are engaged in the busy clinics,
subtle deterioration in a patient’s clinical condition can go
unnoticed. The interns who lack proper clinical training to
detect such dangers or even the ones who may suspect
something wrong but hold back in apprehension out of
creating a false alarm, may not alert the senior doctors
until its too late.
The patient’s care is severely compromised and the interns
will retreat further into their shell as they will be blamed
for this unfortunate event. If the interns try to defend
themselves and argue back, they will be blackballed
throughout their career in medical practice and labelled
for insubordination.
And shame does not encourage improvement. The culture
of blame and punishment fosters more mistakes and
fatalities. Doctors do not report their errors for fear of
retribution.
And our mistakes will work its way down to affect the
patient’s lives.
The doctor-patient relationship paradigm depends closely
on the doctor-doctor relationship. Bad and damaging
cultures foster a hostile atmosphere that erodes trust,
tarnishes good communication and promotes disrespect
within the medical community. The role doctors play in
harming each other ubiquitously affects the patient’s care,
however unintentionally.
If we work in an environment where we are kind, tolerant
and respectful of each other, we will in turn be more
humane to our patients. Young doctors will be nurtured in
system that is steeped in kindness and compassion and
they in turn will become sound clinicians
who resonate the
same values.
It is, as Plato once said “Be kind, for everyone you meet is
fighting a harder battle”.

please sir do you practise here in Nigerian?

Danyl:


please sir do you practise here in Nigerian?

Yeah as a pharmacist.

hopeforcharles:

Yeah as a pharmacist.

really?

Dadsonval:
really?

U sound surprised. Why?

hopeforcharles:

U sound surprised. Why?

nothing, i thought u are a cardiologist. There is a forum for pharm

Dadsonval:
nothing, i thought u are a cardiologist. There is a forum for pharm

I am not a cardiologist, But a pharmacist Which forum are u talking about. Here in Nl or where

hopeforcharles:

I am not a cardiologist,
But a pharmacist
Which forum are u talking about. Here in Nl or where

Health/ Ask The Pharmacist (If you have any questions,(FEEL FREE TO ASK ME)

Dadsonval:

nothing, i thought u are a cardiologist. There is a forum for pharm

You know what, cardiologist

Dadsonval:

nothing, i thought u are a cardiologist. There is a forum for pharm

You know what, cardiologist Then I got thinkin


Did i capture or took your heart away? Lol