I asked three people the following question:
"What two medical specialties do you think are the most respected in the US?"
All three answered the same, and in the same order: 1) neurosurgery and 2) cardiothoracic surgery.
What are the most respected kinds of doctors in Japan? What do most people in the public think about doctors? Has the image of doctors changed in recent years?
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I was talking with a friend of mine who is Japanese and who happens to be a neurosurgeon. She said that when people find out that she is a neurosurgeon, people say, "Oh, that must be a hard job." I told her that I was surprised, since neurosurgeons have a lot of prestige in America. There is even a phrase, "It's not brain surgery" that means, "it seems hard, but it really isn't that hard." (http://
I also know that the public opinion of doctors has declined in America in recent years. Doctors used to be put up on a pedistal. There is much less prestige associated with being a doctor than in the past.
I'd like to know the similarities and differences between how people in Japan and people in the US see doctors.
"What two medical specialties do you think are the most respected in the US?"
All three answered the same, and in the same order: 1) neurosurgery and 2) cardiothoracic surgery.
What are the most respected kinds of doctors in Japan? What do most people in the public think about doctors? Has the image of doctors changed in recent years?
--
(more below)
I was talking with a friend of mine who is Japanese and who happens to be a neurosurgeon. She said that when people find out that she is a neurosurgeon, people say, "Oh, that must be a hard job." I told her that I was surprised, since neurosurgeons have a lot of prestige in America. There is even a phrase, "It's not brain surgery" that means, "it seems hard, but it really isn't that hard." (http://
I also know that the public opinion of doctors has declined in America in recent years. Doctors used to be put up on a pedistal. There is much less prestige associated with being a doctor than in the past.
I'd like to know the similarities and differences between how people in Japan and people in the US see doctors.
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コメント(18)
When a doctor is not questioned about his reasons for doing things a certain way it leads to problems. Just recently in Japan have doctors started to explain procedures in detail to patients. Malpractice is very common here. Last week a guy performed bypass surgery on a person and later that person died. They later found out that the doctor? had never performed that operation before. He did go to a clinic in the states but never participated in any surgeries. He lead the hospital here to believe he had been through extensive training. They didnt question him or check with his references until after the patient he operated on died. I personally make sure any doctor I visit is legit.
>>I don't understand why you were surprised when someone told your friend that being a neurosurgeon is a "hard job" It seems to me that operating on a person's brain would, indeed, be a difficult thing to do.
Hey, Jen. Thanks for the comments. I was surprised because I think in America most people would say, "Oh, wow! You're a neurosurgeon?!!" I know one neurosurgeon who says that he avoids telling people what kind of doctor he is because he gets sick of that kind of reaction - people thinking he must be smart, rich, and have such a glitzy job.
My friend said that people in Japan think it is difficult as in "taihen", but the other things don't go along with it in Japan.
Hey, Jen. Thanks for the comments. I was surprised because I think in America most people would say, "Oh, wow! You're a neurosurgeon?!!" I know one neurosurgeon who says that he avoids telling people what kind of doctor he is because he gets sick of that kind of reaction - people thinking he must be smart, rich, and have such a glitzy job.
My friend said that people in Japan think it is difficult as in "taihen", but the other things don't go along with it in Japan.
I was talking with two Japanese friends today and they both agreed that there is a perception by the public that doctors do needless procedures just to make more money. Do you agree with this?
One of them said that doctors (internists - naika) have been known to be lewd. Specifically, he said that they do examinations of the private parts of women even when they don't need to be examined. The other one said he had never heard of that. Do you think there is a perception that doctors do such things?
I don't know how many American doctors are that way, but I have met one. He was an ER physician in San Diego. He didn't do unecessary examinations, but he did tend to take a lot of time with young girls who were pretty. And I know that he did one time do a pretty thorough physical exam on a pretty young woman. I don't think this is too common, as I've never heard that a lot of people worry about their doctor being that way. It seems more like there are some people who are a bit nasty, and some of them happen to be doctors. I'm sure that they are found in every profession.
One of them said that doctors (internists - naika) have been known to be lewd. Specifically, he said that they do examinations of the private parts of women even when they don't need to be examined. The other one said he had never heard of that. Do you think there is a perception that doctors do such things?
I don't know how many American doctors are that way, but I have met one. He was an ER physician in San Diego. He didn't do unecessary examinations, but he did tend to take a lot of time with young girls who were pretty. And I know that he did one time do a pretty thorough physical exam on a pretty young woman. I don't think this is too common, as I've never heard that a lot of people worry about their doctor being that way. It seems more like there are some people who are a bit nasty, and some of them happen to be doctors. I'm sure that they are found in every profession.
>>I used to hate doctors because they are so stuck up and dirty with money and women. Japanese doctors accept cash several thousands yen to millions yen for operating a surgery.
So it sounds like some associations with doctors might be:
1) Conceited, stuck up, think they are all that, etc.
2) Underhanded, greedy, shady, deceitful, etc.
3) Busy, tired, etc.
4) Authority figure, unquestionable, respected, etc.
5) No common sense, no street smarts, etc.
Do you agree that these perceptions are perceptions shared by a lot of people? Anything you'd add or subtract?
Is there any perception in Japan that different specialties within medicine is associated with a different amount of prestige, for example that it is more prestigious to be a brain surgeon than a pediatrician?
So it sounds like some associations with doctors might be:
1) Conceited, stuck up, think they are all that, etc.
2) Underhanded, greedy, shady, deceitful, etc.
3) Busy, tired, etc.
4) Authority figure, unquestionable, respected, etc.
5) No common sense, no street smarts, etc.
Do you agree that these perceptions are perceptions shared by a lot of people? Anything you'd add or subtract?
Is there any perception in Japan that different specialties within medicine is associated with a different amount of prestige, for example that it is more prestigious to be a brain surgeon than a pediatrician?
I read part of Team Medical Dragon. Very interesting. It must be an exageration, though, right? Do a lot of people really think that doctors are so selfish and just looking out for their own promotion? I ordered the DVD from Ebay so that I can also watch the drama. I'll have to check out Shiroi Kyoto and Say Hello to Black Jack, too. I'd never heard of the word Doc-Hara before. Thanks for your comments.
If you really wants to know the REAL problems medical doctors in Japan are now facing, I would suggest you to read books like "Collapsing medical care (http://mixi.jp/view_item.pl?id=491466)" and "Does Japan's medicine have a future? (http://mixi.jp/view_item.pl?id=356661)". I'm sure these books will tell you a lot.
酢七面鳥： Summarizing the 300 pages book into several paragraphs is not easy for me. Making it very short, Japan's doctors have begun to leave general hospitals because they are exhausted with, discouraged with and demoralized by their ever-worsening working conditions, which are caused by repeated cuts of medical-care fees and expenses by the government and unreasonable demand for success and safety of medical treatments even for most complicated cases and undeserved criticism from the media and public. It may be difficult to see those horrible things from outside of medical institutions.
Whilst I can see how doctors feel aggrieved at the harsh criticism they have begun to receive, they are not blameless. There have been so many cases where doctors and hospitals have been found to have been lying and destroying evidence to cover their own asses.
Times change, and people have to change with the times. People expect doctors to explain procedures, including alternatives and risks, and this is something they as a group have been too slow in adapting to. One of the main reasons for the gulf between perceptions of doctors and the public is the doctors' failure to explain their actions and be accountable for that.
The medical profession, especially in the public/educational sector, is a tough place to be - this is basically the same the world over. If doctors entered the profession with the wrong expectations (as so many young doctors apparently do - and quit or elect to specialize in what they think is a relatively easy specialization, like dermatology or opthalmology), they have only themselves to blame.
There is also what appears to be selective comparison of data when Japanese doctors' plights are discussed. They compare the compensation of Japanese public/quasi-public sector doctors with what appears to be an average compensation for doctors in the US, which firstly is not nearly representative of the world as a whole, and ignores the differences in compensation between the few public sector medical workers and private practice, whilst also ignoring the differences in the structure of the medical services (and the problems of the US healthcare system).
Practices such as slipping doctors a monetary gift are still very common, and I bet doctors don't put this income on their tax returns. I have seen my relatives discussing whether (or rather how much) to give to a doctor who was in charge of a sick relative. Doctors being asked to make (or organise) monetary contributions to the hospital in return for a promotion also still occurs. My uncle left the hospital he had worked in for about 30 years rather than pay for a promotion (and we aren't talking about small amounts of money, obviously). The latter situation illustrates what it takes in some larger hospital organisations to get ahead. Hospitals are as much hotbeds of politics and nepotism and academic cliques and such things which are a factor of large bureaucratic organisations.
Make no mistake, doctors (especially the ones at the bottom of the organisation) are facing a tougher time. But it is all relative. There have always been good doctors, and bad ones. People are just beginning to question authority more, and this is not just doctors but teachers, lawyers and other professions which used to equate to a high social status.
The problems of the healthcare system and the wasteful use of taxpayers' money it proactively encourages is a different but not unrealted issue.
Maybe doctors should look at the people at the top of their organisations, and ask if they really deserve the compensation they get. Because make no doubt, there are plenty of people making good (or even outrageous amounts of) money from the hospital business.
Times change, and people have to change with the times. People expect doctors to explain procedures, including alternatives and risks, and this is something they as a group have been too slow in adapting to. One of the main reasons for the gulf between perceptions of doctors and the public is the doctors' failure to explain their actions and be accountable for that.
The medical profession, especially in the public/educational sector, is a tough place to be - this is basically the same the world over. If doctors entered the profession with the wrong expectations (as so many young doctors apparently do - and quit or elect to specialize in what they think is a relatively easy specialization, like dermatology or opthalmology), they have only themselves to blame.
There is also what appears to be selective comparison of data when Japanese doctors' plights are discussed. They compare the compensation of Japanese public/quasi-public sector doctors with what appears to be an average compensation for doctors in the US, which firstly is not nearly representative of the world as a whole, and ignores the differences in compensation between the few public sector medical workers and private practice, whilst also ignoring the differences in the structure of the medical services (and the problems of the US healthcare system).
Practices such as slipping doctors a monetary gift are still very common, and I bet doctors don't put this income on their tax returns. I have seen my relatives discussing whether (or rather how much) to give to a doctor who was in charge of a sick relative. Doctors being asked to make (or organise) monetary contributions to the hospital in return for a promotion also still occurs. My uncle left the hospital he had worked in for about 30 years rather than pay for a promotion (and we aren't talking about small amounts of money, obviously). The latter situation illustrates what it takes in some larger hospital organisations to get ahead. Hospitals are as much hotbeds of politics and nepotism and academic cliques and such things which are a factor of large bureaucratic organisations.
Make no mistake, doctors (especially the ones at the bottom of the organisation) are facing a tougher time. But it is all relative. There have always been good doctors, and bad ones. People are just beginning to question authority more, and this is not just doctors but teachers, lawyers and other professions which used to equate to a high social status.
The problems of the healthcare system and the wasteful use of taxpayers' money it proactively encourages is a different but not unrealted issue.
Maybe doctors should look at the people at the top of their organisations, and ask if they really deserve the compensation they get. Because make no doubt, there are plenty of people making good (or even outrageous amounts of) money from the hospital business.
I am a big fun of these comic books mentioned above, but it is fiction, and the reality is not the same way.
Having worked with medical doctors, I must say there are some really good doctors who are ethical, skilled, and kind-hearted. But there are more of those who are just not matured enough to be respected. I have seen doctors who got really angry because a patients ask permission to seek second opinions from other doctors, or because a patient make inquiries about his symptoms. Forget about informed consent. Many doctors are too lazy or too incapable to do that. Doctors in Japan are generally very paternalistic, and general public has let them behave like that for long long time.
>Medical malpractice suits are almost nonexistant, giving physicians a lot of power.
It depends on what kind of doctor you are.
Medical malpractice suits against obstetricians are more frequent than other kinds.
Having worked with medical doctors, I must say there are some really good doctors who are ethical, skilled, and kind-hearted. But there are more of those who are just not matured enough to be respected. I have seen doctors who got really angry because a patients ask permission to seek second opinions from other doctors, or because a patient make inquiries about his symptoms. Forget about informed consent. Many doctors are too lazy or too incapable to do that. Doctors in Japan are generally very paternalistic, and general public has let them behave like that for long long time.
>Medical malpractice suits are almost nonexistant, giving physicians a lot of power.
It depends on what kind of doctor you are.
Medical malpractice suits against obstetricians are more frequent than other kinds.
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