State of the healthcare system in America: Let's discuss why it's failing

Kate Collins67 said:Personally, I’m actually looking forward to the reform. Change is usually a good thing because it shakes up those untouchable positions for a bit—making the system more flexible before someone else comes along to cement their power again.

Honestly? If I had been some clairvoyant version of Milan and knew what was coming my way, I wouldn't be in this profession. But hey, like I said, I am where I am—you can't exactly crawl out of your own skin, can you?

You can talk all you want, but even a complete loser finds themselves useful when they're the only ones who can save someone's neck (philosophy versus reality, huh...)?

I'm not "clinging" to arguments; I'm just stating the facts, whether they're easy to swallow or not. I see things for what they are. And how would you know that other doctors don't do these things? I can tell you from firsthand experience: it happens way more often than people care to admit.

So you're actually claiming that most people are like that?! Well, isn't that just wonderful!😍

In that case, I’m actually looking forward to Milinović's reform with genuine excitement. Honestly, I can only hope it crushes you even harder than you already feel oppressed.👍

I can't stand incompetent doctors. I dealt with exactly that kind of garbage when my mom was battling glioblastoma. We didn't stick around with that hack; we jumped ship to a specialist who might not have had his flashy credentials, but she actually gave a damn. She did everything humanly possible for my mother—more than that first jerk ever would have—simply because she actually cared about her patient. That was easily the smartest move we ever made. Given the diagnosis, survival was pegged at three years and four months, and I owe that entire outcome to an oncology team that was actually prepared to handle palliative care. Because of her, my mom passed away peacefully without any physical suffering. If we had stayed with that first doctor, he would have just let her die like a dog within six months.
That’s exactly the difference between some arrogant "expert" who thinks they're God's gift to medicine and a doctor who actually gives a damn about doing their job.😳

Kate Collins67 said:Alright, here’s a bit of good news for everyone—maybe we can finally put our weapons down for a second and just breathe.

If my info is right, the very first official hospice in Split is actually about to open its doors.

Can you drop the link to that news story?

Angela Wright said:So you're actually claiming that most people are like that?! Well, isn't that just wonderful!😍

In that case, I’m actually looking forward to Milinović's reform with genuine excitement. Honestly, I can only hope it crushes you even harder than you already feel oppressed.👍

I can't stand incompetent doctors. I dealt with exactly that kind of garbage when my mom was battling glioblastoma. We didn't stick around with that hack; we jumped ship to a specialist who might not have had his flashy credentials, but she actually gave a damn. She did everything humanly possible for my mother—more than that first jerk ever would have—simply because she actually cared about her patient. That was easily the smartest move we ever made. Given the diagnosis, survival was pegged at three years and four months, and I owe that entire outcome to an oncology team that was actually prepared to handle palliative care. Because of her, my mom passed away peacefully without any physical suffering. If we had stayed with that first doctor, he would have just let her die like a dog within six months.
That’s exactly the difference between some arrogant "expert" who thinks they're God's gift to medicine and a doctor who actually gives a damn about doing their job.😳

Can you drop the link to that news story?

Look, Milinović’s hands are tied here—there's just no way around it. He can't exactly go in there and crack down on the doctors at the Medical Center because, let's be honest, if he tried to hold them accountable, those administrators would just move heaven and earth to protect their own jobs. It's all about job security for the higher-ups. And as we get closer to integrating more deeply with the European Union, this whole issue is going to become completely irrelevant. The suppression of actual accountability is going to trigger a massive brain drain, just like we've seen happening in so many other countries. So, when everyone walks out the door, who's left to take care of you? You're the ones who made this choice.🙂

Here’s the deal—I managed to get my hands on a link to this news via a phone tip right after the meeting wrapped up. It sounds like they’ve already reached an agreement on the funding cuts, though I haven't quite figured out which level of government they dropped the hammer on—was it the federal level, the state, or just local city officials? Honestly, it’s all a bit murky. Either way, nothing has been officially posted online yet, so consider this the inside track before the formal announcement hits the wires.

Angela Wright said:So you're actually claiming that most people are like that?! Well, isn't that just wonderful!😍

In that case, I’m actually looking forward to Milinović's reform with genuine excitement. Honestly, I can only hope it crushes you even harder than you already feel oppressed.👍

I can't stand incompetent doctors. I dealt with exactly that kind of garbage when my mom was battling glioblastoma. We didn't stick around with that hack; we jumped ship to a specialist who might not have had his flashy credentials, but she actually gave a damn. She did everything humanly possible for my mother—more than that first jerk ever would have—simply because she actually cared about her patient. That was easily the smartest move we ever made. Given the diagnosis, survival was pegged at three years and four months, and I owe that entire outcome to an oncology team that was actually prepared to handle palliative care. Because of her, my mom passed away peacefully without any physical suffering. If we had stayed with that first doctor, he would have just let her die like a dog within six months.
That’s exactly the difference between some arrogant "expert" who thinks they're God's gift to medicine and a doctor who actually gives a damn about doing their job.😳

Can you drop the link to that news story?

I’m not making any claims, I’m just stating exactly what I see happening.
Look, you can have the exact same doctor—one day they’re perfectly kind, totally normal, and patients absolutely love them—and then the next day, they just wake up on the wrong side of the bed, snap at a couple of patients, and suddenly—boom—their reputation is ruined. But let's be real here, look in the mirror for a second: have you ever, even once, acted unprofessionally while you were on the clock?

Kate Collins67 said:Look, Milinović’s hands are tied here—there's just no way around it. He can't exactly go in there and crack down on the doctors at the Medical Center because, let's be honest, if he tried to hold them accountable, those administrators would just move heaven and earth to protect their own jobs. It's all about job security for the higher-ups. And as we get closer to integrating more deeply with the European Union, this whole issue is going to become completely irrelevant. The suppression of actual accountability is going to trigger a massive brain drain, just like we've seen happening in so many other countries. So, when everyone walks out the door, who's left to take care of you? You're the ones who made this choice.🙂

Here’s the deal—I managed to get my hands on a link to this news via a phone tip right after the meeting wrapped up. It sounds like they’ve already reached an agreement on the funding cuts, though I haven't quite figured out which level of government they dropped the hammer on—was it the federal level, the state, or just local city officials? Honestly, it’s all a bit murky. Either way, nothing has been officially posted online yet, so consider this the inside track before the formal announcement hits the wires.

Look, you’re living in a country where Medicare basically treats doctors like indentured servants. They micromanage every single move, and if a physician actually decides to prescribe medication based on their own medical expertise and conscience rather than some top-down directive from the bureaucrats, they get slapped with pay cuts. And don't even get me started on the administration—most of these people running the show haven't spent a single day working actual clinical practice. It's a joke. But hey, sure, keep telling yourself everything is fine.🙂
And here’s my take on the European Union...😁No comment.😁

The link leads to a tip I got over the phone right after the meeting. From what I gathered, they’ve agreed to move forward—unless the government, the county, or the local city council decides to throw a wrench in the works. Honestly, I haven't quite figured out which level of bureaucracy they decided to slash the funding at yet. It doesn't look like anything has been officially released to the public.

I’m honestly dying to know what the deal is here. Dr. Braš has launched this whole "stay with me" campaign, but let’s be real—they’ve been dragging their feet on building this hospice for decades. Sure, putting up a building is the easy part, but who on earth is actually going to staff it? If I recall correctly, Braš is planning to send the initial crew over to Canada for training.

Kate Collins67 said:I’m not making any claims, I’m just stating exactly what I see happening.
Look, you can have the exact same doctor—one day they’re perfectly kind, totally normal, and patients absolutely love them—and then the next day, they just wake up on the wrong side of the bed, snap at a couple of patients, and suddenly—boom—their reputation is ruined. But let's be real here, look in the mirror for a second: have you ever, even once, acted unprofessionally while you were on the clock?

That was written way too broadly. Sure, anyone can have a momentary lapse in judgment, but when that momentary lapse starts crashing headlong into professional ethics... sorry, there are no excuses. There has to be a line, and you need to get your head straight regarding where it sits. Of course, people are unpredictable, and everyone’s going to interpret things through their own warped lens, but my example about the hallway? That was crystal clear.

The "crunch time" always seems to hit right when the workload becomes physically impossible—you know, when there's more on your plate than one single human being can handle without inevitably screwing something up.

Why don't we just pass a law mandating that every patient gets a full 20 to 30 minutes of undivided attention from the moment they walk through the door? Then we’ll see how "great" the communication becomes. Let's do the math: 30 minutes per person means 16 patients in an 8-hour shift. Sounds like a dream job, right? I just haven't figured out what to tell the other 30 or 40 people piling up outside the door—should I tell them to come back tomorrow, next year, or maybe in ten years once someone finally clears a spot at this glacial pace?
I am giving you the cold, hard, objective reasons why these messy situations happen. Don't get mad at me and act like this is some scenario I’m actually rooting for.

Let’s look at the numbers. Take a guaranteed half-hour lunch break—that leaves us with 15 patients. Factor in a 30-minute morning rounds and a 30-minute afternoon rounds—now we're down to 13. Add in at least one new emergency admission per day that requires about half an hour of immediate care... suddenly, we're looking at 12 patients. Honestly, twelve is a massive number under these conditions.

Angela Wright said:Look, you’re living in a country where Medicare basically treats doctors like indentured servants. They micromanage every single move, and if a physician actually decides to prescribe medication based on their own medical expertise and conscience rather than some top-down directive from the bureaucrats, they get slapped with pay cuts. And don't even get me started on the administration—most of these people running the show haven't spent a single day working actual clinical practice. It's a joke. But hey, sure, keep telling yourself everything is fine.🙂
And here’s my take on the European Union...😁No comment.😁

The link leads to a tip I got over the phone right after the meeting. From what I gathered, they’ve agreed to move forward—unless the government, the county, or the local city council decides to throw a wrench in the works. Honestly, I haven't quite figured out which level of bureaucracy they decided to slash the funding at yet. It doesn't look like anything has been officially released to the public.

I’m honestly dying to know what the deal is here. Dr. Braš has launched this whole "stay with me" campaign, but let’s be real—they’ve been dragging their feet on building this hospice for decades. Sure, putting up a building is the easy part, but who on earth is actually going to staff it? If I recall correctly, Braš is planning to send the initial crew over to Canada for training.

That was written way too broadly. Sure, anyone can have a momentary lapse in judgment, but when that momentary lapse starts crashing headlong into professional ethics... sorry, there are no excuses. There has to be a line, and you need to get your head straight regarding where it sits. Of course, people are unpredictable, and everyone’s going to interpret things through their own warped lens, but my example about the hallway? That was crystal clear.

Sure, you need to draw a line, but let’s be real—after being awake for 24 hours straight, I’m basically floating through space and those lines start to get pretty blurry.

Angela Wright said:Look, you’re living in a country where Medicare basically treats doctors like indentured servants. They micromanage every single move, and if a physician actually decides to prescribe medication based on their own medical expertise and conscience rather than some top-down directive from the bureaucrats, they get slapped with pay cuts. And don't even get me started on the administration—most of these people running the show haven't spent a single day working actual clinical practice. It's a joke. But hey, sure, keep telling yourself everything is fine.🙂
And here’s my take on the European Union...😁No comment.😁

The link leads to a tip I got over the phone right after the meeting. From what I gathered, they’ve agreed to move forward—unless the government, the county, or the local city council decides to throw a wrench in the works. Honestly, I haven't quite figured out which level of bureaucracy they decided to slash the funding at yet. It doesn't look like anything has been officially released to the public.

I’m honestly dying to know what the deal is here. Dr. Braš has launched this whole "stay with me" campaign, but let’s be real—they’ve been dragging their feet on building this hospice for decades. Sure, putting up a building is the easy part, but who on earth is actually going to staff it? If I recall correctly, Braš is planning to send the initial crew over to Canada for training.

That was written way too broadly. Sure, anyone can have a momentary lapse in judgment, but when that momentary lapse starts crashing headlong into professional ethics... sorry, there are no excuses. There has to be a line, and you need to get your head straight regarding where it sits. Of course, people are unpredictable, and everyone’s going to interpret things through their own warped lens, but my example about the hallway? That was crystal clear.

And honestly, this just goes to prove one of my main points: most people are just complete jerks. You see it all the time—doctors don't say a word when someone tries to mess with patient rights (well, at least not the majority of them), but just wait... just you try touching the one thing they actually care about: their own wallets. Now, I’m not saying they’re rolling in cash—not by a long shot—but under our current economic conditions, they make enough to live a decent life. They can earn a living from their hard work, and that's fine. But the second you threaten their personal finances? That's when the whining starts. Suddenly, everyone becomes an activist. It’s pathetic, really.

Kate Collins67 said:The "crunch time" always seems to hit right when the workload becomes physically impossible—you know, when there's more on your plate than one single human being can handle without inevitably screwing something up.

Why don't we just pass a law mandating that every patient gets a full 20 to 30 minutes of undivided attention from the moment they walk through the door? Then we’ll see how "great" the communication becomes. Let's do the math: 30 minutes per person means 16 patients in an 8-hour shift. Sounds like a dream job, right? I just haven't figured out what to tell the other 30 or 40 people piling up outside the door—should I tell them to come back tomorrow, next year, or maybe in ten years once someone finally clears a spot at this glacial pace?
I am giving you the cold, hard, objective reasons why these messy situations happen. Don't get mad at me and act like this is some scenario I’m actually rooting for.

Let’s look at the numbers. Take a guaranteed half-hour lunch break—that leaves us with 15 patients. Factor in a 30-minute morning rounds and a 30-minute afternoon rounds—now we're down to 13. Add in at least one new emergency admission per day that requires about half an hour of immediate care... suddenly, we're looking at 12 patients. Honestly, twelve is a massive number under these conditions.

I’m well aware of all that. But who exactly designed these working conditions for you?
So don't sit there acting like you just landed from Mars, telling me how this reform is going to fix everything, especially once the bureaucratic nightmare of the European Union takes over. 🙏
And don't go thinking that things are any easier for me or anyone else in the private sector.

Kate Collins67 said:Sure, you need to draw a line, but let’s be real—after being awake for 24 hours straight, I’m basically floating through space and those lines start to get pretty blurry.

I'm under the gun 24 hours a day, and I'm expected to be available, polite, and perfectly composed every single second. So, what now?
Please, spare me the lecture about how you should have known being a doctor meant working shifts when you picked your major. It’s literally in the job description, for crying out loud. Why did you choose it? Was it because you love the work, or were you just trying to see how much punishment your body could take?
Look, if you can't hack it, stop torturing yourself and everyone else. Go find something else to do.

Angela Wright said:Look, you’re living in a country where Medicare basically treats doctors like indentured servants. They micromanage every single move, and if a physician actually decides to prescribe medication based on their own medical expertise and conscience rather than some top-down directive from the bureaucrats, they get slapped with pay cuts. And don't even get me started on the administration—most of these people running the show haven't spent a single day working actual clinical practice. It's a joke. But hey, sure, keep telling yourself everything is fine.🙂
And here’s my take on the European Union...😁No comment.😁

The link leads to a tip I got over the phone right after the meeting. From what I gathered, they’ve agreed to move forward—unless the government, the county, or the local city council decides to throw a wrench in the works. Honestly, I haven't quite figured out which level of bureaucracy they decided to slash the funding at yet. It doesn't look like anything has been officially released to the public.

I’m honestly dying to know what the deal is here. Dr. Braš has launched this whole "stay with me" campaign, but let’s be real—they’ve been dragging their feet on building this hospice for decades. Sure, putting up a building is the easy part, but who on earth is actually going to staff it? If I recall correctly, Braš is planning to send the initial crew over to Canada for training.

That was written way too broadly. Sure, anyone can have a momentary lapse in judgment, but when that momentary lapse starts crashing headlong into professional ethics... sorry, there are no excuses. There has to be a line, and you need to get your head straight regarding where it sits. Of course, people are unpredictable, and everyone’s going to interpret things through their own warped lens, but my example about the hallway? That was crystal clear.

If the system doesn't fail me—and if it actually follows its usual, predictable patterns—this is how I see it playing out.
The hospice will finally open because the European Union is basically forcing our hand. They’ll move patients in, pay a specific group of nurses to work there, and then comes the truly creative part: some doctor will be "assigned" to cover it. Whether they're a GP or working at a major Medical Center, they'll get paid to oversee the hospice without actually being officially stationed there—except in extreme cases, obviously.

By doing it this way, you effectively camouflage several issues all at once: terminal elderly patients have a place to pass away, families are relieved because their loved ones are tucked away somewhere, and doctors stay happy because they don't have to deal with unsolvable problems in their clinics. It's a perfect little loop.
In reality? Patients will likely die with minimal care, far from the sight of their families, under what amounts to quasi-neglect.

So, there’s my optimistic take on the situation. But look, the important thing is just getting the wheels turning; eventually, things will settle into their natural, messy state.

Kate Collins67 said:If the system doesn't fail me—and if it actually follows its usual, predictable patterns—this is how I see it playing out.
The hospice will finally open because the European Union is basically forcing our hand. They’ll move patients in, pay a specific group of nurses to work there, and then comes the truly creative part: some doctor will be "assigned" to cover it. Whether they're a GP or working at a major Medical Center, they'll get paid to oversee the hospice without actually being officially stationed there—except in extreme cases, obviously.

By doing it this way, you effectively camouflage several issues all at once: terminal elderly patients have a place to pass away, families are relieved because their loved ones are tucked away somewhere, and doctors stay happy because they don't have to deal with unsolvable problems in their clinics. It's a perfect little loop.
In reality? Patients will likely die with minimal care, far from the sight of their families, under what amounts to quasi-neglect.

So, there’s my optimistic take on the situation. But look, the important thing is just getting the wheels turning; eventually, things will settle into their natural, messy state.

Yeah, that's exactly what I'm assuming too.
That's probably why they picked Split; there aren't any active patient associations there to cause trouble.
We'll just have to wait and see which way the wind blows before we decide our next move.

Angela Wright said:I’m well aware of all that. But who exactly designed these working conditions for you?
So don't sit there acting like you just landed from Mars, telling me how this reform is going to fix everything, especially once the bureaucratic nightmare of the European Union takes over. 🙏
And don't go thinking that things are any easier for me or anyone else in the private sector.

I'm under the gun 24 hours a day, and I'm expected to be available, polite, and perfectly composed every single second. So, what now?
Please, spare me the lecture about how you should have known being a doctor meant working shifts when you picked your major. It’s literally in the job description, for crying out loud. Why did you choose it? Was it because you love the work, or were you just trying to see how much punishment your body could take?
Look, if you can't hack it, stop torturing yourself and everyone else. Go find something else to do.

Look, I knew about shifts. What I didn't know was how they actually *function*—but then again, most of you don't know that either. I had no idea I'd be stuck doing eight shifts a month. And I certainly didn't expect to be running a general practice after 3 PM instead of handling emergency cases like my job description actually claims.

Besides, what did I really know back when I was eighteen? Not much, that's for sure...

Kate Collins67 said:Look, I knew about shifts. What I didn't know was how they actually *function*—but then again, most of you don't know that either. I had no idea I'd be stuck doing eight shifts a month. And I certainly didn't expect to be running a general practice after 3 PM instead of handling emergency cases like my job description actually claims.

Besides, what did I really know back when I was eighteen? Not much, that's for sure...

I get it. But as adults, as responsible professionals, we all have to be prepared to make those massive, difficult life pivots if we realize we're heading down a path that's doing more harm than good—to ourselves and everyone else involved.
At the end of the day, it's a matter of personal choice, conscience, and taking ownership of your own life.
That’s exactly why we take our students everywhere from day one. We pull back the curtain on the reality of the job immediately. We make sure they're out there talking to patients every single day, visiting schools, and teaching kids about prevention and the kind of personal responsibility you have to take for your own health.

Jamie Rivera78 said:Clearly, you didn't actually read what I wrote. I’m not out here saying people should work for free—even though let's be real, there are plenty of folks in this country grinding away for nothing. What I actually said was that in the medical field, thank God, the paychecks actually show up on time. Is that really so hard to grasp? Most private doctors who aren't tied to government bureaucracy make a pretty damn good living.
Honestly, it feels totally ridiculous to act like certain jobs belong to some untouchable "elite." Since when did we start measuring status based on how many years you spent in school? Yeah, okay, med school is a grind and it takes forever, but everyone knows that before they even sign the papers. If someone can't hack it, they should’ve picked something else. Lawyers have to study constantly, professors are always hitting the books, and civil engineers aren't exactly sitting idle either.
The real issue here—the thing that actually matters—is how medical staff treats their patients. It drives me absolutely insane when I see that "looking down your nose" attitude, or when you get that vibe of, "Why should I explain this to you? You clearly don't get it." Look, sorry, but I actually care about what meds I'm taking and the specific chemicals they're planning to pump into my bloodstream. In my book, explaining a medical procedure isn't just an option; it's a fundamental job requirement, maybe even basic human decency. People using the healthcare system are paying a fortune for it, so they have every right to get a clear breakdown of their condition and what's coming next. My experience with private doctors has been mostly solid, but when it comes to doctors covered by Medicare, the quality is all over the place.
Bottom line: patients are BUYING healthcare services, and a customer has every right to demand service that matches what they're paying for. At the very least, if the equipment is outdated and crappy, they should make up for it with better communication. That's the only way the whole thing actually works.

Ugh, I totally got misunderstood again... I wasn't talking about those snobby elites driving around in Mercedeses with their fancy attitudes, but more like the intellectual elite... What I was laying out is just how the world works everywhere you look, so if someone’s got an issue with that, they can take it up with the rest of the world instead of coming at me, because I'm really just stating the plain facts about how things stand in the US, Canada, and all over Europe...

I totally agree that you have every right to know, just like any other patient out there... You can always just ask, and honestly, I doubt they won't give you an answer...🤷
Look, it’s kind of like when a client walks up to a contractor and demands they explain the entire load-bearing structure of the house... I mean... honestly... pharmacology is such a massive, complex beast that if you weren't in med school, you wouldn't even touch it until your third year just to get a handle on the basics after years of prep work... I don't see how you can boil all that down into a couple of quick sentences without losing the plot, and besides, where would doctors even find the time to give full-blown lectures on medical science to every single patient? It’s like walking into a Chase branch and asking them to walk you through the exact backend processing of every wire transfer... There's a huge difference between saying "this is for your blood pressure" and what you're asking for—the deep dive into the specific chemicals being injected—but what else would you actually need to know other than the fact that it lowers your pressure? If you really want to geek out on chemistry, maybe go study it in college... I just don't get what you're expecting here. We're already facing a massive doctor shortage in the US, and they simply don't have the luxury of sitting around for long chats to satisfy every technical question a patient has... seriously, if you're frustrated, take it up with our favorite politicians and tell them that instead of whining about the physician shortage, they should actually hire more people, but of course they won't because they don't have the budget for the salaries...

I feel like some patients just love to push their doctors to the limit... demanding an explanation for every little thing while everyone else is stuck waiting forever just to get seen. Honestly, if you want that kind of attention, just pay for premium private insurance like they do in the States, where the doctor gets a massive salary and might actually take the time to "educate" you, though I'm pretty sure even over there, doctors don't explain every single detail, believe me... what you see on TV is nothing like reality...

Kate Collins67 said:Look, let’s get one thing straight—whether we're talking about my patients or yours, you're already making that distinction between "my people" and "your people," even though everyone should have equal rights to care. If everyone is being treated according to professional medical standards, there shouldn't be any "mine" or "yours." It shouldn't matter at what stage of treatment I encounter a person; I should just be picking up exactly where the previous doctor left off. But honestly? To actually pull that off, you'd need a massive amount of specialized knowledge, much higher quality medical schools, and a level of top-down organization that our current system just isn't providing.

So, you’re out here preaching that "we treat the patient, not just the disease"? That sounds great on a bumper sticker, really, but let me ask you something—are you actually treating healthy people now too? Because if we're following your logic, what exactly am I supposed to be doing? Am I expected to step in and fix my patients' social struggles? Should I be playing social worker or calling up agencies to handle their living situations? Or maybe I should be acting as an unlicensed therapist and calling in a psychologist to deal with their mental health issues? No. Absolutely not. My job is to treat the actual illness within the patient. For everything else—the social stuff, the psychological stuff, all those other layers—there are plenty of other trained professionals who do that job way better than I ever could, and frankly, I have zero intention of stepping out of my lane and getting tangled up in it.

Look, there are tons of patients out there who have been given incredibly clear, thorough explanations about exactly what’s wrong with them and precisely what steps they need to take to actually get better. But here's the kicker—most of them don't follow a single word of it. It makes you wonder, doesn't it? If we're being honest and looking at the big picture, why are we even wasting our breath? Why spend all this energy on these exhaustive, deep-dive explanations when they just fall on deaf ears? It feels like a total waste of time to go through the whole "educational" process if people aren't going to actually do the work.
It really just depends on the situation—who I’m even talking to, honestly. Some people just aren't worth the breath, you know? So, I guess it comes down to who I’ll actually bother trying to explain things to and, more importantly, who I won't.

1. A "healthy patient" is an oxymoron; if they're a patient, they're sick.
2. Sure, you treat the patient—the patient is the subject. The goal is to get a sick person better or improve their condition. It should be obvious to any doctor that you aren't just looking at a failing organ in isolation; you're looking at the person attached to it. The human being matters, and they actually care about being healthy—they aren't just a collection of parts.
3. Your whole tangent about social services is totally irrelevant. You're comparing apples to oranges here.

I honestly find it pretty sad to see a young, educated professional write something like this, reducing the medical profession to a kind of narrow-minded tunnel vision that lacks any sense of humanity.

Kate Collins67 said:But how exactly am I supposed to "inform" them? Should I use dense medical jargon? Or switch to layman's terms—which, let’s face it, usually strips the actual medical meaning right out of the conversation? Honestly, there are times when I just don't know how to explain something to a patient because even after I've tried five different ways to say it, they still look at me like I'm speaking Greek.
When you try to simplify complex medical issues just so a layperson can grasp them, you almost always end up distorting the reality of the disease. Then, what happens? Later, the patient repeats that simplified version to another doctor, which gets translated back into technical terms, and suddenly we're dealing with a totally skewed picture. This is exactly why we rely on medical records—they exist so we can interpret things based on hard facts, not filtered conversations.
Is it really our fault if patients aren't educated enough to understand the complexities of their own health? I mean, what can you do? It’s like when some imaginary friend from NASA tries to walk me through quantum physics; I just sit there nodding blankly, knowing full well I haven't understood a single word, no matter how much they try to "dumb it down."

First off, you're being patronizing.
Second, you have classes in med school specifically about doctor-patient communication, but clearly, dodging those lessons is a whole different story.

I'll tell you this: absolutely anything can be phrased so an average person understands it without needing to throw around technical jargon. You should be able to explain the core issue to anyone—a kid, a parent, a mechanic, or a singer.

Any field's terminology can be adapted so it makes sense to everyone. Not only is it possible, but it's actually a benchmark for someone's general intelligence and communication skills—something anyone with a college degree really ought to possess.

The fact that even universities dedicated to thinking, communicating, and writing—like journalism or linguistics schools—don't prioritize this, let alone medical or engineering programs, is just a failure of our entire education system.
In places like Britain and similar countries, anyone studying quantum physics or creative writing has to write constant essays. By the end, they actually know how to express themselves and write properly, instead of becoming total idiots.

That's why we end up with journalists, doctors, and engineers who can't even master basic grammar. It's hard to have a serious conversation about communication standards when, as a society, we're mostly illiterate to begin with.

Kate Collins67 said:But how exactly am I supposed to "inform" them? Should I use dense medical jargon? Or switch to layman's terms—which, let’s face it, usually strips the actual medical meaning right out of the conversation? Honestly, there are times when I just don't know how to explain something to a patient because even after I've tried five different ways to say it, they still look at me like I'm speaking Greek.
When you try to simplify complex medical issues just so a layperson can grasp them, you almost always end up distorting the reality of the disease. Then, what happens? Later, the patient repeats that simplified version to another doctor, which gets translated back into technical terms, and suddenly we're dealing with a totally skewed picture. This is exactly why we rely on medical records—they exist so we can interpret things based on hard facts, not filtered conversations.
Is it really our fault if patients aren't educated enough to understand the complexities of their own health? I mean, what can you do? It’s like when some imaginary friend from NASA tries to walk me through quantum physics; I just sit there nodding blankly, knowing full well I haven't understood a single word, no matter how much they try to "dumb it down."

I am signing onto this word for word... 🙏
There really isn't anything else to say...🙏

Kate Collins67 said:Sure, you need to draw a line, but let’s be real—after being awake for 24 hours straight, I’m basically floating through space and those lines start to get pretty blurry.

Exactly... And then you're stuck trying to explain exactly why you prescribed a specific medication, or just constantly worrying that someone’s going to take offense because they didn't get every single bit of information handed to them on a silver platter just the way they expected... 🙄

It’s like doctors have become total servants to their patients, instead of just being regular people made of flesh and blood...

Kate Collins67 said:Look, let’s get one thing straight—whether we're talking about my patients or yours, you're already making that distinction between "my people" and "your people," even though everyone should have equal rights to care. If everyone is being treated according to professional medical standards, there shouldn't be any "mine" or "yours." It shouldn't matter at what stage of treatment I encounter a person; I should just be picking up exactly where the previous doctor left off. But honestly? To actually pull that off, you'd need a massive amount of specialized knowledge, much higher quality medical schools, and a level of top-down organization that our current system just isn't providing.

So, you’re out here preaching that "we treat the patient, not just the disease"? That sounds great on a bumper sticker, really, but let me ask you something—are you actually treating healthy people now too? Because if we're following your logic, what exactly am I supposed to be doing? Am I expected to step in and fix my patients' social struggles? Should I be playing social worker or calling up agencies to handle their living situations? Or maybe I should be acting as an unlicensed therapist and calling in a psychologist to deal with their mental health issues? No. Absolutely not. My job is to treat the actual illness within the patient. For everything else—the social stuff, the psychological stuff, all those other layers—there are plenty of other trained professionals who do that job way better than I ever could, and frankly, I have zero intention of stepping out of my lane and getting tangled up in it.

Look, there are tons of patients out there who have been given incredibly clear, thorough explanations about exactly what’s wrong with them and precisely what steps they need to take to actually get better. But here's the kicker—most of them don't follow a single word of it. It makes you wonder, doesn't it? If we're being honest and looking at the big picture, why are we even wasting our breath? Why spend all this energy on these exhaustive, deep-dive explanations when they just fall on deaf ears? It feels like a total waste of time to go through the whole "educational" process if people aren't going to actually do the work.
It really just depends on the situation—who I’m even talking to, honestly. Some people just aren't worth the breath, you know? So, I guess it comes down to who I’ll actually bother trying to explain things to and, more importantly, who I won't.

Spot on—that is exactly it, period. 🙏

It’s like patients expect their doctors to be full-on psychotherapists. I had a situation just today where someone in the hospital kept asking me for test results, even though I told him at least four times that I was just a student passing through that unit... and the guy just wouldn't listen or process what I was saying. It was such an exhausting day already, and then having to deal with someone who literally can't communicate or understand a simple sentence was just the icing on the cake. In the end, I just repeated myself for the fifth time, turned around, and walked away. And then you have people like that writing posts about how doctors are "so-and-so." These situations are just everyday life for medical pros, but people just don't get it. They don't realize that working with people is hands down the hardest part of the job. If doctors actually tried to meet every single demand people have, they’d all just burn out, and then we’d genuinely have no one left to take care of us... and I also totally agree with your post about how under certain conditions, doctors are just going to pack up and leave... and honestly, the European Union being involved might actually help since it would mean removing the Schengen border. Anyone choosing to head out isn't wrong for doing what they've always done, now or in the future...

"I’ve honestly been trying to wrap my head around what you're saying, but this—this is just total garbage.
Please, just for the sake of your own future (and let's be real, you've still got plenty of working years left in you) and the future of the healthcare system you're a part of, just get one thing straight: you treat the patient, not the disease.
And if you actually want to treat a patient, they need to understand what they're suffering from and how they're going to get better. And yeah, that is YOUR job for YOUR patients."

Look, I’m with borna 07 on this, even though she works in the medical field herself. Every doctor needs to look at both the person and the test results. We need a little more humanity among doctors, too. But, I will admit one thing: doctors aren't paid enough. Seriously, construction workers make better money.
I agree with Angela Wright.

Look, I’ll just come out and admit it: I haven't stepped foot in a doctor's office in ten years. There, I said it. Let the judgment commence. Honestly, it was my own damn fault. I should have at least gone in once a year for basic blood work, but I skipped it. Now? Now I'm paying the price for that mistake, dealing with some neurotropic virus that basically dragged me through the ringer for a year and a half because I spent all my time bouncing from one specialist to another.
I'm with Angela Wright on this one. A good doctor really needs to be everything at once—partly your GP, partly your therapist, you know? I actually owe a huge thanks to my primary care doc and his nurse for keeping me sane.
And as for joining the European Union? Don't hold your breath. It's never going to happen. 😉