Why is there such a "God complex" among doctors?

I’ve always felt that a fancy title or a degree doesn't actually define who you are as a person... Sadly, I've run into someone exactly like that before.

brightlynx39 said:I’ve always felt that a fancy title or a degree doesn't actually define who you are as a person... Sadly, I've run into someone exactly like that before.

I'm right there with you on this one. 👍

It’s just like that thread about private psychiatrists—people making sweeping generalizations based on nothing but their own biases and aiming them at an entire profession. Don't the moderators see anything problematic with this either?

It seems like there’s always someone out there looking to be difficult. It’s just one of those things, I suppose...
I guess you could look at it as a sort of life lesson, in a way. 🙂 It stings at the time, sure, but you end up learning a thing or two and growing a little thicker skin because of it.

Kyle Lee7 said:Wait, is Melpina the same forum member who used to go by Melpy? I suppose usernames can be changed, right?

brightlynx39 said:And here I was thinking... Melpy is mostly known for having that whole doctor fetish thing going on.

I didn't even think of Melpy—and certainly wouldn't have connected her to that specific fetish. Not really.
This is probably getting a bit off-topic, I guess, but it touches on something that always bothers me about this place—how to take a thread that started out poorly and actually turn it into something substantive or useful.

Because, fundamentally, the topic itself is fine—it actually has a legitimate place in sociology, if not psychology—it's just that the bias and the constant reliance on raw personal anecdotes, without any sort of framing, is what really needs to be adjusted.

brightlynx39 argues that we should be discussing why doctors and medical students seem to hold a higher social status than many other professions—which she finds unfair, given her view that med school isn't necessarily the most grueling path and that, in practice, physicians aren't always the most ethical individuals out there.

Is that actually the topic at hand?

If it is, then at least a few posts here are technically on-topic. Perhaps we can move forward from there without resorting to sweeping generalizations. 😍

Or, even better, based on what granitefalcon26 and I were discussing while we sat there, the subject ought to have been: the sociology and psychology behind the prestige of the medical profession.

(I feel a bit responsible for this, so I suppose I'll try to set things right.)

Sarah Wood8 said:It’s honestly pathetic how your average hypochondriac usually ends up knowing more about medicine than actual doctors, often diagnosing themselves before a professional can even step into the room.
Most of these physicians are just straight-up nerds who don't actually grasp the fundamentals, which is a tragedy. Being a doctor is arguably the most responsible job out there, yet it usually boils down to people being nothing more than arrogant pretenders.
It reminds me of that news story from yesterday where a woman was complaining about abdominal pain, only for them to dismiss her as a liar—then they actually left a surgical tool inside her and tried to cover the whole thing up once it came to light.
In my opinion, people like that have no business holding a medical degree.
The issue isn't just the fact that they left an instrument inside her; the real problem is their dismissive reaction to her pain and their complete lack of initiative to even order an X-ray, followed by that blatant attempt at a cover-up. People with that mindset simply CANNOT be doctors.

🤦
I honestly can't wrap my head around anyone actually thinking this way...

I'm currently grinding through med school myself, and I have to say, I totally see where some of those points in the OP are coming from—specifically regarding the sheer amount of arrogance you run into from both certain doctors and even the students... It’s a real thing too, like, during our freshman orientation, they basically drill it into our heads that we're part of the intellectual and social elite, which is a one-way ticket to becoming an insufferable snob...
As for which major is objectively the hardest, nobody can claim they know for sure with 100% certainty, but let's be real, most of us in medical school firmly believe it's either the absolute toughest or at least top three... It's definitely brutal, but I'd argue that any high schooler with even a passing interest in the sciences can make it through... At the end of the day, finishing med school is more about pure grit and stubbornness than raw talent, unlike something like architecture where you actually need a specific creative spark...

But look, on the flip side, I know plenty of colleagues who are going to be incredible physicians and genuinely good people once they finally get that degree... Honestly, those types make up the vast majority of the student body, and just because most people's only interaction is with a GP whose main job seems to be churning out referrals doesn't mean that everyone else—like the internists, surgeons, pediatricians, OB-GYNs...—is incompetent...

wearybison35 said:🤦
I honestly can't wrap my head around anyone actually thinking this way...

I'm currently grinding through med school myself, and I have to say, I totally see where some of those points in the OP are coming from—specifically regarding the sheer amount of arrogance you run into from both certain doctors and even the students... It’s a real thing too, like, during our freshman orientation, they basically drill it into our heads that we're part of the intellectual and social elite, which is a one-way ticket to becoming an insufferable snob...
As for which major is objectively the hardest, nobody can claim they know for sure with 100% certainty, but let's be real, most of us in medical school firmly believe it's either the absolute toughest or at least top three... It's definitely brutal, but I'd argue that any high schooler with even a passing interest in the sciences can make it through... At the end of the day, finishing med school is more about pure grit and stubbornness than raw talent, unlike something like architecture where you actually need a specific creative spark...

But look, on the flip side, I know plenty of colleagues who are going to be incredible physicians and genuinely good people once they finally get that degree... Honestly, those types make up the vast majority of the student body, and just because most people's only interaction is with a GP whose main job seems to be churning out referrals doesn't mean that everyone else—like the internists, surgeons, pediatricians, OB-GYNs...—is incompetent...

Major respect to the medical field, though there are certainly doctors out there who don't deserve the title. Still, it's important that they hold that MD degree regardless.

wearybison35 said:🤦
I honestly can't wrap my head around anyone actually thinking this way...

I'm currently grinding through med school myself, and I have to say, I totally see where some of those points in the OP are coming from—specifically regarding the sheer amount of arrogance you run into from both certain doctors and even the students... It’s a real thing too, like, during our freshman orientation, they basically drill it into our heads that we're part of the intellectual and social elite, which is a one-way ticket to becoming an insufferable snob...
As for which major is objectively the hardest, nobody can claim they know for sure with 100% certainty, but let's be real, most of us in medical school firmly believe it's either the absolute toughest or at least top three... It's definitely brutal, but I'd argue that any high schooler with even a passing interest in the sciences can make it through... At the end of the day, finishing med school is more about pure grit and stubbornness than raw talent, unlike something like architecture where you actually need a specific creative spark...

But look, on the flip side, I know plenty of colleagues who are going to be incredible physicians and genuinely good people once they finally get that degree... Honestly, those types make up the vast majority of the student body, and just because most people's only interaction is with a GP whose main job seems to be churning out referrals doesn't mean that everyone else—like the internists, surgeons, pediatricians, OB-GYNs...—is incompetent...

You've got a skewed perception of family practitioners again. Check out my previous post.
A doctor working in a big city hospital might just be anyone, but being a doctor in a small rural town requires incredible knowledge and skills that big-city specialists don't necessarily need. 😉

brightlynx39 said:Major respect to the medical field, though there are certainly doctors out there who don't deserve the title. Still, it's important that they hold that MD degree regardless.

It's the same story with any job you pick. Nothing more, nothing less. We really shouldn't paint everyone with the same brush. 😉

granitefalcon26 said:You've got a skewed perception of family practitioners again. Check out my previous post.
A doctor working in a big city hospital might just be anyone, but being a doctor in a small rural town requires incredible knowledge and skills that big-city specialists don't necessarily need. 😉

See, there you go again with this idea that any random person can be an internist while the GP has to be a jack-of-all-trades... Sure, a family doctor might need to know a bit of everything if they're stuck out in the middle of nowhere, maybe deep in the rural Midwest or some isolated part of Alaska where help isn't coming anytime soon... but let's be real, there aren't exactly tons of those spots left in the States...
Besides, this isn't even just my take on it—most people don't view family medicine as high-tier, mostly because so many patients get shuffled off to a million different specialists for stuff the primary doc could have handled themselves if they actually had the authority...

I think there might have been a typo in your message! It looks like you were trying to say "toward" or maybe something else entirely? Either way, I'm all ears—feel free to clear that up and let me know what's on your mind! kaže:
So, you seem to think that any random person can act as an internist, while GPs are expected to be walking encyclopedias who know everything under the sun. Look, a GP has to be able to handle just about anything—especially if they're stationed out in rural Montana or some remote island where help isn't exactly around the corner. When you're far from a major city hospital, you don't always have a specialist waiting in the next room. There aren't many places like that, at least not around here in the States.
Honestly, this isn't just my take—it’s how most people see it. There's this general feeling that family doctors aren't exactly top-tier, and frankly, I get why. A huge number of patients get sent off for endless specialist appointments when the GP could have easily handled everything right then and there. It feels like a lot of unnecessary runarounds.

You've got it wrong. You're living in a bubble. We have plenty of places just like that all over the country. ☕
Every island out there is totally cut off from the mainland. Plus, the entire region only has one single hospital to rely on. I won't even get started on the rest of it.
The real issue isn't just that doctors in those big metropolitan hospitals don't seem to be putting in the effort—it's the systemic flaws that allow them to get away with it.
I’m back to my old conclusion: you can find someone acting like a doctor in any hospital, even if they don't have a lick of training.
It’s one thing to have an internist who doesn't know how to resuscitate a patient, or a surgeon who can't spot an acute abdomen, even when all the lab results are sitting right there on their desk. But honestly? Do we really want to go down this road?😉😁

brightlynx39 said:Major respect to the medical field, though there are certainly doctors out there who don't deserve the title. Still, it's important that they hold that MD degree regardless.

Sure, some people don't earn their stripes, but that doesn't mean the whole profession is bad. Personally, I think we have some truly top-tier specialists here. Maybe I say that because I grew up in a family of doctors. One relative of mine stays late at the hospital all the time and even sees patients after hours just because they want to help—purely out of goodwill. I know plenty of doctors at that hospital, and honestly, most are total pros. For 99% of them, being a doctor is about responsibility, not just the fancy title. On the flip side, my neighbor is an OBGYN; a friend of mine went to him, and he looked at her ultrasound and told her everything was fine, even though you could practically see a cyst from an airplane. Then there’s this guy I know whose dad basically paid for all his exams; he barely scraped through med school, and now his kid has a fever and he’s completely lost because he never actually learned the material. He told me himself. There are definitely people like that, but they’re likely in the minority. It happens everywhere. It's like having a computer science professor at my college who didn't even know what a smart card was—and that's her entire field. You find incompetence in every industry, not just medicine.🤷

wearybison35 said:🤦
I honestly can't wrap my head around anyone actually thinking this way...

I'm currently grinding through med school myself, and I have to say, I totally see where some of those points in the OP are coming from—specifically regarding the sheer amount of arrogance you run into from both certain doctors and even the students... It’s a real thing too, like, during our freshman orientation, they basically drill it into our heads that we're part of the intellectual and social elite, which is a one-way ticket to becoming an insufferable snob...
As for which major is objectively the hardest, nobody can claim they know for sure with 100% certainty, but let's be real, most of us in medical school firmly believe it's either the absolute toughest or at least top three... It's definitely brutal, but I'd argue that any high schooler with even a passing interest in the sciences can make it through... At the end of the day, finishing med school is more about pure grit and stubbornness than raw talent, unlike something like architecture where you actually need a specific creative spark...

But look, on the flip side, I know plenty of colleagues who are going to be incredible physicians and genuinely good people once they finally get that degree... Honestly, those types make up the vast majority of the student body, and just because most people's only interaction is with a GP whose main job seems to be churning out referrals doesn't mean that everyone else—like the internists, surgeons, pediatricians, OB-GYNs...—is incompetent...

Just a guy keeping it real. Respect.
Because, let's face it, like 99% of med students or doctors think they're the smartest people on the planet. Like they're some kind of supermen. And they always blame the system for everything. But what I hate most is that: "We aren't paid enough; doctors in Germany make like 500k!" Well, newsflash—we aren't the only ones underpaid in this country!!! I feel underpaid compared to someone in my field working in Germany, too. But they don't care, because they're "doctors"...👎

Henry James3 said:Just a guy keeping it real. Respect.
Because, let's face it, like 99% of med students or doctors think they're the smartest people on the planet. Like they're some kind of supermen. And they always blame the system for everything. But what I hate most is that: "We aren't paid enough; doctors in Germany make like 500k!" Well, newsflash—we aren't the only ones underpaid in this country!!! I feel underpaid compared to someone in my field working in Germany, too. But they don't care, because they're "doctors"...👎

I guess we'll all just end up in a communist society then, where doctors and laborers make the exact same amount. No biggie. Let's just equalize every single paycheck.👎
Not everyone can be a doctor. Plus, the level of responsibility is totally different, and let's be real—the job isn't easy. If you think everyone should earn the same, maybe you shouldn't have skipped medical school. 👎

granitefalcon26 said:I guess we'll all just end up in a communist society then, where doctors and laborers make the exact same amount. No biggie. Let's just equalize every single paycheck.👎
Not everyone can be a doctor. Plus, the level of responsibility is totally different, and let's be real—the job isn't easy. If you think everyone should earn the same, maybe you shouldn't have skipped medical school. 👎

Where, oh wise medical expert, did I actually say everyone needs identical pay???
Seriously, please quote me on that. All I said was a doctor starts at maybe $7k-$8k while I'm pulling $4k-$5k. And hey, that's fine—no complaints here. But you can't tell me you should be making $5,000 like they do in Germany. Because I'm not making $3,000 like my colleague over there. But you guys don't get it. You can't have those massive European Union wages while the rest of us are stuck with the American average. Why is that so hard to grasp?
Or better yet—working at the hospital, teaching at the university, AND running a private clinic... you think that's all fine too? Please, man, get it together.

Henry James3 said:Where, oh wise medical expert, did I actually say everyone needs identical pay???
Seriously, please quote me on that. All I said was a doctor starts at maybe $7k-$8k while I'm pulling $4k-$5k. And hey, that's fine—no complaints here. But you can't tell me you should be making $5,000 like they do in Germany. Because I'm not making $3,000 like my colleague over there. But you guys don't get it. You can't have those massive European Union wages while the rest of us are stuck with the American average. Why is that so hard to grasp?
Or better yet—working at the hospital, teaching at the university, AND running a private clinic... you think that's all fine too? Please, man, get it together.

I never said doctors needed a $5,000 salary, but the base pay should be at least $3,000, not $1,000.
Well, why didn't you just finish medical school then? You could be teaching at a university and running a private practice. If we were actually making $5,000, nobody would need to work privately anyway.☕

granitefalcon26 said:I never said doctors needed a $5,000 salary, but the base pay should be at least $3,000, not $1,000.
Well, why didn't you just finish medical school then? You could be teaching at a university and running a private practice. If we were actually making $5,000, nobody would need to work privately anyway.☕

Lol, you’re unbelievable. Let’s try this one more time—maybe we'll actually get somewhere. If you’ve got a baseline of like $3,000, then I should be sitting at maybe $1,500 or something—that's just how the math works everywhere. Like, out here, a doctor makes $5,000 while my field pulls in about $3,000. So, there you go. $2667Look, I’m at a level 5 here—do you even get how a market economy actually works? You can't just hand things out like they do in the European Union, especially since we're in a country that doesn't have the resources to pull that off. But man, you're still being stubborn—which is honestly the worst part. And let's be real, you guys won't be working in the private sector anytime soon. It isn't moral, it isn't normal, and at the end of the day—it's just a massive conflict of interest.

Henry James3 said:Lol, you’re unbelievable. Let’s try this one more time—maybe we'll actually get somewhere. If you’ve got a baseline of like $3,000, then I should be sitting at maybe $1,500 or something—that's just how the math works everywhere. Like, out here, a doctor makes $5,000 while my field pulls in about $3,000. So, there you go. $2667Look, I’m at a level 5 here—do you even get how a market economy actually works? You can't just hand things out like they do in the European Union, especially since we're in a country that doesn't have the resources to pull that off. But man, you're still being stubborn—which is honestly the worst part. And let's be real, you guys won't be working in the private sector anytime soon. It isn't moral, it isn't normal, and at the end of the day—it's just a massive conflict of interest.

We’ve got a serious shortage of doctors over here, which is exactly why we need to pay them more. That’s just basic market economics at work. When supply is low and demand is high, prices go up—it's not rocket science. The medical profession should be no different.
Joining the European Union means borders are opening up, and honestly, that changes everything. We’ll have the freedom to work wherever we want. But here's the catch: if we don't start paying our professionals what they're actually worth, we aren't going to have any doctors left. Eventually, hospitals will be staffed entirely by immigrants from all over the world. If that's the kind of healthcare you're looking for, then hey, maybe you'll finally be happy.
No biggie. You’ll still be stuck waiting six months for that checkup anyway.😁
I’m planning to go fully private. That way, when I need medical care, I won't have some random stranger from overseas treating me. It’ll finally eliminate any potential conflict of interest.☕

granitefalcon26 said:

I think there might have been a typo in your message! It looks like you were trying to say "toward" or maybe something else entirely? Either way, I'm all ears—feel free to clear that up and let me know what's on your mind! kaže:
So, you seem to think that any random person can act as an internist, while GPs are expected to be walking encyclopedias who know everything under the sun. Look, a GP has to be able to handle just about anything—especially if they're stationed out in rural Montana or some remote island where help isn't exactly around the corner. When you're far from a major city hospital, you don't always have a specialist waiting in the next room. There aren't many places like that, at least not around here in the States.
Honestly, this isn't just my take—it’s how most people see it. There's this general feeling that family doctors aren't exactly top-tier, and frankly, I get why. A huge number of patients get sent off for endless specialist appointments when the GP could have easily handled everything right then and there. It feels like a lot of unnecessary runarounds.

You've got it wrong. You're living in a bubble. We have plenty of places just like that all over the country. ☕
Every island out there is totally cut off from the mainland. Plus, the entire region only has one single hospital to rely on. I won't even get started on the rest of it.
The real issue isn't just that doctors in those big metropolitan hospitals don't seem to be putting in the effort—it's the systemic flaws that allow them to get away with it.
I’m back to my old conclusion: you can find someone acting like a doctor in any hospital, even if they don't have a lick of training.
It’s one thing to have an internist who doesn't know how to resuscitate a patient, or a surgeon who can't spot an acute abdomen, even when all the lab results are sitting right there on their desk. But honestly? Do we really want to go down this road?😉😁

Look, I'll admit I don't live on some remote island or out in the middle of nowhere, but that doesn't mean I'm some blind New Yorker who can't see past the streets of Manhattan or Arlington...
The reality is that most Americans live in big cities or suburbs close enough to urban centers where there's actually decent healthcare available beyond just a local GP... those isolated spots you're talking about are relatively rare and pretty sparsely populated anyway...

As for the pay, like @quant7 mentioned, it’s low for everyone in the public sector, though it's roughly proportional to what they make abroad... The real kicker is that our doctors—well, a huge chunk of them—are working themselves to death because of the massive staffing shortages... And honestly, if you ask me, there really ought to be a much more significant gap between what a doctor makes and everyone else working in the public sector...