After a month of updating Floridians on hurricanes, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis is now focusing his official office on fighting an abortion rights amendment, holding a campaign-like rally at state expense two weeks before the election.
DeSantis’ event Monday, which was capped with a prayer from the archbishop of Miami and the lieutenant governor asking people to not vote like atheists, came after the Department of Health’s top lawyer resigned over a letter he said the governor’s office forced him to send to television stations in an effort to stop a pro-Amendment 4 ad.
As someone managing some chronic illness who has interacted with many doctors and specialists in the last several years… it’s a mistake to put Drs on some kind of “smart person” pedestal. They’re just a profession like any other - some are amazing, some good, most are idiots without much knowledge outside their narrowly defined practice.
If you think of the way you progressed through your tertiary studies, you just do it one exam or assessment at a time. None are particularly “hard” or require amazing IQ or reasoning skills, it’s just time and effort.
The main difference between a pharmacist and a GP is that the former is done in 3 years while a GP takes 9. The extra 6 years doesn’t make them smarter or better thinkers, they just broaden the things that they know.
Another aspect is that most people can’t afford to spend a decade studying or doing placements etcetera.
So yeah, the opinion of a Dr is only helpful in their specific field. Your GP will be great at prescribing antibiotics, but doesn’t know anything about diet.
I’m going to catch flak for this, but my opinion of general doctors is basically the welcome to Walmart greeters.
Doctor - what’s your complaint?
Patient - my heart hurts (or whatever hurts)
Doctor - down the hall to the left, take the elevator up to 4th. There’s a specialist that can see you there. Don’t go down, or you’ll be in urology.
Yeah that’s pretty much my view.
My point though, is that most people conflate “doctor” with “smart person”, but that’s a false association.
Doctors are just people who studied a lot longer, and that doesn’t make them smart, nor more credible in any meaningful way.