The Doctor’s In
This is a big issue for us: Top Doctors. Here, we tell you what area doctors think about their peers. There is sure to be some controversy, because who isn’t attached to his or her own physician, list or no list? Our doctors listen to us and make us feel better. I suspect, despite what we hear in the news, they really do know us.
Perhaps they know us better than we think. Although I feel like the only one who has said, “Um, doctor, there’s just this little thing I wanted to ask you about ….” I swear I’m not actually the first or last. They see lots of people with “just little” questions that could use a doctor’s opinion.
(And they must know how hard it can be to sit in those little dressing gowns.)
I grew up in a family in which everyone was a medical professional. My mother never had to worry about my running with scissors, because I always had a pair of cardiovascular clamps instead. I don’t know what I’d do with one now, but as a kid, it was a nifty tool. I also saw the uniforms, stethoscopes, and other paraphernalia of hospitals and care centers every day. Soft-soled shoes made for walking rounds were normal.
Doesn’t mean I like the stuff. I get as nervous as the next guy about blood tests and white lab coats. And it doesn’t get easier as I get older and start to hear, “Well, maybe it’s time we did such-and-such a test.”
So, something could be wrong? You can’t help but start going down that road.And that’s where a really good doctor earns his or her stripes. Not only can we talk about symptoms and treatments, but also our lifestyles and emotions. After all, a doctor can only do a great job when he or she has all the facts — so while it’s up to you to make sure you are open and honest, it’s up to the doctor to make you feel at ease to do so.
And when medical news isn’t good, we patients appreciate acknowledgment that we feel scared or sad or angry about it. Call it old-school, but I like a doctor who can read a person and know how to comfort.
So, we present this list; go ahead, check out the 101 doctors, in forty specialties — all respected by their peers.
My doctors aren’t on the list, but I’m OK with that. I’m attached already.