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Dorothy不在堪薩斯了

(2006-10-29 18:39:39) 下一個


我們PROGRAM有一個傳統,每年萬聖節之前的星期五,要舉行constume晚會,我不太喜歡參加晚會,而且周六還要值班,所以打算不去了。從上個星期開始,大家就著手準備constume了,還互相試探,挺好玩的。

星期五上午,我的一個病人是終末期腎病透析,發作了心力衰竭,肺水腫,ICU attending讓我打電話給心髒科值班醫生會診。那個醫生的脾氣是著名的不好,我剛剛把病史說完,那個醫生就發作了,說這樣的透析病人心髒科還能做什麽,這種會診太愚蠢了blahblah,用詞非常難聽。然後就粗魯地掛上了電話。

我掛上電話,看著電腦,過了好一會兒才平靜下來。但是那個心髒科醫生的話像一種病毒侵染了我的情緒,我的自尊心跌落到了極點。中午的時候我坐在休息室裏發呆,一個兩年級的住院醫生發現了我的異樣,說你怎麽了,我說沒什麽,他沒有多問,而是說,走,我們去喝咖啡,我搖搖頭,他堅持要我和一起去。

走在走廊的時候,住院醫生對我說,每個人都有不順的時候,要學會把一些垃圾放在身後,不要把垃圾堆在心裏。我走在他邊上眼眶忍不住紅了。

周五下午是門診,看到很晚才結束。

臨走的時候,attending問我去不去晚會,我說不去了,明天還要值班,他說so what,你可以去早點回去。看著他微笑的眼睛,不知道為什麽,我積蓄了一天的委屈,沮喪,終於毫無保留地傾瀉出來,我就把白天的事情跟他說了。他神色嚴肅地聽完,然後慢慢地開導我,跟我說下次應該怎麽回答這樣粗魯的醫生。他說,以後在真正的世界裏,你還會遇到很多這樣的愛絲厚,要堅強而又禮貌,在人格上戰勝他。attending說,真正的男人,會挑戰和自己同年資的人,會質疑權威,但是不會對一個比自己年資低很多的人大喊大叫。

我們說了很久,我我得很不好意思,因為他住得很遠,要趕回去換衣服,然後還要趕回來參加化妝晚會。臨走的時候,他說,希望晚上會看到你。

我在晚會開始半個小時以後,決定去商店買costume了。

打開晚會的大門,音樂人聲鼎沸,大家看見我都很驚喜,我們互相擁抱。看見這些平時努力工作的醫生們打扮成各種古怪搞笑的樣子,真得很好玩。

我的裝束是綠野仙蹤的Dorothy,一個被龍卷風吹到了神秘土地的女孩子。我把頭發紮成了兩個小辮子,提著小籃子和小狗,穿著藍裙子和紅皮鞋。看到一個亞洲女生打扮成美國經典童話的人物,大家都覺得很好玩。忽然一個高高的獨眼海盜站在我麵前,我看了半天,才發現是下午和我談話的attending,我不由得驚喜地叫出來。他微笑地說,很高興你能來,dorothy.

Dorothy不在堪薩斯了,我也不在自己的家鄉了,希望我能最終找到自己想要找的東西。
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閱讀 ()評論 (12)
評論
lullaby_g 回複 悄悄話 我覺得國內的醫生投入產出比應該比美國高 (ZT) ----not really.
澀郎 回複 悄悄話 what did you say?
ddsd 回複 悄悄話 我覺得國內的醫生投入產出比應該比美國高 (ZT)

我自己不是醫生,但是認識一些在美國土生土長的醫生,也認識國內的資深醫生。在風險回報來說,中國的醫生是一種管製不高的壟斷性行業,美國醫生就是管製很高的壟斷性行業,回報高之餘投入也非常高。

美國的醫生,如果不是從事specialist, 做專科,收入也不是很高。不是很高是相對於投入來說,醫學院競爭很高,能進醫學院的腦子來說,讀商學院、法學院一概都沒有問題,但是醫學院要4年。4年出來要做廉價勞工住院醫生3年(還是4年),等到終於能出來賺錢了,30歲。這還不算,一身的學費債,25萬美元,都夠買房子首期了。

醫生裏麵的general practice,家庭醫生類的,才出來的幾年,15-20萬美元,扣了稅,扣了還學費的債,稅後跟一個30來歲讀了其他研究院就出來工作的相差不大。家庭醫生的上限有限,做到50來歲也就比通脹高點而已。

醫生裏麵真正高薪的都是專科,其中以心胸神經科為最,動手術的當然應該。但是投入非常高,除了剛才說的訓練以外,額外要多加上6-8年的實習訓練,賺錢的時刻又退後了,等到出來單幹的時候都30靠後近40了。不僅如此,動手術的不能一直幹下去,黃金期隻有40-55歲左右,再幹下去體力不支,60歲就差不多要從手術台上退下來,你不退我做病人的也不找你。這些專科的手術醫生黃金期可以賺50-100萬美元一年,但是一輩子就那麽10來年能這麽賺法,扣除40%的稅,我覺得這個薪金是他們該拿的。醫生還有一個非常高的開銷,malpractice insurance, 給人告了不至於傾家蕩產。但是隻要給人告了一次得值,他的保險費就可能達到稅前收入的1/4。給人告了兩次得值,保險公司根本不受保,他的醫生生涯就此完蛋。

美國醫生絕對不可能幹醫藥回扣,因為你看他的投入就知道了,一旦被吊銷牌照,之前30年生命的投入,加上幾十萬的學費,全部泡湯,此生可以賺到的幾百萬馬上變成零。我問過一個醫生,要多少錢回扣她才覺得值得,她說,就算你給她幾千萬,還得保證她不坐牢,財產不沒收,要不然根本不合算。藥廠的銷售手段不過事請醫生去度假勝地開會啊,打golf這種小恩小惠,現金交易醫生根本不敢接受。紅包更加不敢接了。

國內的資深醫生,現在的收入絕對能跟美國的同行看齊,主要是靠醫藥儀器回扣,回扣在國內是合法的,整個科室都有回扣指標。大至通心髒支架,小至關節置換,拍X光片,全部有回扣,要是癌症藥,那個回扣就非常可觀了,就算平常的藥,醫院的價格都是外麵的幾十倍,而且你不買不行,你在醫院住能不吊醫院的鹽水嗎?紅包都是其次了,資深醫生動手術的幾千一萬的也不比美國同行多,而且中國的手術費也比較便宜,但是回扣才是真正的聚少成多豐厚利潤。美國的醫生與藥行是兩個分開的行業,中國就合並起來了,所以醫生連藥劑師那份也賺了,還能影響病人專門吃貴藥,回扣紅包一律不上稅,不賺死才怪。

中國才進行的不好說,其實資深、有高級職稱的到底一年有多少我也不知道,但是有側麵的數據。我以前有個老鄰居,總之20年前還是挺窮的一個醫生,現在當然職稱高了很多,唯一的女兒在美國,為了搞綠卡在中國人的公司幹,錢當然沒多少。但是老爸能幫女兒在辦綠卡的時候現金在南加買房,花費接近上百萬。美國的醫生能拿出一百萬現金出來買房的也不是大部分。

隻要中國的醫療製度不改變,我覺得全世界回報最穩當的醫生肯定在中國。
遠方的河 回複 悄悄話 人能夠真正快樂的辦法,就是學會苦中作樂。因為人人都是帶著苦難在生活。

like this word: 愛絲厚,haha
Angelboy 回複 悄悄話 It sounds like the communication problem existed although quality of patient care was unlikely affected.

Few years ago, patients died due to communication and accountability problems in the world’s top one children hospital. The hospital paid huge money to victims families. The state health department stepped in and conducted full review of hospital license. Hospital policy was then changed including that an ombudsman was appointed, this person would take complaints from medical residents if senior doctors brush off their calls for advice. They put in writing a code that is sometimes honored in the breach: Residents must never be criticized for asking a senior doctor for help, only for failing to ask.
Bali 回複 悄悄話 I am in finance. A colleague of mine used to get tough time from some arrogant New York brokers and according to her, it was because of her thick Chinese accent. The a***h**** always questioned who she was. One day she got so upset and replied "my name is Fu, FU". That was like the best line for the week.
黃金時代 回複 悄悄話 盡量讓自己開心吧,愛死吼太多了,他們的責任就是讓人難受的,所以,不要在意也不要理會,其實這樣的人是很可憐,他們非常的不快樂的活著,並且讓別人也不快樂,多麽可悲啊.
很為你慶幸你有一個這麽好的Attending.

cheer up!!
happy holloween!
冰天雪地一蘿卜 回複 悄悄話 I started my job as the Branch Accountant after 3 months I landed in Canada, the language problem was never that serious to me. I was so nervous in talking with local people on the phone esp. the people from states. Some of them were very nice to me, slow and clear, but some of them, vague and with strong accent, and always on speaker. So you can imagine how tough it is for me to have the conference call with those American guys.

I cried as you did when they yelled at me, but now I really don't care when people's yelling at me, cause I know if I become Firmer and Stronger, they will stop yelling and be "polite".

Don't be sad, you are such a smartie. :-)
冰天雪地一蘿卜 回複 悄悄話 Be firm and be strong!
落花飄零 回複 悄悄話 I understand the consult might not be necessarry, but

1, he is talking to an intern, she must have discussed the case with her attending before she had the gut to page him. he doesn't have the courage to yell at my attending, instead he yelled at me, who he is sure would not stand up for herself. this is so lame.
2. even there is not much he can do, it's still a cardiology case, nothing wrong to involve him, all he needs to do is to stop sometime in later afternoon, review the chart and leave some quick note. it's so unprofessional and unnecessarry to snap out.
3.he makes me understand what kind of physician i want to be, and what kind of physician i don't want to be. my attending told me, he was removed from board memeber last year because he screwed with other doc , i am not surprised.

thank you wuximm, for leaving message here everytime i get frustrated.
wuximm 回複 悄悄話 It only happens in teaching programs that a specialist gets upset for referals. In the real world, they will thank you for every referal, that is how they get business. It is true though that there is nothing a cardiologist can offer for a ESRD, CHF, pulmonary edema patient. He should have come and leave a quick note stating he can't add on anything to benefit pt for legal reason. He should have not yelled at you. I am glad you went to the party.
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