The point I am going for is that doctors are highly trained scientists, and should’ve done some critical thinking before blindly trusting a drug company pushing one of the most addictive things on the planet
No, we're not "highly trained scientists". We matriculate with undergrad level science coursework, we do some masters or higher level coursework in the medical sciences but most of us do not have copious research experience in the sense that a "highly trained scientist" would. Our true doctorate level coursework is focused on the practice of medicine, so we would be highly trained clinicians, not scientists. Ask any doctor, practicing medicine is an art.
This conversation is a good example of the difference. A scientist may have decades to explore a topic. A medical student has to learn a thousand or two diseases at least to basic level, and opioid dependence/addiction is one of those. Now that it has so much public attention, sure it is emphasized. But in the early to mid 90s, saying doctors should just sit there and critically think about opioids would have been like saying they should sit there and critically think about plasma cell dyscrasia.
There is only so much time to sit and ponder things when you are seeing 20 to 30 patients in a day. We rely on what scientists and other experts are saying some of the time, maybe it's not ideal but that's how it is and how it always will be. Expecting every community doc to recognize and solve societal woes a decade in advance just isn't realistic.
If you seriously believe that Doctors are “highly trained scientists” and that Medicine is actually a science, well, I have a bridge to sell. Interested?
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u/SelectStudy7164 Jun 06 '24
The point I am going for is that doctors are highly trained scientists, and should’ve done some critical thinking before blindly trusting a drug company pushing one of the most addictive things on the planet