Are you still impressed when somebody says they are a doctor?

"Doctors are not as clever as they used to be"

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1206681/Why-doctors-clever-used-be.html

Dumbed down education, grade inflation and the rest of it.

Which profession most impresses you?

Reply 1

tpxvs

15

Medicine

...but as a med student i am slightly biased! I suppose it depends on the individual, theres definitely some physicists, engineers etc that are very impressive. But for a profession as a whole, i still think medicine. But then again i'm pressed at anyone that is good at and passionate about what they do. For example, primary school teachers -although the content is quite frankly very basic, its the drive and enthusiasm they can pass onto the kids which can be very impressive.

Reply 2

Pafeetus

11

Quoting the daily fail :P
That article is a joke.
How is IQ related to intelligence, how reliable is the correlation?
The difference in IQ is marginal.
The IQs of the professions are compared to the average, so perhaps national education/ intelligence has improved so there is less of a difference.
How is IQ related to ability at the profession?
Etc.
this is a classic article toting the Daily Fails agenda of pro-establishment, conservative, populist dogma. Aimed at Middle Aged to elderly people.
/ rant

I apologise for Daily Mail bashing.

This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App

Reply 3

CaptainDudeson

11

Not especially. It depends what kind of a doctor they are. I find GP's to be a bit wet.

Reply 4

theguv92

6

Doctors are no longer particularly well paid on the NHS anyway. First year salary for a doctor circa £25k. First year City Lawyer £38k.

Reply 5

Helenia

20

Original post by theguv92

Doctors are no longer particularly well paid on the NHS anyway. First year salary for a doctor circa £25k. First year City Lawyer £38k.

It's usually more than that due to banding, actually, but that's not really the point. Are you suggesting that salary level is the main determinant of what you think deserves "respect?"

Reply 6

Ace Ten

Original post by Helenia

It's usually more than that due to banding, actually, but that's not really the point. Are you suggesting that salary level is the main determinant of what you think deserves "respect?"

Earnings do serve as the primary barometer for the value someone brings to society.

I'm bracing myself for some mystical, spiritual nonsense here - but how else would you determine how much respect someone deserves?

Reply 7

DannyBoy123

15

Unless I'm asking them for medical help I couldn't care less.

Reply 8

username42059

10

Original post by Ace Ten

Earnings do serve as the primary barometer for the value someone brings to society.

I'm bracing myself for some mystical, spiritual nonsense here - but how else would you determine how much respect someone deserves?

Bankers get paid megabucks and they brought society to it's knees.

I think the barometer might need recalibration.

Disclaimer :colone:

veryone in society deserves a base level of respect because by they're dignified simply by their human essence. Even bankers.

Reply 9

Ace Ten

Original post by hakking

Bankers get paid megabucks and they brought society to it's knees.

I think the barometer might need recalibration.

Disclaimer :colone:

veryone in society deserves a base level of respect because by they're dignified simply by their human essence. Even bankers.

I was referring to money actually earned. :wink:

Reply 10

Skip_Snip

3

Original post by Ace Ten

Earnings do serve as the primary barometer for the value someone brings to society.

I'm bracing myself for some mystical, spiritual nonsense here - but how else would you determine how much respect someone deserves?

Lawyers are just blood suckers, and doctors used to prescribe leeches to cure illness, so really lawyers should be thankful for the past doctors' leg up :wink:

Reply 11

cambio wechsel

20

Original post by Ace Ten

Earnings do serve as the primary barometer for the value someone brings to society.

I'm bracing myself for some mystical, spiritual nonsense here - but how else would you determine how much respect someone deserves?

anything that isn't a mercantile and arithmetic measure is "mystical, spiritual nonsense"?

Some things remain divorced from the calculations of the market. And my regard is one of these. I have more respect for doctors than for bankers and more respect for firefighters than for either.

Reply 12

Dude Where's My Username

15

Not really, no. If they come from a certain background, I expect it.

Reply 13

rjm91

My last doctor was a pretentious ****! Looked down his nose at me. Totally uncomfortable. In fact, I changed to a different one.

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 14

jess_m94

12

I still am impressed. I applied for medicine this year and it was so hard! And I know that this was only the first step and I can imagine it just gets more difficult so yeah, I am impressed with people who have succeeded!

But I guess it depends on what type of background you have, the only doctor I know is my GP, so I guess if your whole family are doctors you won't really be impressed :smile:

EDIT: Also, my GP got a BCC offer when he applied for med school so I'm not sure if doctors are getting more stupid :tongue:

(TBF he did apply a very long time ago though!)

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 15

Ace Ten

Original post by cambio wechsel

anything that isn't a mercantile and arithmetic measure is "mystical, spiritual nonsense"?

Some things remain divorced from the calculations of the market. And my regard is one of these. I have more respect for doctors than for bankers and more respect for firefighters than for either.

Why fire-fighters?

Reply 16

Genocidal

19

I was never particularly impressed.

Reply 17

uberteknik

21

IQ testing, what a laugh. The whole point is that 100 is the benchmark score. The article says nothing of how (if at all) the actual test questions between then and now are considered equal. IQ testing is a very stratified and biased view of intelligence and proven time and again to be flawed.

I don't think professions in general have been dumbed down. You only need to look at the remarkable progress made in all areas of science, technology, medicine, engineering......the list goes on.

Another way of looking at it is, that many more people are achieving their educational potential and quite rightly questioning the decisions of those who were traditionally beyond approach, then holding them to account.

That's not dumbing down but it does signal a more aware and mature society and a closing of the educational and aspiration gap.

Reply 18

Voyager_2002

11

What about non-medical doctors, for example people who have completed a PhD?

Personally I would have far more respect for someone's opinions and strength of character if I know they have earned a doctorate than otherwise: that is because I know how much my ability to think critically and assess evidence was developed by the experience, and just how much effort and persistence it took.