Thursday Thirteen

Things to look for in a good doctor -

1. Caring. I think this is number one. A doctor should genuinely care about people as people, and be there to help and heal. Some doctors are just in it for the money, I guess, because they certainly don't act like they want to help.

2. Personality. If a doctor has no personality, or an off-putting personality, or for some other reason you cannot relate well to the physician, then run. This is also known as "bedside manner."

3. Availability. Your doctor should be available to see you or speak with you on the phone during emergencies. With today's technologies, some doctors correspond with patients via email (mine does this).

4. A caring staff. If the staff is more interested in talking to one another than in keeping you from standing at the window waiting, you might want to factor this into your decision about your health care giver.

5. Location. If your doctor is far away from you, then #3 becomes problematic.

6. Cleanliness. Make sure the facility looks like it is cared for. The bathrooms should be clean, the floors swept, and the tables should have paper on them.

7. Experience. New doctors may be up on current knowledge and that can be helpful, but older doctors have seen more and dealt with different scenarios. Ideally, you should have a doctor who is still young but been in practice for 7-10 years.

8. Listening skills. If the doctor only hears what s/he wants to hear and doesn't hear what you are saying, you will not get the care you need. Some doctors immediately sum up patients and their own prejudices and biases get in the way.

9. They offer a solution or say "I don't know," not "You're just crazy/depressed/female, or whatever." For example, if a doctor tells you to lose weight and doesn't give you specifics on how to go about that, then what good is that advice? I'm pretty sure you know if you're overweight or not, and if you knew how to lose weight, then you'd do it.

10. Make sure the doctor can explain things. If the doctor talks in "doctor talk" and you have no idea what s/he is saying, you've gained nothing.

11. S/he will work with you on fees, charges, insurance, and other financial concerns. They can't carry you financially forever, but they should work out a payment plan if necessary.

12. A good doctor is respectful of you, your family, and your time.

13. A good doctor welcomes second opinions and may even ask you to get one if you have a serious health concern.

Good doctors are hard to find but they are out there. Keep looking if you're not happy with your physician. You have the right to find someone you want to work with. After all, it is your body and it is the only one you will have. They haven't invented head transplants yet.


Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while and this is my 412th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.