Re: nurse practitioner for a gyn exam?
From: AMD (anonymous@obgyn.net)
Fri, 25 Aug 2000 17:19:55 -0500 (CDT)
Dr. Hill,
I can't agree with you more. Ideally, you should have a personal
reference and go to the doctor of your choosing that you have had the
opportunity to interview and determine they are knowledgeable and
caring.
The reality is that most people don't have this luxury. Most people
have health plans that seriously limit their options (unless they want
to pay out-of-pocket). Often, the only information you might have is a
name, office location, med school info, and maybe whether or not they
are board-certified. If you're lucky, you may be able to determine if
they've been subject to disciplinary action. It's not as if you can
call the office and ask if the doctor is "compassionate and competent".
I doubt any receptionist is going to tell you "He's a careless jerk who
shouldn't be practicing medicine". And very few doctors have the time
for a "interview" type visit.
It's unfortunate, but sometimes random, useless criteria (like gender,
ethnicity, etc) are all you have left besides "eeny-meeny-miney-moe".
Andrea
At Fri, 25 Aug 2000, D. Ashley Hill, MD wrote:
>
>At Fri, 25 Aug 2000, Christine wrote:
>>
>>I am actually receiving care from a university health center. And I
>>prefer a female gynecologist because I am a recent rape survivor and
>>going through the exam is a very truamtic experience for me. Having a
>>male provider would only make this more difficult than it already is.
>
>I hear what you are saying, but please realize that the male
>gynecologists on this list have likely "successfully" examined and
>treated dozens of rape survivors each. Compassion and respect are not
>gender-specific. Every single rape survivor that I have examined has
>returned to me for care. A recent patient I saw, however, first went to
>a nearby female gynecologist, who told her that she should be more
>careful how she dressed in the future, because "dressing inappropriately
>is an invitation for men to take advantage of you." So much for
>compassion. (On the other hand, had she seen one of my two female
>partners, who are excellent, she would have had a much better
>experience). The point is that choosing a doctor based primarily on
>gender can lead to disaster. It's always best to seek out a physician
>based on two main criteria: competence and compassion. You can almost
>never go wrong. Best wishes,
>
> I
>>agree that there may be no real "know-how" difference between male and
>>female providers, but in such an exam situation like this, some sense of
>>comfortability is as important as the provider's experience.
>>
>>>Interestingly, if you are getting care from a Public Hospital, It is
>>>illegal for you to insist on a female or a male provider, just the same
>>>as it would be illegal for you to insist on a White or African-American
>>>provider. In this case it is gender discrimination. If you insist, it
>>>is also illegal for the Public institution to then provide it to you.
>>>About 2 years ago, there was an excellent discussion of male vs female
>>>providers on this forum and also on the physicians forum. A search of
>>>the archives could bring that up for you. The end result (my
>>>impression) was that it didn't make any difference, there are good and
>>>bad male providers and there are good and bad female providers.
>>>
>>>RDB
>>>
>>>--
>>>R.Daniel Braun, MD FACOG FOG
>>>
>>>**Note: Opinions expressed here are for educational purposes only
>>>and, as such, do not constitute a physician-patient relationship.
>>>This information is not intended to supplant the need for you to
>>>consult with your physician prior to choosing therapeutic options
>>>and/or interventions.
>>>
>>>**Private emails cannot be entertained due to time constraints,
>>>consequently no private emails will receive a response.
>>>
>>>**Thank you for your understanding ;-)
>>>
>>>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>
>>>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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>>>
>--
>David Ashley Hill, MD
>Associate Director
>Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
>Florida Hospital Family Practice Residency
>http://home.cfl.rr.com/dahmd
>
>My apologies, but due to time constraints I am unable to answer private e-mails.
>
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