Everyone needs to vent. That's all the OP is doing. And yes, in most of these cases (only speaking from personal experience, don't know what set the OP off) it *IS* the patient's 'fault'. Only, exclusively, and entirely.

Take two patients the same age, gender, race, socioeconomic background, profession, medical history, etc.

One of them likes to sit around and stuff ho-hos in his face and wash them down with soda and drive-thru burgers and fries. And don't forget the ice cream. God forbid he doesn't get the ice cream. His expectation is 'you fix it'.

The other one more or less watches what he eats, gets at least a little exercise with a few outdoor hobbies, makes an effort to understand whatever his condition or complaint is, engages in a dialogue regarding treatment options. He has realistic goals set and expects that the treatment team will help him meet those goals.

These two people could have the exact same life experiences, but personal drive means that A is a lazy slub and B isn't.

Which one would you rather deal with?

The vast majority of patients in my hospital are the type B. They are in and out and things usually go well. More and more, and younger and younger, are becoming A.



Since people are determined to make this equivalent to other fields (and a huge lulz at that, having worked in two others)

It's like asking a builder to build your dream home and then not giving any input as to what you want in your dream home.

It's like just telling your gas plumber 'the house is leaking' and expecting them to find it, fix it, and do it in less than an hour, and he better not interrupt you while you're watching Judge Judy.

It's like telling the engineer 'design the skyscraper tall and you have to use this steel', when the engineer is telling you loud and clear the steel you picked isn't up to the task.


I love working direct patient care 99% of the time, even when the hours suck. It beats the hell out of working in a cube farm and way better than being stuck outside with the shovel. But that one percent...sweet mother it is enough to make you want to explode.