Surgical status.

Re: Surgical status.

Thomas Johnson — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 17:37:39 GMT

[quote user="Mark Hedberg"]

How do they assess the benefit seeker then, with no history?

[/quote]

You have to fill in an extensive questionnaire before you go for the interview and when you go they have a set of questions to go through to score you in 20 categories, 10 are related to your physical capability and 10 to your mental capability. The interview process takes over an hour. You have to score over 15 points to be eligible to stay on benefit, and you can score 6, 9 or 15 points in each category. I don't know much about the physical categories, but in my opinion the assessment for mental capability gives a very poor assessment of your capability to work. The questions relate to what you do on a day to day basis, but there appears to be no understanding that what you are capable of doing in a home/social environment may bear no relation to how stressful a work environment might be for you.

Re: Surgical status.

Hannah Wynne Richards — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 14:47:19 GMT

Even without the extra money from sickness benefit they still wouldn't starve if on job-seekers allowance-just would be slightly worse off and the rest of us slightly better off, so I would suggest only giving sickness benefit to those more disabled than anyone who is holding down a job I wouldn't complain if all sickness claimants were more disabled than Stephen Hawking-and if that was the criterion all taxpayers would be better off The latest totally unjustified benefit I've heard of is giving alcoholics extra money to buy drink -and that's money we've worked for

Wynne

Re: Surgical status.

Mark Hedberg — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 12:41:33 GMT

How do they assess the benefit seeker then, with no history?

Re: Surgical status.

Thomas Johnson — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 12:22:41 GMT

[quote user="Hannah Wynne Richards"]

Another medical consultant became stroppy when after I had changed his dog's medication I refused to accept the unused drugs back and refund him-again obviously gross ignorance of the law-or a criminal predisposition-not really surprising since so many doctors are prepared to criminally defraud taxpayers on a regular basis when they sign fraudulent sickness certs on demand

[/quote]

GPs can only sign people off for 6 months, after that they are assessed by medical assessors at Job Centre Plus who decide whether they deserve sickness benefit or not, and letters from GPs cannot be used as part of that assessment.

Re: Surgical status.

Martin Atkinson — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 19:20:42 GMT

My GP is wonderful and every consultant surgeon I have ever met has had the greatest respect for me (to my face at least!) and has greatly enjoyed the discussions we've had on the relative ways of treating similar condition in our patients. On the other hand I've already told you about the GP client I had who had to ask me how she could tell if her dog was dead!

Re: Surgical status.

Hannah Wynne Richards — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 15:18:43 GMT

Or the ones who every time they see an asthmatic child ask if there's a pet in the house-and straightaway advising getting rid of it I have dreadfully upset parents in my consulting room and when I ask if the doctor has performed an Arthus skin test they look blank and ask what that is I then tell them togo back and order the doctor to do his/her job properly before they do anything irrevocable Doctors Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wynne

Re: Surgical status.

Gillian Mostyn — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 15:13:53 GMT

GPs seem to think that every case of ringworm they see is caused by the family pet. Drives me nuts!

Re: Surgical status.

Charlotte Marshall — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 15:05:21 GMT

I was talking to my doctor about ringworm and I commented on the fact that it survives in the environment. The doctor's comment was 'Oh that might explain the people I see with ringworm who don't have animals then' Maybe they don't learn about fomites etc.!

Re: Surgical status.

Tim Cheyne — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 14:31:12 GMT

[quote user="Julian Earl"]A second doctor who was also present, pointed out that vets do have stethoscopes[/quote]

Even if they don't wear them around their necks.

Tim.

Re: Surgical status.

Michael Woodhouse — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 13:09:14 GMT

[quote user="Mark Hedberg"]The one that shocked me was that story of a girl dying of TB this last year because the GP said she was 'lovesick'. [/quote]

For her pet badger....................

Re: Surgical status.

Julian Earl — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 12:25:58 GMT

Or the doctor with the six months-old GSD that had a fractured femur - for six weeks - before it was seen. "Well, it's only a dog..."

Or the doctor who asked us how on earth did we diagnose pneumonia in a dog? A second doctor who was also present, pointed out that vets do have stethoscopes and thermometers...

Re: Surgical status.

Hannah Wynne Richards — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 11:29:44 GMT

I once had a couple (both medical consultants ) come in requesting worm treatment for a cat which I hadn't seen for years I poitely informed them that all my wormers were POM so it would be illegal for me to supply when the cat was not currently under my care -I would have expected them to know the law on POMs -but obviously not They said the pet shopwormers weren't working as the cat was still loosing weight! I said in that case it would have to be examined-and it was brought in and found tohave diabetes They said "Do cats get diabetes ?"

Wynne

Re: Surgical status.

Mark Hedberg — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 11:16:56 GMT

The one that shocked me was that story of a girl dying of TB this last year because the GP said she was 'lovesick'.

Re: Surgical status.

Bob Russell — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 10:57:35 GMT

My nephew has had 45 days off school in the last few months because of a chronic cough that was disturbing other children in the class. Numerous visits to the doctors but one visit from his uncle (me!) and Oh! I bet that's whooping cough!

Yup it is!

One up to the vet!

Re: Surgical status.

Wren — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 11:28:39 GMT

[quote user="Tim Cheyne"]

, only to receive the puzzled reply "Do animals get TB then?"

[/quote]

My favourite was an A&E consultant's dog with conjunctivitis who said 'Oh, can dogs get conjunctivitis as well?'. I gently pointed out that they have eyes, have conjunctiva and it should probably be presumed that the latter structure could become inflamed.

Re: Surgical status.

Tim Cheyne — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 19:21:53 GMT

<http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18855099>

BBC website comment on 'Inflated Job Titles' including comment on surgeons.

Tim.

Re: Surgical status.

Tim Cheyne — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 18:27:29 GMT

[quote user="Hannah Bose"]

[quote user="Tim Cheyne"]

Perhaps we should emphasise that we call ourselves 'Mister' to show that we equate with human surgeons.

[/quote]

Or Mrs

[/quote]

Quite but before I posted I actually thought about whether or not I had met a 'Mrs' surgeon and came to the conclusion that the only two female consultant surgeons that I knew worked here and called themselves simply 'doctor' so I played safe!

Tim.

Re: Surgical status.

HMC — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 18:09:05 GMT

[quote user="Tim Cheyne"]

Perhaps we should emphasise that we call ourselves 'Mister' to show that we equate with human surgeons.

[/quote]

Or Mrs

Re: Surgical status.

Tim Cheyne — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 12:56:14 GMT

[quote user="Bob Russell"]Training wise we are just very different![/quote]

Yes, because much of our knowledge is 'comparative' (including human pathology etc), something that many medics do not understand. In particular I find their lack of knowledge of zoonotic diseases quite appalling at times. I subedit a peer-reviewed medical journal and recently I suggested to the author of a paper on lymphadenitis that he might consider inserting a note on the possible impact of drinking unpasteurised milk from local tuberculous cows, only to receive the puzzled reply "Do animals get TB then?"

Perhaps we should emphasise that we call ourselves 'Mister' to show that we equate with human surgeons.

Tim.

Re: Surgical status.

Anthony Todd — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 11:29:09 GMT

[quote user="Martin Atkinson"] vets are not given the title doctor[/quote]

Yeah, I'm doctor in QLD,[ so are chiropractors] but not in NSW, it's on my credit card anyway.

Just need one made out of precious metal now....

Re: Surgical status.

Bob Russell — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 10:05:08 GMT

[quote user="Tim Cheyne"]

[quote user="Bob Russell"]

Last time I looked I had a (veterinary) medical degree and surgical training so perhaps I (like the rest of the profession) should be OK!

[/quote]

Yes, Bob, in veterinary medicine and surgery but I think that you underestimate the degree (no pun intended) to which some medics. especially consultant surgeons, value their own status and regard vets as inferior 'doctors'.

Tim.

[/quote]

Training wise we are just very different!

I live in an area where there are a lot of consultant surgeons and whilst I think they (perhaps rightly) look down on my surgical prowess they do respect the breath of the knowledge and skills that a vet needs!

Perhaps I am lucky that my neighbours and clients who happen to be consultant surgeons don't seem to have particular ego problems away from the hospital environment!

They tend to bring a pet in and say fix it please!

Re: Surgical status.

Tim Cheyne — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 05:40:44 GMT

[quote user="Bob Russell"]

Last time I looked I had a (veterinary) medical degree and surgical training so perhaps I (like the rest of the profession) should be OK!

[/quote]

Tim.

Re: Surgical status.

Martin Atkinson — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 12:08:29 GMT

[quote user="Tim Cheyne"]Bearing in mind that UK is one of the few countries that styles us 'veterinary surgeons' instead of 'veterinarians'[/quote] Also bearing in mind we are one of the few countries where vets are not given the title doctor. Perhaps we should start doing that then they really will have something to worry themselves about!

Re: Surgical status.

Bob Russell — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 11:59:32 GMT

Last time I looked I had a (veterinary) medical degree and surgical training so perhaps I (like the rest of the profession) should be OK!

Re: Surgical status.

Tim Cheyne — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 05:35:04 GMT

It is amusing to treat this in a jocular way but it depends upon how serious (and pompous) these surgeons are in their quest and how much you value the term 'veterinary surgeon'. Bearing in mind that UK is one of the few countries that styles us 'veterinary surgeons' instead of 'veterinarians' we could lose it by default as did the barber-surgeons, and the podiatrists might do. Personally I am happily accustomed to being a 'veterinarian' here but I do get the honorific 'Doctor' as consolation!

Tim.