I have worked closely with many physicians during my career in acute health care. They were all highly intelligent. Most enjoyed a large degree of common sense… only a few did not.
Once, when I was just starting out in management, I worked with a hesitant physician. He confounded me when he handed me a patient’s medical record and asked me what I thought was wrong with that particular patient. Of course, I had an opinion, but I responded in the only way legally possible. I told him that I wouldn’t dare to tell him, a physician, what was wrong with the patient… and referred him to another physician who had an interest in such cases.
Once, when I was in a large, meeting of the various Executives and Administrators, Chiefs of (Medical) Staffs and Senior Support Staff of affiliated hospitals, a surgeon I had worked with for many years and I got a little crossways on an issue, and he came close to yelling at me. We were both reasonable people, and I respected him highly. We quickly resolved our differences. The meeting broke up soon after, and I gathered my stuff to return to my office. The surgeon headed around the huge Board Room table, called my name and asked me to wait up. As he approached, his right hand was extended, headed for my throat. The crazy thought crossed my mind that he might be angry enough to choke me. But I never really thought he would do such. I stayed still… didn’t flinch when his hand circled my throat. Everyone was looking at us.
“You’ve got something in your throat.” Sure enough I could feel his fingers examine something. He smiled and advised me not to worry, that “no one dies of thyroid cancer in this day and age.” Subsequently he performed a partial thyroidectomy on me for a benign adenoma.