Are PM docs really “doctors”?
One of the most common misconceptions about PM is that PM doctors aren’t “real” doctors because they don’t see patients full-time. Nothing could be further from the truth – while the historical ideal of doctoring conjures up images of white coats, stethoscopes, and tongue depressors, the world of medicine is changing rapidly. More and more, the skills and tools of clinicians trained in population health and public health are needed to advance the care of patients and the populations they comprise. As technology sprawls forward and the world shrinks, physicians will be called to think globally while acting locally. We have a social responsibility to practice responsibly AND help to guide and inform the health care system and policies that make health care delivery possible. Those are few of the particular things that PM docs are uniquely trained to do – and it doesn’t get more “real” than that.
