Um, yeah, I’d be okay with it.
I change how I define my own quasi-irreligiosity on a sporadic basis. I’m a Deist, no, sort of agnostic, with shades of philosophical animism & vague belief in what may or may not be the Tao. My sacred text is Robert Sheckley’s “Can You Feel Anything When I Do This?” & my hymn is Mike & the Mechanics’ “Silent Running”–this week.
Are you willing to take me on as a patient?
Unless you’re a D.O., I might not consider you. I have a thing for D.O.'s since I wanted to be one once.
You’re atheist, that’s fine. The only people that might get offended by that, are probably the people that would ask you ahead of time. No need to advertise, no need to hide it.
I kinda think I would prefer an atheist for my doctor if I had a terminal disease. I like my facts a la carte, no side of belief.
I’ve never discussed religion with a doctor, so on that level, I’d have to say ‘who cares?’ It’s not going to come up that much, I would think. As an atheist myself, obviously I wouldn’t be bothered by having an athiest doctor.
Well, when my Mom had uterine cancer (she’s fine now) it did help that the Dr. spoke supportively when she mentioned having our Church pray for her & the pastors visiting her- not so much whether or not he believed, but that he respected & supported what was important to us.
If you can do that with a religious patient, that’s part of being a good Dr… unless of course, the religious belief is totally wacky. 
I don’t know what any of my doctors believe religiously, and I don’t really want to know.
When I’m ill enough to need medical care, I want the entire focus to be on the illness and treatment.
I’m in the midst of med school right now. I’m hoping I can avoid getting into specifics about my religious views with patients. I’d expect that in the majority of cases where the patients care what your religious views are, they’re probably strongly opinionated enough on the issue that it will bother them if you don’t share their views…so, as I see it, it’s not worth the risk of alienating the patient by discussing side issues like that.
If someone finds comfort in religion when they’re facing illness or death, I say whatever makes them feel better is fine - I wouldn’t want to threaten that by mentioning atheistic beliefs. If they don’t want religion involved, then I certainly wouldn’t want to make them upset by bringing up religious sentiments that they might find offensive.
If a patient wants to talk about religion, I think it’s better to encourage them to talk to the hospital chaplain or call their pastor, something like that. Leave the medical issues to the docs and the religious issues to the religious folk.
I couldn’t care less, and don’t see why anyone else would. From their ethnicity, my guess would be that my past doctors have been, at least nominally, C of E and Hindu, but it’s never crossed my mind to ask, or even to wonder. It seems to me that no one would expend the time, money and effort to get through medical school only to compromise what they’d learned for the sake of beliefs that they already had before embarking on medical training. That said, I suppose that if I was Catholic, for example, I might have qualms about employing a doctor who was pro-abortion, but only if I’d actually thought to sound them out about their beliefs. Is that the sort of thing that the OP is getting at?
I might be a bit worried if it transpired that my doctor followed a belief system that was diametrically opposed to mainstream medical thinking, but someone like that would surely be unlikely to join the medical profession (unless it was with the explicit intention of sabotaging it - not something that I suspect my doctor of).
No problem, as long as you respect your patient’s beliefs. Why would there be?
It is generally frowned upon for a doctor to express any religious views unless specifically asked to by a patient, and then all you have to do is be honest. If you can accept that some people take comfort in their religion, and you do your best to respect that, then you shouldn’t have problems.
As long as you recognise that some people may wish to speak to a spiritual advisor, and that some people may have religious beliefs that may impact on whether they feel a particular treatment is right for them, you’ll be fine.
If you’re asked to pray with a patient, you have 2 choices, either to politely decline, or to go along with it - that will be up to you and will depend on your patient, your beliefs and the circumstances.
For example, if your devoutly Christian patient who is terminally ill, tells you that they’re not afraid of dying because they have a strong belief in heaven, just smiling, nodding and saying something non-committal (“I’m glad that gives you comfort”) can be all that is required, and it doesn’t compromise your beliefs in any way.
It’s certainly far better than trying to convince them that they’re wrong and that there is no afterlife, no God and that they’re just going to rot in a box in the ground.
Not, of course, that you would ever do anything so insensitive.
Well, as a Bible thumping believer myself, I’d be a bit concerned inasmuch that the constraint on malpractice, slipping me a dodgy pill or two, etc. that a fear of making one’s maker would be likely to have on a fellow Bible-thumper, would have absolutely zero effect on a heathen like you. However, on reflection, and having sought forgiveness for my judgemental attitude, I’d think of all those millions of hungry lawyers you’ve got in the States, and all those fine upstanding folks who serve on hospital boards, and stuff, and I’d say to myself “I’m safer in this bloke’s hands than in the hands of some guy who’s liable to suddenly get a word from the Lord or want to ask me if I sense the Lord urging me to give some money to some fund he’s in charge of.”
So now, you can sign me up right now. I’ve got a Carpal Tunnel like thing in my left arm (I’m right-handed and use the mouse with my right hand - there we are - all you need to know), brought on by stress (of course) and too much writing silly posts on a message board.
… whatdoesthathavetodowiththepriceofbeans?
That and “what do you like to fuck” are two things I’d never ask my doctor.
‘meeting one’s maker’ - see, carpal tunnel getting worse by the minute.
I’m a devout, if eccentric Christian, and it wouldn’t make a bit of difference to me. In fact, I’d prefer you to a practice a friend of mine once went to down in the Washington DC area.
After her second child was born, my friend asked her doctor about going on the pill. Her doctor said (quoting from memory), “We don’t do this. This is a good, Christian practice.” My friend asked for a Change of Primary Physician form; when she told me this, I told her I would have said, “Fine. I’ll find myself a good, pagain one then!”
[QUOTE=Siege]
I’m a devout, if eccentric Christian, and it wouldn’t make a bit of difference to me. In fact, I’d prefer you to a practice a friend of mine once went to down in the Washington DC area.
After her second child was born, my friend asked her doctor about going on the pill. Her doctor said (quoting from memory), “We don’t do this. This is a good, Christian practice.” My friend asked for a Change of Primary Physician form; when she told me this, I told her I would have said, “Fine. I’ll find myself a good, pagain one then!”
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Of course you would, Siege. No surprise there.
Mal, Christian who dare not call himself devout, neither knows nor cares, nor has known nor cared, about the religious proclivities of any of his healthcare operatives past or present.
[QUOTE=Pazu]
Considering how often the reverse perspective seems to be present in this society (sick patient recovers: “Thank God; we were all praying for you!”; sick patient dies: “The doctor screwed up, let’s sue him!”), a little turnabout might be refreshing once in a while.
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Probably closer to the reality of the US than of the two countries the docs in my examples came from. The religious belief is present, the litigious culture isn’t. But still, I take your point.
[QUOTE=Nava]
That and “what do you like to fuck” are two things I’d never ask my doctor.
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Agreed. Although I have heard people say in all seriousness that they would not want a gay dentist. :rolleyes:
I have rarely had any reason to discuss a doctor’s religion with him. I want to know if he is good at what he does.
The closest I ever got was when my surgeon told me that he had “outside help” in saving my life last year. He was serious. We didn’t get into the specifics of his beliefs though.
It wouldn’t make any difference to me, but I think it would hurt your practice if it came out. The Dope is one of the most atheist friendly places around - try posting this over on a Christian board. So I think you need to decide if you want to remain closeted.
You could try being Unitarian. We take atheists and you can be politically involved in “religious diversity including freedom from religion” movements without the world needing to know that you, yourself are not a theist. It may be a workable compromise.
[QUOTE=choosybeggar]
The topic of religion is raised more often than you imagine by patients. I have been asked my opinion on spiritual matters.
Furthermore, I’m considering joining an atheist organization; generally a “meet like-minded people” affair, but with a political arm. I wondered over the potential to hurt my practice.
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Question- would you feel comfortable with a doctor who was active in a religious organization that had a political arm?
[QUOTE=handsomeharry]
First of all, I would like to know if you have ever had any medical training and have you ever been licensed to practice.
The answer being in the affirmative, I would still have to say that I would prefer a fellow Christian, for the following reasons:
I don’t follow this. Do you mean backslidden FROM Christianity? If so, why would the doctor’s prayers have any more impact than those of your real friends and family, or your own prayers?
[QUOTE=handsomeharry]
2. Any doctor is deciding life/death/eternal matters while he is treating me. If my doctor sees me as being eternally expendable because he doesn’t believe in an eternity, **I **will be the one that reaps the results of **his ** convictions. If he has a friend/fellow disbeliever/relative that would benefit from my kidneys or heart, and doesn’t believe in a divine retribution for cutting my gizzard out in favor of one of his loved ones at my expense, I believe that I would be ill served. Or, he may not give the ‘heroic measures’ needed if he thinks that I am just going into some void or vacuum.
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Uh, Christians believe they will be moving on to eternal paradise. Atheists believe that they die dead, no do-overs, no re-takes, no afterlife. Aside from the fact that doctors are in their field for the purpose of saving your life, why do you think an atheist would be less likely to value your life here on earth? Christians think they’re going to paradise; atheists think they’re going to die dead. Surely the atheist has more reason to fear death for himself or others than the Christian who knows that, regardless of how he has sinned, belief will merit forgiveness and eternal happiness.
Or are you one of those folks who thinks that the threat of eternal hellfire is the only reason people are moral, and thus there can be no morality without religion?
[QUOTE=handsomeharry]
3. A fellow Christian could agree in prayer for me, cf. Matthew 18:20 (I’m away from my Bible, but I think the reference is correct …“If any two on earth agree…it shall be done of my Father in Heaven…”)
hh
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Again, I don’t follow the meaning or relevance of this quotation. Do you mean that two people have to pray for something in order for God to pay attention?
Please understand, Harry, I am *not * trying to put you down. I’m just trying to understand your viewpoint. At the moment, I am confoozled.
Add me to the list that doesn’t care if you’re athiest or not. Your religion or lack thereof wouldn’t even enter my thought process on whether to pick you as a doctor.
I’m more concerned with where someone went to med school, what specialized training they have, if I feel comfortable around them, are they in a convenient location for me to get to etc.
My wife and I are atheists. When she was looking for an OB/GYN prior to the birth of our second child, we rejected one highly-recommended doctor **partially ** because he was so blatantly fundamentalist. (Virtually every piece of decoration in his office had some sort of Christian theme.) We also didn’t like his manner very much; his philosophy was “I’m the expert, you’re not – my way or the highway”. We just didn’t feel comfortable with him.