High Status of Physicians

I believe that the high status of physicians is something that has developed since the very beginning of time.  The training and education that goes into becoming a physician is what gives this career its respect, credibility, and authority.  In addition to the time devoted to learning the material to medically help people, I believe that (in general) physicians are so highly regarded because they are healing people, saving lives, and ideally improving the quality of life of their patients. I mean, when you think about it, general practitioners must go through at least 4 years of undergraduate work, 4 years of medical school, and 2 years of residency; coming to a total of 10 years of school on top of high school and elementary school.  That is 10 years of schooling on top of basic schooling.  Not to mention that learning never really ends because there are always new procedures and technologies being developed.  

In regards to other health professionals not having as much respect and authority in society, they are truly undervalued.  The hospital setting, nurses, occupational therapists, nutritionists, technicians, etc are really the people who help and nurse the patient back to health.  The physicians are with the patients for maybe 20 min. max/a day, while nurses and other health professionals are with the patients around the clock. Public health professionals also do not gain enough respect from the public either.  Public health professionals really collect so much data that physicians use to help run their practices and public health research will ultimately effect the medical world.  Hopefully this will change with the higher demand for other health professionals.

I think the way we view physicians has been a perspective that has been passed on from generation to generation.  Whether this perspective has been reinforce with the amount of education, income, ability to effect lives, etc, physicians are still people who maintain a high status in society.