AMA
I'm a GP AMA
DrBubble · 28/02/2021 21:56
I'm a GP. Any questions about my job?
(Please refrain from asking for specific medical advice)
AnneLovesGilbert · 28/02/2021 21:58
Are we likely to see the return to face to face appointments without first needing a phone call then a video call or are virtual appointments here to stay?
bewildered1023 · 28/02/2021 21:59
Can you keep in touch with patients, have you ever befriended one ?
Have personal experience of this, of a situation where GP and PT became very close over a number of years, and not sure where the boundaries are ordinarily supposed to lie?
Chillihat · 28/02/2021 21:59
Do you think that telephone/video appointments will be the normal way of seeing a GP in the future?
Have you found telephone appointments more efficient?
Personally I have loved being able to make a telephone appointment for things like UTIs, advice on DC illness, sent photos of a rash via email. Much easier and quicker than waiting days for an appointment, parking, waiting ages in the surgery etc.
catlovingdoctor · 28/02/2021 22:00
Why did you choose general medicine over a hospital specialty?
AfterSchoolWorry · 28/02/2021 22:01
Do you ever 'get to the bottom' of the reasons for fatigue?
AntigoneLost · 28/02/2021 22:01
What patients do you find the most annoying / frustrating?
NovemberR · 28/02/2021 22:03
Would you like a card thanking you for the phone conversations you've had with me over long Covid and for referring me to a clinic?
Or would you think it was a bit odd and wonder if I was just sucking up so that you'd keep writing me a sick note?
(I suspect I'm overthinking things, but I've been wondering for weeks whether to send a card to my GPs surgery)
extentioncord · 28/02/2021 22:03
Do you think it's helpful to hear a receptionists interpretation of what might be wrong with a patient or do you think it should be doctor/patient only?
BlowDryRat · 28/02/2021 22:03
My SIL is a GP and puts a definite barrier between work and not-work to stop friends and family asking her to 'just take a quick look'. Do you do anything similar?
jewel1968 · 28/02/2021 22:03
I was reading a twitter thread from a GP that came from a working class background. She talks about how hard it is to get into medicine if you are from that background. I think she said 50% are from private schools and most of the rest are from grammar or outstanding comps. She says that she thinks it is very important to have better representation in medicine. Do you agree? What were your experiences?
Nsky · 28/02/2021 22:03
Why do I never get to chose a male nurse / doctor as my preferred choice, rather than female
Evenstar · 28/02/2021 22:03
What does a typical day look like during the pandemic? It is actually impossible to get any sort of appointment at our surgery. Are you doing telephone/video calls all day?
Turnedouttoes · 28/02/2021 22:04
Is it standard now that you don’t have a designated GP?
I’m in London and our surgery only does telephone appointments now (which I’m not complaining about) but it seems to be a different person every time which can be difficult having to explain long term conditions from the beginning every time
DrBubble · 28/02/2021 22:04
@AnneLovesGilbert This will be practice dependant. I don't think face to face can ever be fully replaced but I think virtual contact will play a greater role. I think face to face will be coming back sooner also but again depends on individual GPs. Personally I like the telephone / virtual appointment system. I find it allows me to work much more productively. Also makes the day much less stressful because there's not a whole waiting room full of patients getting more frustrated because your running late. And the less stressful my day is, the better service I can offer my patients.its also helpful to know why patients are attending so I can make sure all necessary steps are in place eg specific examination equipment or chaperones or forms. Saves time
BobVance · 28/02/2021 22:06
Before COVID... On an average day, approximately what percentage of the patients you’ve seen do you think are wasting your time ie could have cared for themselves at home or seen a pharmacist?
I’m always worried my GP thinks I’m wasting their time 
whatmakesmesad · 28/02/2021 22:07
Have you increased social prescribing in recent years, and how do you think it compares to / reduces prescriptions of medicines?
chipsandgin · 28/02/2021 22:07
How do you keep patience with people who are either clearly wasting your time or those who aren’t respectful to you?
I considered medicine at one point but thankfully recognised I’m not a nice enough person/tolerant enough with people to be able to be a good Doctor - it seems like a it’s a vocation/calling rather than just a career & I know I couldn’t have seen it through.
I do have several Doctors in the family though, mostly GPS and a couple of specialists & have a huge amount of admiration for what they do - especially in recent times.
Also, do you enjoy what you do?
DeeplyMovingExperience · 28/02/2021 22:07
What are your thoughts on the evidence that women tend to be overlooked and not believed (when compared to men).
My husband has had excellent and very pro-active healthcare from our GP surgery - men's health and all that - whereas I have never even been offered a health check! We are both same age, late 50s. He has no health issues.
Also have you read Invisible Women, particularly the health and research section, which spells out how women are discounted from much research as they are considered "a-typical" (even though we make up over 50% of the population)?
DrBubble · 28/02/2021 22:08
@notnowbernadette Heck NOOOOOOO! Sad but very true. My own sibling wanted to do Medicine and got an offer. I did everything in my power to persuade my sibling otherwise. And thankfully my sibling listened.
Its a hard slog. Its like trying to complete sudoku or a crossword whilst listening to the news on full blast and only having 10 minutes to do so. You're constantly running on full power ands it's bloody exhausting.
For me GP was the best if a bad bunch. At 18 you don't really understand what youre getting into when you choose medicine. Very few other fields are compatible with a family life.
MNWorldisCrazy · 28/02/2021 22:09
Can you write prescriptions for people you know?!
How do you get on if you - as a Doctor - believe you yourself have a certain condition that requires referral etc and you go see your own Doctor? Do you just pop in and say "I believe I have X, I have all the symptoms" and do they just say "Ok?!"
rockinaftermidnite · 28/02/2021 22:11
Are you happy with your choice of career? Do you often feel burdened with responsibility? What's your ideal patient?
DrBubble · 28/02/2021 22:12
@bewildered1023 Interesting question. Personally I am professional through and through so I don't let my guard down enough to befriend a patient. It's very shaky ground. However I can imagine when you've had a patient-doctor relationship for decades and it's spanned multiple generations then the relationship may be more casual. Especially in small villages etc. I haven't known anyone to fully befriend patients.
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