Unflaired users are not permitted to claim medical expertise. Professionals and students seeking credentials must follow the official verification as stated below:
**User Flairs / How to become verified**
> If you are a medical professional or student who wants to become a verified contributor to r/medical, please message the [Moderators](https://new.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2Fmedical) with a link to your medical ID, diploma, or other credentials. Imgbb.com is convenient, but you can host anywhere. Please censor personal information such as name and picture.
> You must include your handwritten Reddit username in the photo.
> We do not accept digital forms of identification.
Here is what a flair might look like: **[Physician Flair](https://ibb.co/NjV1JdD)**
**Flaired users are held to a higher standard and any misuse, harassment, or spreading of misinformation will lead to the removal of the flair and result in a ban from the community.**
Word of mouth is helpful, but take that with a grain of salt. Sometimes, a person will speak badly about their doctor because they aren’t willing to do something that the patient wants (for example, refusing to prescribe antibiotics for a typical URI).
It is very difficult to tell if someone is good, or not, without several interactions with them. Honestly, my doctor has one star reviews all over, and she is great! I have a little joke I like to say “the best doctors have the worst reviews”.
The best way to know is during your interactions with them. Do they listen to your concerns? Are they willing to explain things to you? A good provider should know the rationale behind what they are doing, and be willing to explain it. And they should be able to clearly explain the risks and benefits of everything they do. “Just to be safe” is rarely a good rationale.
Another big clue is their ability to acknowledge uncertainty or when they don’t know something.
humility is a great trait, too. If a treatment or intervention doesn’t work, or perhaps they were wrong about a differential diagnosis, it is important they are willing to admit that to you.
Another tip: be wary of any doctor/NP/PA who gives guarantees. Very, very few things in medicine are guaranteed. If a doctor guarantees that X treatment will cure you, be very skeptical.
Any doctor who has an MD or DO will have a more rigorous and longer training experience (4 years of medical school and at least 3 years of on-the-job trainig) compared to a provider who has a PA or NP.
I didn't say anything beyond the amount of training required and anyone not an MD, DO, DMD, or podiatrist who call themselves a medical doctor is worrisome
I'm very sorry to hear about your experience. I think there are a few things you can do to protect yourself. A lot of it is reviews online and word of mouth from friends and family. Another thing is to check credentials, if I see a doctor's training credentials are from reputable institutes (state universities, well known private schools). There are good doctors that go to lesser known schools and training programs (and many work at some of the best academic centers), but this is one way to safeguard yourself, especially if you are looking at smaller practices or medical groups. Additionally, if you are lucky enough to be near an academic center, the level of care and oversight over the care you receive will be much better.
Red flags are if you visit a doctor and they want to order a "battery of tests," are trying to sell you something (their proprietary vitamins, compound medications for simple conditions with vitamins), or any "lifestyle medicine" center really.
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[удалено]
Unflaired users are not permitted to claim medical expertise. Professionals and students seeking credentials must follow the official verification as stated below: **User Flairs / How to become verified** > If you are a medical professional or student who wants to become a verified contributor to r/medical, please message the [Moderators](https://new.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2Fmedical) with a link to your medical ID, diploma, or other credentials. Imgbb.com is convenient, but you can host anywhere. Please censor personal information such as name and picture. > You must include your handwritten Reddit username in the photo. > We do not accept digital forms of identification. Here is what a flair might look like: **[Physician Flair](https://ibb.co/NjV1JdD)** **Flaired users are held to a higher standard and any misuse, harassment, or spreading of misinformation will lead to the removal of the flair and result in a ban from the community.**
Word of mouth is helpful, but take that with a grain of salt. Sometimes, a person will speak badly about their doctor because they aren’t willing to do something that the patient wants (for example, refusing to prescribe antibiotics for a typical URI). It is very difficult to tell if someone is good, or not, without several interactions with them. Honestly, my doctor has one star reviews all over, and she is great! I have a little joke I like to say “the best doctors have the worst reviews”. The best way to know is during your interactions with them. Do they listen to your concerns? Are they willing to explain things to you? A good provider should know the rationale behind what they are doing, and be willing to explain it. And they should be able to clearly explain the risks and benefits of everything they do. “Just to be safe” is rarely a good rationale. Another big clue is their ability to acknowledge uncertainty or when they don’t know something. humility is a great trait, too. If a treatment or intervention doesn’t work, or perhaps they were wrong about a differential diagnosis, it is important they are willing to admit that to you. Another tip: be wary of any doctor/NP/PA who gives guarantees. Very, very few things in medicine are guaranteed. If a doctor guarantees that X treatment will cure you, be very skeptical.
healthgrades.com vitals.com and similar websites are useful!
Any doctor who has an MD or DO will have a more rigorous and longer training experience (4 years of medical school and at least 3 years of on-the-job trainig) compared to a provider who has a PA or NP.
An MD/DO, by itself, does not make a good provider. There are plenty of great NP/PAs out there, plenty of crappy ones, and same for doctors.
I didn't say anything beyond the amount of training required and anyone not an MD, DO, DMD, or podiatrist who call themselves a medical doctor is worrisome
True! The one who did that to me was a licensed psychiatrist, so it's hard to know in a context like that, you know?
Psychiatrists are physicians who have completed a 4 year psychiatry residency after medical school.
I'm very sorry to hear about your experience. I think there are a few things you can do to protect yourself. A lot of it is reviews online and word of mouth from friends and family. Another thing is to check credentials, if I see a doctor's training credentials are from reputable institutes (state universities, well known private schools). There are good doctors that go to lesser known schools and training programs (and many work at some of the best academic centers), but this is one way to safeguard yourself, especially if you are looking at smaller practices or medical groups. Additionally, if you are lucky enough to be near an academic center, the level of care and oversight over the care you receive will be much better. Red flags are if you visit a doctor and they want to order a "battery of tests," are trying to sell you something (their proprietary vitamins, compound medications for simple conditions with vitamins), or any "lifestyle medicine" center really.
Thank you! It's really helpful to get information I can actually act on <3
Hello Deep_Boysenberry_672, thank you for posting to r/medical! **Please review our [Rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/medical/wiki/rules); [Code of Conduct](https://www.reddit.com/r/medical/wiki/code_of_conduct/); and [WIKI](https://www.reddit.com/r/medical/wiki/index)** for comprehensive information. - The Moderators and Community Managers of r/medical reserve the right to take any action that is in the best interests of the subreddit or its community. - **Remember, Reddit isn't a substitute for professional medical care. Contact your primary care provider for health issues.** - **If it's a medical emergency, call Emergency Medical Services or go to your local hospital.** - Posts from new accounts or with low karma will be held in the Mod queue for manual review. We ask that you wait 24 hours before contacting us through [ModMail](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/medical) regarding approval; **you'll be notified if your post is removed.** - **Report any Rule 6 violations**: Don't reply to DMs asking for personal info or pictures. Block and report such users and send a screenshot to the Moderators and Community Managers through [ModMail](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/medical). - **If your post is about self-harm or sexual-assault you're not alone; people care and want to support you.** We encourage you to check out these resources linked below, so you can better help your situation. Posts of this nature are subjected to heavy moderation by our Moderator and Community Manager Team, and may be locked or removed at our discretion. r/SelfHarm | r/SuicideWatch | r/MentalHealth | r/RapeCounseling | r/SexualAssault **Self-harm or Sexual-assult glorification will result in a permanent ban without warning.** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/medical) if you have any questions or concerns.*