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Becky, I cannot believe how dense your previous doctor was! One more comment on the IQ issue--there are a couple components to intelligence that I have heard mentioned in this thread...IQ, grades, common sense, etc. Jojo's doc sounds like she has a photographic memory as well -- a surgeon friend of mine has one-- he is extremely book smart (IQ) and has a great deal of common sense, a caring manner, but also has what some call a photographic memory (I can sometimes stump him on rock & roll trivia, but not often -- he remembers everything). Some people have all those components and some only have one or two. And everyone has them in varying degrees.
There's a great book out there that discusses some of these issues--it's called "Emotional Intelligence" -- it's a must-read.
You really have to have a higher than average IQ just to get to med school, but it takes a bit more than that to make it through and become a successful doctor. Many of the people in med school who have great personalities gravitate toward primary care, such as family practice, pediatrics, internal medicine or OB/GYN. The specialties, on average, attract more of the students who may not call themselves a "people person." But hopefully they evolve. When I worked in marketing for a large, multi-specialty clinic, part of the orientation that all new employees went through was watching the movie "The Doctor" -- some of you may have seen it--William Hurt stars as a cardiologist (if memory serves) who gets diagnosed with cancer. He then learns what it's like to be a patient in his own medical system. I think all docs should watch it once a year :-)
Boy am I wordy tonight!!!
Val
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