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| Pure Fiction: Marcus Welby, MD- America's Favorite Doctor |
Recently I received a broadcast email from my employer inviting us (the medical staff) to a celebratory breakfast in a conference room in honor of National Doctor’s Day. In all of these years, I have yet to attend these functions. Not sure if I am going to make this one either.
I decided to do a small bit of research on National Doctor’s Day. Doctors' Day observances date back to March 30, 1933. The day marks the anniversary of the first use of general anesthesia in surgery. The first National Doctor's Day was celebrated in 1991.
On March 30, 1958, the United States House of Representatives adopted a resolution commemorating Doctors' Day. In 1990, the congress and the senate approved legislation establishing National Doctors Day. The resolution designating March 30 as National Doctors' Day was signed by President George Bush.
My hope is that events such as National Doctor’s Day do not become a gathering for collective self- adulation and professional identity reaffirmation.
Perhaps we should honor Doctor-Patient Day instead, one which celebrates the day when all Americans finally have access to a healthcare.
