Re: Practice makes perfect in surgery.
A transplant surgeon told me you never want to be one of the first patients of someone new to the job. Likewise, going to a hospital where they do a procedure often is better than a small hospital where they rarely see a particular disease.
There is a reason surgeons and other doctors hone their skills on cadavers and animals before they get anywhere near a human patient.
Yes, doctors assume they know more than you. Doctors that can spend more time with patients may provide better service, but health insurance plans work against this.
I'm immediately suspicious if I see an MD degree on an American doctor's wall from a no-name med school in the Caribbean or elsewhere that is relatively cheap and easy to get into. I realize this is a stereotype. They may have gone there for the weather or to avoid massive debt at the start of their career.
Surgeons have a reputation for having large egos. This is good in a way, as you don't want someone to chicken out once they've done something that could risk your life. In addition, surgeons' patients are normally sedated (heavily) when they treat them, so there is little chance to establish empathy and an equal relationship.
