It's no secret that doctors know a lot. And sometimes, we think we know better. Sometimes we're right! But what are some things that doctors know, but most people don't? We want to look beyond the obvious stuff - beyond the fact that they know how to diagnose your sickness or how long it will take you to recover from an in-grown toenail surgery.

So, we created a list to answer the question, "what are some things that doctors know, but most people people don't". Here's a list of 14 things doctors know that most of us don't. 

1. You Don't Have To Be Super Smart To Become A Surgeon

There's this belief out there that in order to work in the medical field in any way, you have to be brilliant. However, it just isn't true. Yes, there are many doctors out there who are incredibly smart and have a work ethic to match it, but they aren't all brainiacs. Sorry surgeons.

When it comes to surgeons, the average general physician tends to have more medical knowledge. Surgeons just tend to be better at what they get paid to do - surgery. And that's okay. They don't need to be amazing at everything medical. They just need to be good at what they do. 

2. Not Everyone Who Went To Med School Can Prescribe Medication

The reality is that there are doctors who went to medical school who can't give you a prescription. There are lots of medical doctors who went to med school that can't prescribe medication. Pathologists and radiologists are a couple of examples.

3. Not All Doctors Can Read X-Rays

This is actually true of more than just X-rays. It also includes CT scans and MRIs. Frequently, when a patient asks a question about any of these, the doctor will often just read the report. Only the radiologist knows how to read your X-rays, MRIs, and CT scans. In fact, it takes a lot of experience to understand what's normal and abnormal in these images.

Have you ever had a doctor point out something in an X-ray and wondered how they were able to find that? I certainly have. Usually, the doctor showing it to you can't find it either - at least, not without help.

4. Stethoscopes Are Mostly Just To Hear Your Heartbeat

There are not a lot doctors can tell from just listening to your heartbeat. They can tell if it's irregular or regular and maybe a little more. But that's about it. There isn't a lot of diagnosing they can do just by listening. For instance, a doctor can't listen to your heartbeat and know that you need a triple bypass.

5. Doctors Don't Always Live Super Healthy Lives

They should know better, right? Anyone who knows a doctor closely can tell you that some doctors do things they shouldn't. A lot of doctors would admit this. There are doctors that smoke, eat way too much junk food, are overworked, and don't get enough sleep. This isn't to say that all doctors are this way. But hey, they aren't perfect.

6. They Aren't All Rich

Growing up, I thought that if you were a doctor then you must be rich - Filthy rich even! But doctors' salaries can be very deceptive. In fact, doctors actually make less per hour than teachers. That sounds outlandish but it's true.

When you consider the number of hours worked by both, the time spent in school and student loan debt acquired, doctors don't make as much as you think. You can read more about how doctors make less than teachers from Best Medical Degrees.

7. The Placebo Effect is a Real Thing

Even though doctors know this, they can't explain it. For some reason, believing that it will fix the ailment actually works. This isn't always completely cut-and-dry, but patients who believe the treatments their doctor prescribes for them tend to see more improvement to their ailment.

What is the Placebo effect?

The Placebo effect is when someone takes a pill or treatment and receives a positive effect that can't actually be attributed to the treatment. Its benefits are instead attributed alone to the patient's belief that obtaining this treatment will fix the problem. You can learn more about the Placebo effect here.

8. Most Disease Treatments Should Continue Beyond Symptom Relief

Treatment for diseases need to continue even after the symptoms have gone away. It happens all the time that a patient has a disease, gets treatment, the symptoms go away, and the disease isn't cured. While the symptoms may be gone, the disease usually isn't and needs more treatment. When the patient stops getting treatment, the disease will come back.

This is part of why it's so important for doctors to use an electronic health record (EHR) that keeps the patient's treatment going. You can learn more about what to look for in an EHR software here. Or you can get a free demo of our EHR software.

9. You Can't Use Electric Shock To Bring Everyone Back To Life

Don't be fooled by movies and TV shows. It is true that using electric shock can bring someone "back to life" but only in very specific situations. It only works in a specific type of heart arrhythmia. In other situations, this procedure can actually kill the patient.

10. They Know The Sex of Your Baby at 12 Weeks

Sometimes doctors know things before they tell you. Knowing the sex of your unborn baby is one of those times!

Doctors perform ultrasounds early in the pregnancy to check the baby's health. However, by the twelfth week, doctors can usually see the sex of the baby if it's in the right position. By week 13, they can usually tell with extreme accuracy, but it's against the law for them to tell you the sex of the baby that early.

11. Saying "I Don't Know" Can Be A Good Thing

If your doctor says "I don't know", that's a sign of honesty. No doctor is right all of the time and one that pretends to be is likely not always being honest with you. If a doctor is willing to be up front with you and ask other doctors for help, that's a great sign he's trustworthy.

12. Most Fevers Don't Need Antibiotics

Many illnesses don't get better with antibiotics. When it comes to fevers, antibiotics won't help the fever more quickly, most of the time. In fact, most fevers can't even be diagnosed early on. It's not that no treatment is required for most fevers, it's just that they don't need that specific kind of treatment.

13. Famous Doctors Aren't Always The Best

It's hard to know if a doctor is really a good doctor. Ratings and reviews don't always help because they can be heavily influenced by the nurses, wait time, etc. A bad outcome doesn't necessarily mean the doctor did anything wrong. Sometimes that's just the way things go. And being nice doesn't equal being a good doctor either.

One way to know how good a doctor is can be by asking other doctors that know him/her. Nothing is fool-proof, but asking people with first-hand knowledge of his/her expertise can be really helpful in finding an excellent doctor.

14. Vitamins Are Usually A Waste of Money

Why we do say "usually? Because they're useful if you have a deficiency of that particular vitamin. But, there's no need to take a bunch of different vitamins every day.

Conclusion: What are some things that doctors know, but most people don't?

So, what are some things that doctors know, but most people don't? They know so much that no list could capture everything. But we managed to get a lot of the insider information. Here’s a quick recap:

• They aren't all rich
• You don't have to be brilliant to be a doctor (but it helps)
• They can't all prescribe medication
• Not all doctors can read X-rays, CT scans, or MRIs
• Stethoscopes can't usually result in a diagnosis
• Doctors eat and do unhealthy things (they're human too)
• A patient's belief in a treatment can help it be successful
• Disease treatments should continue after symptom relief
• Electric shock can only work in very specific situations
• They usually know the sex of your baby at 12 or 13 weeks
• A doctor who admits not knowing can be a good thing
• Fame doesn't equal the best doctor
• Most fevers don't require antibiotics
• Vitamins are't usually worth the money

What do you think of our list of "what are some things that doctors know, but most people people don't"? Is there anything we didn't add to the list that we should have? If so, comment below and we'll get it added.

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