I was amazed when I had to fill out a new patient form at a gynecologist recently and one of the questions posed inquired about my level of education.
I wondered what difference my education made to my healthcare. If I hadn't acquired a degree, for instance, would I have less knowledge of how to take care of myself than if I had a college degree? Would I be treated with more respect if I had a college degree and would the respect be magnified if I had a doctorate? Would my treatment be less or more according to my education?
Would I be treated in accordance with my level of education to the exclusion of age, accomplishment and experience which could easily top a degree - look at Michael Dell, Bill Gates and Richard Branson. Would Branson be considered less capable of understanding the doctor's diagnosis and proposed treatment in the eyes of the doctor and his staff if they didn't know about his accomplishments and noted only that he had dropped out of high school? Would he therefore, get a convoluted explanation because it was thought he was too uneducated to understand?
Why exactly is the perception of our health measured against our education? You might think I'm being ornery but that kind of question insults me. I felt like signing the form with an X to see what would happen!