[RWebb]

Med. schools do differ but I would not worry about that (MAYBE if it was Baby Doc Duvalier College of Medercine & Surfin') -- they all have to pass extra exams (boards) for practice& any specialty

all MDs take courses to stay up on "stuff"; there is tho the old joke about the surgeon who shakes your hands to introduce himself and has the "shakes"

I generally figure that any MD in the US is more than competent.

Problems arise when:
- s/he stops caring/listening
- gets hassled by ins. co.s so much they have no time to spend on you

for a PCP/GP the best thing might be one that clicks with you, so you have good back & forth communication -- obviously not an issue for a diagnostic radiologist...

That said, the very best, most update MDs will be at major medical centers doing research and they will run half & half for "fun" - I have two friends doing that thing & one explains it like this: I have one job to support Y____ (his wife) and the kids, and the other one to keep me happy.

You can find that half & half thing or similar even in small towns. My allergist runs a research operation for example. A small town can have top MDs esp. if it is one where lots of MDs like to live. Note the high prevalence of orthopods in ski towns...

But it really doesn't matter that much.

You will want to take responsibility for your health -- for one thing take notes on any issues that come up - how you feel etc. Make sure your MD knows you are doing this b/c you are an activated patient, not a crazy person.

Your present MD is popular... why? No doubt b/c he has a really good "patient manner" - that is a good thing.

And, BTW, a NP can do all sorts of things - you don't need to see an MD all the time. It just drives up costs in the system.