How Imposter Syndrome in Medicine Can Affect Your Care and What You Can Do About It
By Dr. Jeremy Holloway
February 2025
For decades, we have been conditioned to believe that doctors have all the answers. We place immense trust in their expertise, assuming they possess a complete understanding of human health. However, my research—a gap analysis of medical school curricula—reveals critical deficiencies in two key areas:
- Soft skills (humane skills) like communication, active listening, and cultural humility
- Geriatric education and understanding of aging-related healthcare nuances
These gaps create a hidden crisis within the medical profession—a phenomenon I call “Expert Syndrome.” When doctors feel pressured to maintain the illusion of expertise despite knowledge deficits, they may close themselves off to learning, resist patient input, and make assumptions that harm care quality. This can lead to missed diagnoses, dismissing patient concerns, and overlooking crucial aspects of individualized care—especially for older adults.
Imposter Syndrome in Medicine: When Doctors Feel They Must Know Everything
Most doctors enter the field with a deep desire to help people, but medical training places enormous pressure on them to be the “expert in the room” at all times. Unlike other professions, where it is normal to acknowledge gaps in knowledge and seek collaborative solutions, the medical culture discourages admitting uncertainty.
🔹 A 2023 study in Academic Medicine found that over 50% of medical residents experience imposter syndrome—the feeling of being an inadequate or fraudulent professional despite evident qualifications.
🔹 This fear of being perceived as uninformed can lead to behaviors where doctors project confidence at the expense of learning from patients.
🔹 Rather than asking more questions and actively listening, some doctors may dismiss patient-reported symptoms, rush diagnoses, or avoid topics they are unfamiliar with—especially in areas like aging-related care and social determinants of health.
The Hidden Gaps in Medical Education Affecting Older Adults
During my analysis of medical school curricula, I found that:
✅ Most programs dedicate only 1% to 3% of their coursework to geriatrics, despite the fact that adults aged 65+ make up an increasing portion of patients.
✅ Training in communication and cultural humility—critical skills for understanding patient experiences—is often minimal or optional rather than emphasized as core learning.
✅ Many physicians graduate with little exposure to aging-related conditions, palliative care, or social determinants of health—leading them to rely on outdated or incomplete approaches when treating older adults.
These educational gaps leave doctors less equipped to recognize the complex needs of aging patients, leading to over-medicalization of aging symptoms, underdiagnosis of treatable conditions, and lack of patient-centered care approaches.
How “Expert Syndrome” Leads to Dismissing Patient Input
Doctors struggling with Expert Syndrome may:
❌ Assume they always know best, even when facing unfamiliar conditions.
❌ Minimize patient concerns instead of acknowledging symptoms that don’t fit their expectations.
❌ Avoid admitting knowledge gaps, making them resistant to learning from patients, caregivers, or specialists.
When this happens, patients—especially older adults and those from marginalized backgrounds—experience medical dismissal and frustration, leading to poorer health outcomes.
What You Can Do: Find a Doctor Who Listens and Learns
If your doctor isn’t listening to you, it’s not your fault. The medical system rewards certainty over curiosity, but you can take steps to find a physician who values your expertise in your own health journey.
🔹 Look for cultural humility. A great doctor doesn’t just talk—they ask questions and respect your lived experience.
🔹 Choose a doctor who values shared decision-making. They should involve you in care decisions instead of making assumptions about what’s best for you.
🔹 Be an informed patient. Bring a list of symptoms, questions, and personal health goals to your visits. Your expertise in your own body matters.
🔹 If they dismiss your concerns, find another doctor. No healthcare provider should make you feel unheard or invalidated.
The Future of Healthcare Depends on Collaboration
The best doctors are those willing to learn from their patients. It’s time we move past the outdated idea that expertise means having all the answers. Instead, we should embrace a culture of collaboration, where patients and doctors work together to achieve better health outcomes.
At Tellegacy, we focus on restoring human connection in healthcare—teaching professionals how to listen, learn, and lead with empathy. Because at the end of the day, healing begins with understanding.
📢 Have you ever felt dismissed by a doctor? How did you handle it? Share your story in the comments below.
🌍 Learn more about Tellegacy’s work at: https://tellegacy.org
