The physician-scientist has comparable roles to both physicians and scientists, but also has many roles that are unique to this occupation. These "unique" roles are the reason why physician-scientists play an important role in society and the delivery/understanding of healthcare. They are important for our evolving society and it 's understanding of healthcare.
Clinical physicians understand the clinical symptoms of diseases/illnesses and follow strict procedures for the treatment of their patients. On the other hand, scientists, biomedical in nature, attempt to understand the causes and mechanisms behind diseases/illnesses and try to discover innovative modes of medical intervention (i.e. drug design). Not surprisingly, in the past, there was a disconnect between new scientific discoveries and the treatment/understanding of patients. This is when the physician-scientist occupation become important and beneficial.
The physician-scientist, through rigorous clinical and research training, is able to
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Clinically, physician-scientists have quick/efficient thinking skills that will allow them to partake in new treatments and/or on-the-spot ideas that could help the patient more than regular current day procedures. When analyzing/reviewing research, the physician-scientist will have experience with clinical symptoms and the emotional response of patients which allows for the potential movement of new discoveries to the bed-side.
Overall, physician-scientists take their skills from "bench side to bed side" allowing for a smooth transition of new innovations to the clinic but also, play important roles in communicating new medical research to the general public. Therefore, they act as important "middlemen" that are knowledgeable about the healthcare needs/problems of society and how scientific research can solve them. This allows for the physician scientist to, directly and indirectly, serve a vast number of people, more than the reach of a single physician ever