Physician of the Year

Kevin, MD writes about the Republican "Physician of the Year" award, which is discussed in this article. Basically, by donating money to the National Republican Congressional Committee, a doctor can become a "Physician of the Year." It is not an award of merit, but a reward for party donors.
Last year I donated some money to the Republicans. This year I got the same fax as in the article, except that they wanted a little more than $1,250 from me (I decided not to pay for the award). It's pretty obvious that this is not a genuine award for merit. The article mentions that "on the Internet, ABC News found physicians across the country doing just that — listing NRCC's Physician of the Year among their honors and credentials." It's fine to donate money to a political party that you believe in. I have nothing against the Republican party for offering this "award" to their physician donors. But any physician who would list this phoney award on his CV is pathetic. The fault in this case lies not with the Republican party, but with dishonest physicians. To reiterate, there is nothing wrong with having a "Physician of the Year" plaque hanging in your home to demonstrate your loyalty to the Republican party, but to list this on your CV among your credentials is unprofessional and in my opinion any physician who does this should be investigated by their state medical board for unprofessional behavior.