I revised this but...

Yes, I still mean it. Shamans in World of Warcraft are buffers. That is, they provide offensive and defensive buffs to a party. It is true healing is part of this, and Shamans also have a couple other non-party heals, but look at what the Shaman is BEST at.

His totems provide a myriad of buffs to regenerate mana, heal, up armor, up magic, and a lot more.

Healing wave takes about 5 full seconds to cast, and you have to be standing still, and it can only heal one target. This is best used in PvE after a fight is over to quickly replenish or to heal during a small fight when in a pinch. Any REAL battles, and the reliability of the Shamans Healing Wave, Lesser Healing Wave, or even Chain heal diminishes drastically. And forget about using these in PvP. The Shaman is much better off helping in melee, offensive magic, and buffing the party.

If you feel differently, let me know? and why you feel that way?