Being called "nurse" ...

[Rehab_dr]

Does it really matter that much to the point where you would consider quitting residency? Get over yourself. Do your job, help your patients and move on.

Are you all really suggesting that it's ok for patients to think their doctors are nurses or something like that and that that should not bother me? Really? It seems most of you have not been in that position.

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[Brorthopedic]

Are you all really suggesting that it's ok for patients to think their doctors are nurses or something like that and that that should not bother me? Really? It seems most of you have not been in that position.

I'm not saying it's okay, I'm saying grow up. You're a small, young female in a hospital. People are going to mistaken you for a nurse all the time, even when you're older.

 

[hamstergang]

Last time I checked this was a forum. I came here with a concern, for suggestions, support, etc. not to be beaten up.

Yet you shoot down any suggestions and support given. So something's clearly not adding up. Either you're a troll, or you have some issue that is likely more of a problem than your size and gender.

 

[DermDudeMD]

.

 

[Rehab_dr]

Yet you shoot down any suggestions and support given. So something's clearly not adding up. Either you're a troll, or you have some issue that is likely more of a problem than your size and gender.

You suggesting I just "put up with it" is not any suggestion. It's just if I said my attending beats me with a pipe daily what do I do and you tell me oh it's ok it's only a few years. It's not ok

 

[22031 Alum]

It doesn't, but it is frustrating and painful.

There are things you can do (i.e. working on your self-confidence) so that it isn't frustrating and painful anymore. Otherwise I guess you'll have to either live with the pain, or give up your career to avoid it.

Edit: if you're comparing being called a nurse, to being beaten with a pipe, you seriously need to gain some perspective. You're not going to get any sympathy here, I'm afraid.

 

[DermDudeMD]

You suggesting I just "put up with it" is not any suggestion. It's just if I said my attending beats me with a pipe daily what do I do and you tell me oh it's ok it's only a few years. It's not ok

So if you made a list of things you consider most important, you would put "patients know me as a doctor" next to "not being beaten with a pipe"?

 

[DrBowtie]

Considering that as a radiologist the vast majority of people think I did two years at community college to be a rad tech, I think I can relate.

I don't derive any satisfaction from patient recognition. It's clear you place a high value on this.

Are you all really suggesting that it's ok for patients to think their doctors are nurses or something like that and that that should not bother me? Really? It seems most of you have not been in that position.

See above. I spend about a second smirking internally and then get back to work. You seem to have being recognized as a doctor as a central tenet of your personality and professional satisfaction.

 

[Rehab_dr]

See above. I spend about a second smirking internally and then get back to work. You seem to have being recognized as a doctor as a central tenet of your personality and professional satisfaction.

This is absurd. So what should I be seen as? Who will the patient go to for care, for questions, for follow ups - what should I be seen as? Who the heck would come to see me in a private practice setting?

 

[calvnandhobbs68]

Obvious troll is obvious. 1/10

If it wasn't apparent from the first post, I'm sure the rest of you guys could have figured it out from the responses.

 

[DermDudeMD]

It is about that time of year where interns start dipping...

 

[22031 Alum]

This is absurd. So what should I be seen as? Who will the patient go to for care, for questions, for follow ups - what should I be seen as? Who the heck would come to see me in a private practice setting?

You don't seem to understand that sometimes being mistaken for a non-physician has no bearing on your eventual ability to practice. Patients will come to you.

 

[rokshana]

I posted about this a while ago and I still feel bummed. I'm not sure whether I should quit or continue.

I'm a great resident but I feel that it's not infrequent that patients don't see me as the doctor and that worries me tremendously.

I introduce myself as Dr. I wear my white coat. My last name most people have trouble with, even the staff so I don't harp about that. But while some patients clearly know Im the doctor and treat me as much, there is a percentage who don't even remember me.

Even today I had an older patient I've been seeing for 2-3 days. I check on her daily, at times several times during the day, we talked about how she thought my last name was very elegant and pretty, and how she was incredibly happy about the care she'd gotten.

Then I go to see her with the social worker this afternoon, he introuces himself, and she asks me - who are you? I'm like I'm Dr. So and so. Then she's like oh yes that's right I've seen you several times. I was like what the heck? How can they forget?!

Or maybe 6 months ago, I admitted a patient, introudced myself as Dr. so and so, she and her family all told me how I looked so young. I go check on her the following day she asks me if I'm the nurse I tell her no I'm her doctor. Then she's like oh that's right. I go in the next day, the nurse is there doing other stuff, then she's talking to someoen on the phone and tells them - my nurses are here! The nurse was like I'm the nurse she's the doctor.

It's so frustrating. I dont know what else I can do. I have started wearing my white coat for several months and while it's made somewhat of a difference, it's still an issue.

I'm concerned that when I'm done patients won't recognize me as the doctor and what not. What to do? What's the point of doing all of this if I can't even have a practice at the end of the day?

realize that these people are sick...they are stuck in a little room with nothing to do, sometimes they aren't even allowed to get up an pee without having to tell a nurse to come help them...even when they feel they can do it themselves...they have what probably seems to them a bazillion people coming in...you think the only one that wears a white coat is the doctor? the social worker that sees them, the case manager that arranges their home health, heck i have even seen housekeeping wear them...how easy do you think it easy for your patient to keep track of who is who and what is being said to them?

be happy that when they are telling your attendings and seniors that you are giving them good care...

you may think you send a ton of time with them, but really? at best you spend 5-10 mins with them before you round and then may be a few minutes again later in the day...they are spending 24 hour in the hospital...even if you spend an hour with a patient its still a drop in the bucket...

if you went into medicine for the prestige or somehow being recognized as being a DOCTOR, well you probably needed to pick something with more instant gratification...patients usually LOVE their surgeons, their cancer docs, and their endocrinologists when they fix their low T

its part of life in the hospital...people will mistake you for all sorts of things...in the clinic its a little different...they know they have an appointment with a doctor and you are in context the doctor...don't take it so personally...

btw i never wear a white coat, just regular clothes and a steth...usually seen as the doctor...maybe you should try that..even in residency i stopped wearing my white coat and was still seen as the doctor...but occasionally the patient thinks I'm the diabetes nurse educator, but if your patient is listening to you it shouldn't matter who they think you are.

 

[DrBowtie]

This is absurd. So what should I be seen as? Who will the patient go to for care, for questions, for follow ups - what should I be seen as? Who the heck would come to see me in a private practice setting?

You seem to have a disconnect in being recognized by the title Doctor and being a doctor.

 

[hamstergang]

You suggesting I just "put up with it" is not any suggestion.

Where did I make that suggestion? Or any suggestion, actually? So again, "either you're a troll, or you have some issue that is likely more of a problem than your size and gender."

 

[Rehab_dr]

Where did I make that suggestion? Or any suggestion, actually? So again, "either you're a troll, or you have some issue that is likely more of a problem than your size and gender."

Again just like it would bother you and everyone else, it's frustrating and painful to constantly been seen as ancillary staff and what not. Understand that. You are not being productive by calling me names and saying things that have no point.

 

[ThoracicGuy]

This is absurd. So what should I be seen as? Who will the patient go to for care, for questions, for follow ups - what should I be seen as? Who the heck would come to see me in a private practice setting?

Who cares. When they have an appointment, they show up and you walk in the room. Then they see you are the doctor. Your nurse or assistant who checks you in tells them the doctor will be in shortly and then you walk in and introduce yourself as Dr. Whoever.

Stop worrying about things that don't really matter in the grand scheme of things. I've had people mistake me for family members, other doctors, clerks, and whatever else. I don't really care because whatever they think my role in has nothing to do with what my role actually is.

 

[agranulocytosis]

Just go ahead and quit if this is a big problem for you. Just make sure to tet your PD know. I'm sure she or he (see what I did there?) will write you a glowing recommendation for your next endeavor.

 

[Rehab_dr]

Just go ahead and quit if this is a big problem for you. Just make sure to tet your PD know. I'm sure she or he (see what I did there?) will write you a glowing recommendation for your next endeavor.

I have fantastic evals as it stands, and I don't actually need to work a single day in my life given businesses and stuff that I own and stuff. But that's irrelevant.

 

[agranulocytosis]

I have fantastic evals as it stands, and I don't actually need to work a single day in my life given businesses and stuff that I own and stuff. But that's irrelevant.

Fine, then. Just go ahead and quit if this is a big problem for you.

 

[22031 Alum]

I have fantastic evals as it stands, and I don't actually need to work a single day in my life given businesses and stuff that I own and stuff. But that's irrelevant.

You're actually poor. Not only do you need to work to survive, but you will always struggle to make ends meet.

By your own logic, by saying something that isn't true about you, I've now done the equivalent of beating you with a pipe. Does it make you want to give up the businesses you own?? No?? Why not??

Now apply that answer to medicine.

 

[DermDudeMD]

I have fantastic evals as it stands, and I don't actually need to work a single day in my life given businesses and stuff that I own and stuff. But that's irrelevant.

Successful business person with a Napoleon complex? You're like the medical Donald Trump

 

[Rehab_dr]

You're actually poor. Not only do you need to work to survive, but you will always struggle to make ends meet.

By your own logic, by saying something that isn't true about you, I've now done the equivalent of beating you with a pipe. Does it make you want to give up the businesses you own?? No?? Why not??

Now apply that answer to medicine.

It's different my friend. My businesses make plenty of money for me, and have made me plenty of $$. Why would I give that up?

 

[22031 Alum]

It's different my friend. My businesses make plenty of money for me, and have made me plenty of $$. Why would I give that up?

If you like medicine, why give that up? If you don't like it, just quit and stop trying to use this excuse.

 

[SXMMD]

Listen, I wish you the best, but if you do quit can I have your spot? I'm an img in the match this year and I don't care if my patients call me the garbage man as long as I can obtain my license and practice medicine.

And I definitely need the money

 

[j4pac]

Dude's been trolling the **** out of SDN recently. Don't waste your time.

 

[blue0rchid]

hahahaha it's soooo obviously a troll effort. like a broken record repeating the same stuff... ya'all should stop responding already.

 

[HooliganSnail]

200K? More like $350 as the plan was pain, but still. It feels awful and I don't understand it.

Honestly, is this thread a satire?

 

[evilbooyaa]

I can't take this thread seriously. Shame on you all who actually took OP seriously.

 

[Rehab_dr]

Honestly, is this thread a satire?

It's not and that's pretty mean guys. The point of this forum is not to tear someone down when they feel crappy. Even if others don't agree it's not cool. So much for getting support from my colleagues..

 

[j4pac]

It's not and that's pretty mean guys. The point of this forum is not to tear someone down when they feel crappy. Even if others don't agree it's not cool. So much for getting support from my colleagues..

The point of this forum is not to build up narcissistic sadists. Get lost.

 

[mvenus929]

So if I start calling my mom my sister or my husband my father would that be normal? No. I have worked hard and it makes me feel frustrated that this happens to me whne it does not happen to my male colleagues.

While I"m sure I'll get called out for feeding the troll, I do want to respond to this comment.

Every single female physician deals with being called a nurse at some point. Heck, I am asked if I am a nurse by other residents. It makes all of us frustrated. But the answer to that is not to quit medicine. It's to become a good doctor so that it becomes normal to have an amazing female physician.

 

[Dr Tony T. Chopper]

Its best to just correct them politely and move on. They wont remember you anyways.

 

[MiaMia14]

While I"m sure I'll get called out for feeding the troll, I do want to respond to this comment.

Every single female physician deals with being called a nurse at some point. Heck, I am asked if I am a nurse by other residents. It makes all of us frustrated. But the answer to that is not to quit medicine. It's to become a good doctor so that it becomes normal to have an amazing female physician.

I'm even in a mostly female dominated field (obgyn) and still almost at least once a day I will go into a patients room on labor and delivery, introduce myself as Dr. MiaMia, do a full history, an ultrasound, a speculum exam, a vaginal exam, and then tell them the plan, only to get "ok so when is the doctor going to come see me?" As the response. It is what it is. In the end, when I deliver their baby and they cry because they are so happy, I know it was me (and a whole lot of other people on the team) that helped her.

 

[RuralMedicine]

While I"m sure I'll get called out for feeding the troll, I do want to respond to this comment.

Every single female physician deals with being called a nurse at some point. Heck, I am asked if I am a nurse by other residents. It makes all of us frustrated. But the answer to that is not to quit medicine. It's to become a good doctor so that it becomes normal to have an amazing female physician.

I'm even in a mostly female dominated field (obgyn) and still almost at least once a day I will go into a patients room on labor and delivery, introduce myself as Dr. MiaMia, do a full history, an ultrasound, a speculum exam, a vaginal exam, and then tell them the plan, only to get "ok so when is the doctor going to come see me?" As the response. It is what it is. In the end, when I deliver their baby and they cry because they are so happy, I know it was me (and a whole lot of other people on the team) that helped her.

If it is any consolation, I have had two different patients who wanted to file complaints because they hadn't been seen by a physician in the first >24 hours of their hospital course. Interestingly, in both cases I had seen the patients three times during their first respective 30 hours inpatient (one had a STEMI so I saw them in the ED, they went to the cath lab with another [actually male] physician, I saw them later that day after cath, and then the next morning prior to the complaint; the other I saw one afternoon did their admission, returned and put in a central line, and then saw them again in the morning about twenty minutes before they complained to their spouse that they hadn't seen a doctor the whole time they had been there). In both cases I introduced myself as Dr. RuralMedicine, the hospitalist. Both gentlemen recognized me when I returned after being notified of their complaints but thought I was the nurse. One of them claimed that he had thought that since I answered all of his questions I must have been a nurse but that if I was actually a doctor then he owed me an apology. The other informed his spouse I was the good nurse who had gotten his IV in (ok it was a CVL but yeah it is technically an IV). Spouse (who apparently was a retired nurse) informed him that nurses couldn't put in the kind of IV he had so clearly I had to be a doctor and if he apologized to me she wouldn't tell their daughter (who was apparently a 3rd year medical student at the time) that her father was such an ignoramus (yes, that was the word she used). So, yeah, misconceptions abound in health care. Generally the best approach is to take a deep breath, clarify/correct the misunderstanding and move on to the next patient, admission, etc.

 

[Psai]

So I've had several interactions where I asked a female staff member if they saw another resident or knew where a patient is and the automatic response is "I'm not a nurse". I'm like uhh it was a yes or no question. I didn't ask if you were a nurse but thanks for being so helpful. I know that women get mistaken as nurses all the time but I wonder how much of it is people being too sensitive and taking offense when none was intended.

 

[dpmd]

So I've had several interactions where I asked a female staff member if they saw another resident or knew where a patient is and the automatic response is "I'm not a nurse". I'm like uhh it was a yes or no question. I didn't ask if you were a nurse but thanks for being so helpful. I know that women get mistaken as nurses all the time but I wonder how much of it is people being too sensitive and taking offense when none was intended.

You didn't intend offense, but what were these people doing when you asked? Could it be that they were working and you interrupted them with a question that they would have no way of knowing the answer to (and they wanted to make sure you knew that so you knew to find the right person rather than just saying no). When people interrupt me i answer them if i know the answer or point them in the right direction but i don't think i am overly sensitive for finding it annoying that people are so willing to bother me instead of the male nurse just hanging out nearby or the clerk sitting right over there at the part of the desk which is clearly a reception area. It isn't necessarily offensive but it gets old.

 

[evilbooyaa]

So I've had several interactions where I asked a female staff member if they saw another resident or knew where a patient is and the automatic response is "I'm not a nurse". I'm like uhh it was a yes or no question. I didn't ask if you were a nurse but thanks for being so helpful. I know that women get mistaken as nurses all the time but I wonder how much of it is people being too sensitive and taking offense when none was intended.

In regards to knowing where a patient is, that's something you should be asking either the nurse or the unit secretary.

In regards to where other residents are, it's unlikely that somebody on the floor would know.

FWIW, if I was working and some random resident asked me where a patient was (who I was not covering), I may have a similar response as a male.
What was that female staff member's job anyways? Doctor? Phlebotomist?

 

[sugarx]

correct them every time. could cause confusion and miscommunication.

didn't used to bother me when i was a 2nd month intern. started bothering me when patients weren't able to differentiate between my orders and their nurses' and they were messing everything up.

you don't have to take it personally or make a big stink about it or be offended or quit your job or complain to coworkers or etc etc. just correct your patients. also they may not know what a resident is.

 

[SurfingDoctor]

I've been asked if I was medical student or resident before as an attending. I assume it's because I look young, maybe some other reason.

Either way, correct them and answer their question politely and move on. Don't get caught up on other people's misconception or lack of knowledge, there are more important things to worry about. If it really makes you feel like quitting, I suggest you look deep and hard to find the root cause of your concern, because I'm betting it's not just because a patient thought you were a nurse or assistant.

 

[Psai]

You didn't intend offense, but what were these people doing when you asked? Could it be that they were working and you interrupted them with a question that they would have no way of knowing the answer to (and they wanted to make sure you knew that so you knew to find the right person rather than just saying no). When people interrupt me i answer them if i know the answer or point them in the right direction but i don't think i am overly sensitive for finding it annoying that people are so willing to bother me instead of the male nurse just hanging out nearby or the clerk sitting right over there at the part of the desk which is clearly a reception area. It isn't necessarily offensive but it gets old.

Well if I'm in the patient room and they are working with the patient, I don't think it's unreasonable to ask if they saw the resident recently. Takes less time to say no than it does to tell me that you're not a nurse (didn't ask)

 

[dpmd]

Well if I'm in the patient room and they are working with the patient, I don't think it's unreasonable to ask if they saw the resident recently. Takes less time to say no than it does to tell me that you're not a nurse (didn't ask)

Doubt that has anything to do with gender. I am guessing it is the cna because they seem to always want to let me know they aren't the nurse so i suspect it is a policy or something.

 

[Psai]

Doubt that has anything to do with gender. I am guessing it is the cna because they seem to always want to let me know they aren't the nurse so i suspect it is a policy or something.

One was a physical therapist working with the patient, I asked if they saw the resident recently but I was told that the therapist is in fact, not a nurse. A different incident was someone that she was the neurosurgical resident when all I wanted to know was if I was in the right icu and if she happened to know about patient x but all I found out was that she was not a nurse.

 

[dpmd]

Was it in the neuro icu?

 

[Psai]

Was it in the neuro icu?

sicu

 

[mvenus929]

So I've had several interactions where I asked a female staff member if they saw another resident or knew where a patient is and the automatic response is "I'm not a nurse". I'm like uhh it was a yes or no question. I didn't ask if you were a nurse but thanks for being so helpful. I know that women get mistaken as nurses all the time but I wonder how much of it is people being too sensitive and taking offense when none was intended.

With staff members, it's usually other (often male, surgical) residents that ask me if I'm the nurse, because I'm sitting at the nurses station writing my note in the chart. Though a small handful of times, I've been asked if I was the attending by another staff member.

 

[QofQuimica]

To be serious about the question for a second (in case anyone really is feeling miffed about being mistaken for a nurse), my advice is to consider the source. Let's be honest: many people in the hospital barely know what planet they are on. They are incapable of providing you with basic information such as what chronic medical conditions they have, a list of their medications and allergies, why they are currently in the hospital, and who their PCP is. They may be able to tell you that the year is 2016. Why on earth would you expect them to be able to correctly identify your position in the health care hierarchy? Heck, here in Florida, I'm pleasantly surprised whenever my patients can correctly tell me the name of the city or hospital they're physically located in.

My advice is to lower your bar regarding the general ignorance of humanity, and then being mistaken for a nurse will seem like par for the course. Yes, many of the people you interact with in the hospital really are too ignorant, too demented, too delirious, or too Axis II to wrap their minds around the fact that you're a doc. It's them, not you.

 

[Amazonian Lily]

Was taking the elevator in the hospital the other day wearing scrubs and a white coat. There was a mother with her two young children on the elevator with me and the daughter looks at me and asks "mommy is she a nurse?" Her mother responds "well she could be a doctor." Put a smile on my face

 

[dpmd]

To be serious about the question for a second (in case anyone really is feeling miffed about being mistaken for a nurse), my advice is to consider the source. Let's be honest: many people in the hospital barely know what planet they are on. They are incapable of providing you with basic information such as what chronic medical conditions they have, a list of their medications and allergies, why they are currently in the hospital, and who their PCP is. They may be able to tell you that the year is 2016. Why on earth would you expect them to be able to correctly identify your position in the health care hierarchy? Heck, here in Florida, I'm pleasantly surprised whenever my patients can correctly tell me the name of the city or hospital they're physically located in.

My advice is to lower your bar regarding the general ignorance of humanity, and then being mistaken for a nurse will seem like par for the course. Yes, many of the people you interact with in the hospital really are too ignorant, too demented, too delirious, or too Axis II to wrap their minds around the fact that you're a doc. It's them, not you.

I think this sort of goes along with psai's point. Sure it can get annoying to have to correct people, but it doesn't take away from your achievement/make you less effective at your job (unless you let it)/or hurt you in any real way. Don't let the ignorance (in either the nonjudgemental innocent sense or the prejudicial sense) of others have so much power over you.

 

[dpmd]

Was taking the elevator in the hospital the other day wearing scrubs and a white coat. There was a mother with her two young children on the elevator with me and the daughter looks at me and asks "mommy is she a nurse?" Her mother responds "well she could be a doctor." Put a smile on my face

Nice. To me that means more than a patient correctly guessing my role because that might have helped that kid broaden her future goals.