Patient introductions

[curry curry]

Hello! Long time lurker here

I'm a first-year fellow and something I've noticed is that a lot of the attendings here introduce me to patients by my first name when walking into a patient's room together or when introducing me to a clinic patient. Sometimes I'll then try to say something like "hi I'm Dr ____, nice to meet you" but the attending often either talks over this or continues to refer to me by my first name in the conversation and then the patient will start calling me by my first name too.

I've been telling myself that this is all temporary but it does bother me and I feel that it's disrespectful. Am I overthinking things?

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[Crayola227]

I agree this is awful. Not sure the best way to deal with it though.

 

[GoSpursGo]

It is somewhat disrespectful. As you say, this is temporary so the easiest thing is to just let it roll off your back, but if it really bothers you it's probably the sort of thing you should bring up to your PD rather than individual attendings.

 

[rokshana]

Hello! Long time lurker here

I'm a first-year fellow and something I've noticed is that a lot of the attendings here introduce me to patients by my first name when walking into a patient's room together or when introducing me to a clinic patient. Sometimes I'll then try to say something like "hi I'm Dr ____, nice to meet you" but the attending often either talks over this or continues to refer to me by my first name in the conversation and then the patient will start calling me by my first name too.

I've been telling myself that this is all temporary but it does bother me and I feel that it's disrespectful. Am I overthinking things?

Nope… not acceptable if he refers to himself as Dr. Is this a particular attending? Does he do it with your co fellows ?Or the culture there?

I had my mentor in fellowship practically grow beat me to call him by his first name( only attending that I did) , but he said that in front of patients that I should refer to him as dr last name… and he always referred to me as dr last name in front of others ( nurses, ancillary staff,etc).

maybe you could talk to your PD?
Or refer to him by his first name in front of the pt? That would take balls, but would get the point across.

 

[anonperson]

Hello! Long time lurker here

I'm a first-year fellow and something I've noticed is that a lot of the attendings here introduce me to patients by my first name when walking into a patient's room together or when introducing me to a clinic patient. Sometimes I'll then try to say something like "hi I'm Dr ____, nice to meet you" but the attending often either talks over this or continues to refer to me by my first name in the conversation and then the patient will start calling me by my first name too.

I've been telling myself that this is all temporary but it does bother me and I feel that it's disrespectful. Am I overthinking things?

Do they do this to the other fellows?

If so, let it go. Fellowship is temporary.

If you are being singled out, that is odd. Depends on how much you want to rock the boat...

 

[Saddleshoes]

Sound like you are stuck with an attending that wants to create the illusion that he is the patient's buddy. That game likely works for him/her.
When you are the top dog you can play the game by your rules. Until then, just swallow hard, fake a smile and try to play the game.

 

[curry curry]

Nope… not acceptable if he refers to himself as Dr. Is this a particular attending? Does he do it with your co fellows ?Or the culture there?

I had my mentor in fellowship practically grow beat me to call him by his first name( only attending that I did) , but he said that in front of patients that I should refer to him as dr last name… and he always referred to me as dr last name in front of others ( nurses, ancillary staff,etc).

maybe you could talk to your PD?
Or refer to him by his first name in front of the pt? That would take balls, but would get the point across.

It is a couple of attendings and they all introduce themselves as Dr. _____ but refer to all the fellows and residents by first names in front of patients, so it's not just with me. Maybe it is a culture thing here. I was used to being called by my first name by nurses and ancillary staff in residency (which is also the case here), but with patients I think it is important they know the roles of everyone in the room. Especially as a young-ish, petite female, it's hard enough for patients to understand that you are a physician and with this introduction, I feel that patients often think I and the other fellows/residents are students shadowing the attending and therefore do not trust us or our roles in their care.

And haha that idea actually crossed my mind (referring to the attending by first name in front of the pt)....

 

[curry curry]

Do they do this to the other fellows?

If so, let it go. Fellowship is temporary.

If you are being singled out, that is odd. Depends on how much you want to rock the boat...

Yes, they do this with all the fellows and residents, so I guess it is just the culture. I know this is a small thing in the grand scheme of things and temporary, and I don't want to come across as petty. But especially in a time where so many non-physicians go around calling themselves doctors, it feels insulting to be introduced as oh and this is Susie Q, like I'm some high school student following them around.

 

[rokshana]

It is a couple of attendings and they all introduce themselves as Dr. _____ but refer to all the fellows and residents by first names in front of patients, so it's not just with me. Maybe it is a culture thing here. I was used to being called by my first name by nurses and ancillary staff in residency (which is also the case here), but with patients I think it is important they know the roles of everyone in the room. Especially as a young-ish, petite female, it's hard enough for patients to understand that you are a physician and with this introduction, I feel that patients often think I and the other fellows/residents are students shadowing the attending and therefore do not trust us or our roles in their care.

And haha that idea actually crossed my mind (referring to the attending by first name in front of the pt)....

Sounds like it’s not pointed at you and more The culture of the program. It can be something you can give in feedback at your 6 month meeting… with then explanation you just gave…or as others have said… let it go and adjust to the culture there… it’s short term.

 

[anonperson]

Yes, they do this with all the fellows and residents, so I guess it is just the culture. I know this is a small thing in the grand scheme of things and temporary, and I don't want to come across as petty. But especially in a time where so many non-physicians go around calling themselves doctors, it feels insulting to be introduced as oh and this is Susie Q, like I'm some high school student following them around.

It's understandable to feel the way you do. I disliked fellowship for similar reasons.

A couple of things:
-As annoying as it is, you don't want to be the only one complaining. You will likely use these people for help with your job search and references in the future.

-To a certain extent, patients are there to see your attending and not the trainee. You are an important player in the team but you aren't the star.

This too shall pass.

 

[mvenus929]

How much you want to rock the boat depends on a couple things... namely, how much support you'd have among attendings. If all the attendings do this, then pointing it out probably won't change anything. If it's just a couple, then bringing it up to your PD or the division director can help change the culture.

FWIW, I complained that a couple of my fellowship attendings did this. My PD sent an email to the division reminding them that the fellows are doctors as well as should be addressed as such in front of patients. Didn't have as many issues after that. I would 100% fight for you to change the culture if that was happening at my institution.

 

[gutonc]

I never have, and still don't, 10y into being an attending, give a flying **** what people call me in the professional setting.

If you do, that's fine. But unless someone's being deliberately dismissive of you as a human being, I'm not sure this is the hill I'd recommend that you choose to die on.

 

[WhiteCoatWonder]

I've been telling myself that this is all temporary but it does bother me and I feel that it's disrespectful. Am I overthinking things?

no. but there could be multiple factors at play. could be the culture of the place, preference of the individual attending or a microaggression. def need more data.

as a double minority, ive had to pull quite a few folks to the side and correct them with my preferred title...although these tend to be new patients, nurses, and support staff, not my teaching attendings. however, most attendings at my shop are Aware of That Struggle and correct ppl if we're called anything other than Dr. X by anyone other than them.

im gonna get tangential here (cause your OP alluded to none of this part), but this feels relevant: i think many co-physicians are blissfully unaware of the potentially destabilizing/undermining dynamic sometimes associated with blurring professional lines, inclusive of non-physicians referring to less well represented physicians by first name. it can be a whole snowball thing.

 

[TraumaLlamaMD]

This seems bizarre to me. My attendings made a point of calling me Dr. Llama to patients. If the patients don’t see me as a doctor, it’s hard for me to round, see office patients or get consent - and you’d think your attendings would like you to do those things effectively!

 

[Iamnew2]

Hello! Long time lurker here

I'm a first-year fellow and something I've noticed is that a lot of the attendings here introduce me to patients by my first name when walking into a patient's room together or when introducing me to a clinic patient. Sometimes I'll then try to say something like "hi I'm Dr ____, nice to meet you" but the attending often either talks over this or continues to refer to me by my first name in the conversation and then the patient will start calling me by my first name too.

I've been telling myself that this is all temporary but it does bother me and I feel that it's disrespectful. Am I overthinking things?

that would bother me, but then again as a female physicians, it's not uncommon to be Called "nurse" or to call the other doctors "doctor" but me "ma'm" even though they know I am the medical director of the unit, or somehow think that the male doctors (all the other doctors in the group are men) and somehow I am under their direction. Happens unfortunately. I would address it politely. It's appropriate to call fellows and residents doctor. The attending can introduce him/herself by first name if they so choose but should call you/other fellows doctor. It's part of being respectful.

 

[shaggybill]

I would definitely address it and let them know that calling you by first name in front of the patient undermines your significance when rounding on the patient later. I would do this the day before graduation.