Respect

[happydays]

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To current med students doing clinicals: Do you feel that patients respect you? Are the attendings respected? What is your work environment like?

Thanks!


Note: I know that someone will manage to find something that I wrote offensive. Let me just make it clear that I am merely inquiring, not flaming.

 

[Ypo.]

You should probably go post this question in the Clinical years forums-3rd and 4th year is when you actually get to start seeing patients and deal with attendings and all that.

But, generally, if you treat people with respect, you'll get it back. Sometimes people will be a jerk to you, and you just need to be respectful and not react to it-that is the best way to get through it. Its what I plan on doing.

 

[8744]

To current med students doing clinicals: Do you feel that patients respect you? Are the attendings respected? What is your work environment like?

Thanks!


Note: I know that someone will manage to find something that I wrote offensive. Let me just make it clear that I am merely inquiring, not flaming.

Depends how you present yourself.

Check out my Blog for information about medical school. (Shameless plug)

 

[bigfrank]

I do not think that, generally speaking, med students are respected in the hospital. Attendings are very respected.

 

[happydays]

Thanks, everyone.

 

[loveumms]

Really does depend. Some of my patients give me (and everyone else) no respect ... these are the people who more then likely don't respect themselves either.

Where some of my patinet are very respectful and are grateful for the care they are given. You will find that many patients in the hospital don't know that youa re not a doctor (even if you tell them I'm student doctor so and so).

Some of the ancillary staff don't give anyone respect. Some of the nurses and patient techs are just down right rude. But, my philosophe is to try and get along with everyone and those who are ignorant can't help it.

 

[fab4fan]

And there are times when some med students are crashing boors, which may be why some nurses are rude. I work in a facility that has med students, interns, etc. I try to look at it like this: Someday, they may be attendings there. Now is the time to foster a good relationship with them.

For the most part, I've found med students to be friendly, helpful, and open to listening to staff. There are one or two bad apples, but that doesn't mean I should treat all students badly because of it. When there's a problem with an individual, I try to take it up with that person.

Being antagonistic just for the heck of it is counterproductive.

 

[happydays]

Thanks again. I'm relieved.

 

[fang]

To current med students doing clinicals: Do you feel that patients respect you? Are the attendings respected? What is your work environment like?

This question kind of makes me laugh. No, we don't get any respect. Patients are sometimes grateful, but that's not the same as true respect. Some rotations are worse than others, but on the bad ones (such as OB), you have to literally put your personality on hold -- no joking with interns/residents/attendings/nurses, smile only if they want you to, show up on time, do whatever they want at whatever time they want... really there isn't any respect. You are THE lowest lifeform around and they all let you know it.

However, it's ok with me... what I really want is to learn as much as I can in that short amount of time, and get an honors out of the experience. So far I've been able to do that.

 

[Adcadet]

I try to get respect by understanding my patients and listening to them as much as possible. I figure clinical results = knowledge of the patient X knowledge of medicine, and while on rotations I may be the least medically competent member of the team, I can try to be the expert in everything about the patient. Sometimes it makes no difference and the world just sucks as fang explains, but sometimes it's extremely important, and some patients will give you incredible respect for that. I just got a thank you note from a patient from where I did my internal medicine rotation that was addressed to the attending, resident, intern, and me. The four of us definitely had our "A game" with this patient in terms of touchy-feely stuff, and he clearly appreciated it. To me, that's a major sign of respect.

 

[azzarah]

At my school, I've only felt disrespected on urology & OB/GYN. Even then, there were only 2-3 residents that I felt were disrespectful, but the rest were really nice. I find that most nurses are really nice to med students too & really go out of their way to help you out if you ask them to do something for you in a polite manner.
As far as patients go, some can't tell the difference between med student and doctor. I generally go in the room, smile, and introduce myself as "hi, I'm so and so, the med student on XYZ. I'm here to do blah blah. How are you doing today?" I've only seen 2 patients b!tch about me being a med student, but they still let me do what I needed to do before I got out of their face.

 

[2TIM4:7]

At my school, I've only felt disrespected on urology & OB/GYN. Even then, there were only 2-3 residents that I felt were disrespectful, but the rest were really nice. I find that most nurses are really nice to med students too & really go out of their way to help you out if you ask them to do something for you in a polite manner.
As far as patients go, some can't tell the difference between med student and doctor. I generally go in the room, smile, and introduce myself as "hi, I'm so and so, the med student on XYZ. I'm here to do blah blah. How are you doing today?" I've only seen 2 patients b!tch about me being a med student, but they still let me do what I needed to do before I got out of their face.

Very true! 🙂

 

[azzarah]

Very true! 🙂

Even when the patients are like "What!!!? You're a MEDICAL STUDENT???" you need to have the nerves to stay in there and do your H&P.

 

[Adcadet]

I'm more than 1/2 way through MS3, and I have yet to have somebody say "you're only a medical student" - what am I doing wrong? Are you guys introducting yourselves as (whispered "student") doctor X? Not introducing yourselves at all, or just not getting the Minnesota Nice patients that I see? Now, I have had a small number ask if Dr. So-and-so will be seeing them when I've forgotten to mention that.

 

[fab4fan]

This question kind of makes me laugh. No, we don't get any respect. Patients are sometimes grateful, but that's not the same as true respect. Some rotations are worse than others, but on the bad ones (such as OB), you have to literally put your personality on hold -- no joking with interns/residents/attendings/nurses, smile only if they want you to, show up on time, do whatever they want at whatever time they want... really there isn't any respect. You are THE lowest lifeform around and they all let you know it.

However, it's ok with me... what I really want is to learn as much as I can in that short amount of time, and get an honors out of the experience. So far I've been able to do that.

fang: Please don't stop joking around with the nurses. Most of us love it. We have an anesthesia resident in my dept. who cracks me up; sometimes it's the best part of the day when he shows up.

I don't consider med students, or anyone for that matter, the lowest life form. We're all here to do a job, and need each other. (Everybody join hands! "I'd like to teach the world to sing, in perfect harmoneeeee...")

 

[Misterioso]

If you carry yourself with enough confidence then you will virtually always get respect. The med students who whine about not being respected are usually the meek insecure ones. It's all about confidence.

 

[azzarah]

I'm more than 1/2 way through MS3, and I have yet to have somebody say "you're only a medical student" - what am I doing wrong? Are you guys introducting yourselves as (whispered "student") doctor X? Not introducing yourselves at all, or just not getting the Minnesota Nice patients that I see? Now, I have had a small number ask if Dr. So-and-so will be seeing them when I've forgotten to mention that.

It has happened to me twice. I generally introduce myself as a medical student not as a "student doctor." I find the term "student doctor" misleading, don't you?
First time around, I was getting ready to do an LP on the patient & she wanted to know if I had done one before. The second time, it was a VIP patient who only wanted to see his world-famous surgeon and no one else. Enough said! 😉

 

[quideam]

When i was training to be a phlebotomist, i was taught that when doing my first or second stick, if a patient asks you "how many of these have you done?" to answer "oh, you don't even want to know how many i've done!", and to say it with a tone that implies "oh, hundreds!". Lol.... but I guess LPs are a teeny bit different....

Q 😀

 

[velo]

I find the term "student doctor" misleading, don't you?

The term "student doctor" is totally misleading. Patients don't know what it means and I feel that the motivation for using it is almost always the hope that the patient view you as something more than a student.

 

[cdreed]

The term "student doctor" is totally misleading. Patients don't know what it means and I feel that the motivation for using it is almost always the hope that the patient view you as something more than a student.

I usually introduce myself as "medical student" followed shortly thereafter by "student doctor" when I'm asked if I'm going to be a nurse or PA. Of course, I'm female and I've heard that women physicians/students get this a lot.

 

[velo]

I usually introduce myself as "medical student" followed shortly thereafter by "student doctor" when I'm asked if I'm going to be a nurse or PA. Of course, I'm female and I've heard that women physicians/students get this a lot.

huh, I'll admit that's a new one. I've never run into a patient who didn't seem to get that 'medical student' meant future doctor...

 

[RonaldColeman]

huh, I'll admit that's a new one. I've never run into a patient who didn't seem to get that 'medical student' meant future doctor...

One of my attendings and I used to have a lot of fun with this. When I first started the rotation, he would introduce me as "the medical student." A number of patients would reply,"oh, my son/daughter is a medical student too." Well, it turns out that they thought I was a medical assistant. After we realized that the majority of his patients had no idea what in the hell a medical student was, my attending started introducing me with all sorts of different titles: LVN, MA, PhD, JD, etc. The patients didn't know the difference.

 

[Adcadet]

I've met people who say that somebody is in law school and in the same conversation explain that they're studying to be a paralegal. I've also met somebody in public who claimed to be in medical school, and when I started talking to him he explained that he was in PA school (and his PA school isn't even one run through a medical school).

 

[Beau Geste]

I've met people who say that somebody is in law school and in the same conversation explain that they're studying to be a paralegal. I've also met somebody in public who claimed to be in medical school, and when I started talking to him he explained that he was in PA school (and his PA school isn't even one run through a medical school).

Or chiropractic school. Kills me when they say "I'm in med school".

 

[DrMom]

huh, I'll admit that's a new one. I've never run into a patient who didn't seem to get that 'medical student' meant future doctor...

Well, you're not female. I've gotten it quite a few times.

 

[happydays]

One of my attendings and I used to have a lot of fun with this. When I first started the rotation, he would introduce me as "the medical student." A number of patients would reply,"oh, my son/daughter is a medical student too." Well, it turns out that they thought I was a medical assistant. After we realized that the majority of his patients had no idea what in the hell a medical student was, my attending started introducing me with all sorts of different titles: LVN, MA, PhD, JD, etc. The patients didn't know the difference.

That's great! One of the doctors whom I shadowed could never remember my name, so he would introduce me with whatever he came up with, like Gigi. No patient ever thought it was a joke, but no one cared to remember.

 

[azzarah]

Well, you're not female. I've gotten it quite a few times.

Sometimes, if you are female and wearing a white coat, you must certainly be a nurse. Nurse, can you get me some water? Nurse!!! Nurse!!!!

 

[carrigallen]

I introduce myself this way:
"Hi, I'm the student following Dr. X and I'm going to take a quick history and examine you before he comes in."

 

[oldman]

Anyone plan on introducing themselves as a resident? I guess there it will get more blurred between resident and attending.

 

[DOtobe]

I introduce myself as Dr. DOtobe, and they invariably will ask, "Are you part of Dr. XYZ's group?" To which I reply, "No, I'm one of the residents in the hospital who will be seeing you for him/her." They usually understand what "resident" means, courtesy of ER, Scrubs, Grey's Anatomy, etc...

 

[PLK7905]

People constantly ask me, when I introduce myself as a medical student, if I'm going to be a nurse. It used to make me crazy, mostly because none of my male classmates EVER get that. However, over the past few years I have realized that they are not doing it to be offensive and just really don't know about medical education. The funny thing is, there appears to be no certain demographic that thinks I'm a nurse--I've had young people, old people, men, and women all ask me this, with about equal frequency.

As far as student doctor goes, most of the time my attendings or residents introduce me this way, but I never introduce myself this way--its just a little awkward and maybe a little misleading (in my opinion).