Now how's this for stereotyping:
Sometimes when I drop my youngest off at school, I've seen another mother dropping off her daughter in the same class. And she always shows up wearing scrubs.
I've had a couple of conversations with her. And of course, I'm dying to ask her what she does for a living that she's always wearing scrubs. But I don't want her to tell me that she's a nurse. And then I'll have to tell her I'm a doctor. And any possibility of friendship will be vanquished.
There are probably a few things wrong with this:
1) My certainty that there will be awkwardness upon discovering that she is a nurse and I'm a doctor.
2) My assumption that she's almost certainly NOT a doctor herself.
As for the first one.... it's likely predicated on the fact that I've never had a nurse friend. And I can't even get any of the nurses I work with to call me by my first name. As for the second one... well, just going by the numbers, I'm probably right.
Yet another case of my career feeling like a detriment in my quest to make friends. Recently, a mom I met at a playgroup asked me if I was a nurse and I was sooooo tempted to say yes.
That's interesting. I have several friends who are nurses - some I know from other contexts (college, through our kids) and one or two I know through work. I think the first name at work varies a lot by region and generation. At some point I stopped hedging when people asked what I do for a living. I think I'm too old to care any more :)
ReplyDeleteThis is indeed interesting. There are nurses, acupuncturists, and social workers that I hang out with through parents groups, but I haven't encountered that profession revelation related awkwardness yet. Although it might be because I am a medical student. Maybe as I progress through training, people will start making assumptions about me, or me about them, though I really hope that doesn't happen.
ReplyDeleteOh I hope you make some nurse friends! My PA's are some of my best friends. But the first name at work- Yeah I've tried that for years and no dice. I thought it was just a Southern formality thing but maybe I'm wrong. I do get a few people saying Dr. Elizabeth, I like that.
ReplyDeleteI have several Nurse friends. During residency, my co-residents, Nurses and Respiratory Therapists kept me laughing and healthy. Now as an Attending, I have some amazing friendships with Nurses. Be open to it! Could be tons of fun!
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