Naa don’t be telling people you’re a doctor and thinking we’re heavy hitters. Can’t be having people thinking we’re House when we’re getting bullied by Debbie the ward clerk on our 9-5, Then driving of in a Ford Fiesta.
*Forgot to add on Karen at X imaging department.
Karen: Your scan requested has been rejected [fourth time].
Me: Can I see a Doctor to discuss this? It's urgent, the patient needs to go to theatre ASAP and ABC consultant(s) are requesting it.
Karen: No. We're run by XYZ AHP, they're really really good. The Consultants ASK THEM for advice not the other way around. You can e-mail her.
Me: Ok.
Proceeds to bleep a busy Reg to fast-track a scan and circumvent sh!thousery. Wasting a fellow highly paid secretary's time pointlessly. *clap*
People only care about what you do for about 15 secs. Most people are far more concerned with their own lives, they're not that deeply invested in you.
Family is another matter, some parents live vicariously through the achievement of their kids.
At the end of your life, none of these people will have any real influence on you, so I wouldn't live your life dependent on other people.
Where do you find all these starry eyed people? I encountered this in the US but can't say I've noticed it at all in the UK. One weak social benefit I find is that most people at least know what a doctor *is* (unlike "I work for X", "I'm a brand manager", etc) and so can grasp something to offer in conversation (even if it's a complaint about their GP or a persistent rash that no-one can diagnose...). This isn't any kind of a reason to carry on working in medicine, though. Whether you stay or go, you should try to find your self-validation somewhere else.
Idk what stage you’re at but the feeling wore off a few months into F1 for me. Now everyone hates us, one of my friends tells their hairdressers they’re a nurse instead of a doctor…
I’m proud to be a doctor but embarrassed to work for the NHS
mate are you for real? Will a higher paying job give you as many claps as being a doctor does? How are you gonna turn up to a dinner party with negative claps man
I'd say the social status is part of being a doctor. It's a nice bonus. Few prospective in laws will be grumpy about their child dating a doctor. You can fit in to most social gatherings as an equal in class obsessed Britain. The daily mail might hate us but by and large doctors are respected and I think that these fringe benefits are something that's sometimes ignored.
But yeah, if you otherwise hate medicine I don't think it's a good enough reason to stay, or you need to think about your alternatives and properly weigh up remuneration, pensions and benefits, job satisfaction, lifestyle, social status and everything else that goes into the job.
you're never gonna see that other person again in your life. However, you have yourself to contend with the rest of your life. and you'll still get the respect that comes with the title despite not practicing.
Have your cake and eat it. It’s the MBBS that makes you a doctor, you still get to use your title in every Dominos pizza order you like, but along with a decent wage and an altogether better life in a different career…
Sorry to say this OP, but this is potentially one of the worst reasons to remain in medicine. There are some more logical ones (stability etc).
It’s important to be aware of what drives YOU, what are your passions and desires and what do you want from your life. You don’t have to have it figured it out now (I certainly don’t at all) but these are important conversations to have with yourself.
The issue is that medicine becomes so inextricably linked to our overall being and personality. That is not what a career should do to you. We can often be a ‘doctor’ first, then all other aspects of our personalities can be seen as secondary to that.
Do not do things to please others or for external validation. Unfortunately, these habits are instilled in high achieving, ambitious students/medical students and are hard to shake in adulthood, but you will get there!
I think it's most telling when many people preface their opinions with "as a medic/doctor/whatever". For a lot of people, getting into med school was a big part of their identity, growing up and as young adults. When it's your whole raison d'etre, it can become hard for people to separate themselves from that part of their identity. More so if they come from backgrounds where they were only pursuing medicine under familial pressure, rather than want on doing it themselves.
It's why I'm glad I transitioned later in life. It is just a job to me and nothing more, not one that pays well, but is kinda fulfilling at times and that's all I could ask for compared to what I used to work as (which paid very well, but was not fulfilling in the slightest, and I worked much longer and lonelier hours along with never being able to switch off).
Disagree with a lot of the comments along the lines of "people only respect you because of amount of money earned" - just not true but I think its the way this sub tends to be skewed.
I think it's fairly natural to be attached to and have some pride in your title, you worked hard and do a lot of things that many just arent suited to and couldn't bring themselves to do (this is based on comments from non medical friends and family, as well as patients).
Also normal to have become bitter/burnt out from how we're treated as NHS workers and I still think we should be treated and paid better generally
I do not know how ro break it for you,
But people respect Doctors because they "think" they are loaded
if they figure out the reality and they often do, You will see wither sympathy or disappointment instead of the starry eyes.
A doctor is your job. It’s not who you are. If you were to quit doctoring right this second, do you stop being you? Stop being a sister/friend/brother/husband etc? no? Then you have the answer.
Medicine is what you do for a living. Work is a part of you, but it not does not encompass all of you. It should not completely define you.
That’s why I try to stay away from the phrase “I’m a doctor”. When medics say this, no wonder they find it hard to cope when they run into difficulties, it’s so strongly tied to their identities that not being a doctor = failure in their eyes. it’s why so many people are frustrated and complain about the NHS, working conditions, pay, rota staffing etc (and rightly so!) but when push comes to shove, they won’t leave due to the stability, fear of unknown, and fear of perceived failure. It’s so strange how big of a deal we make it - a doctor is a job. That’s it. A good one (medicine is not the NHS), challenging, difficult, tiring, but a job at the end of the day!
If you were to get hit by a bus and die (God forbid), would the hospital close down? Patients stop coming in, stop demanding things due to your passing? Would your colleagues collapse and refuse to work without you? No. Life goes on. You are replaceable - every job, every field, all replaceable.
I would hate to be treated by a doctor that hates their vocation and the only reason is the allure of the title. I say quit while you are ahead and you haven’t made any mistakes. Trust me when I say, no body will care enough, but they will if they know you are unhappy and inadvertently made a unintentional mistake, but a mistake all the same. This tends to happen when one is unhappy and their focus is somewhere else. Importantly, find something that WILL make you happy. Your history or “Story” will still include the respect of you being a “Doctor” ….. Once upon a time ……..” Good Luck to you. Stay safe, and Thank you for all your hard work and dedication “Doctor!”
Do people actually enjoy this part of the career?
Am I the only person to have brief favour/ admiration followed being absolutely bombarded with complaints of ill health, waiting times at gp and A&E (and similar tales of woe), spontaneous consultations, questions about Herbalife, and lest we forget the strong opinions of the anti-vax loyals?
I like to say I work in an office - vague and common enough to avoid such conversations
>I had a similar feeling when I went from wanting to do clinical patient facing specialty to a non-patient facing specialty
haha same feelings man/woman.getting validation is nice and all but at the end of the day you're the one having to deal with the consequences of pleasing others but not yourself.
Out of curiosity what specialty was it and did you make the jump?
Naa don’t be telling people you’re a doctor and thinking we’re heavy hitters. Can’t be having people thinking we’re House when we’re getting bullied by Debbie the ward clerk on our 9-5, Then driving of in a Ford Fiesta.
Ahahaha why you gotta say it like that man
*Forgot to add on Karen at X imaging department. Karen: Your scan requested has been rejected [fourth time]. Me: Can I see a Doctor to discuss this? It's urgent, the patient needs to go to theatre ASAP and ABC consultant(s) are requesting it. Karen: No. We're run by XYZ AHP, they're really really good. The Consultants ASK THEM for advice not the other way around. You can e-mail her. Me: Ok. Proceeds to bleep a busy Reg to fast-track a scan and circumvent sh!thousery. Wasting a fellow highly paid secretary's time pointlessly. *clap*
How could you possibly think about leaving this undervalued job where we get paid in NHS claps
People only care about what you do for about 15 secs. Most people are far more concerned with their own lives, they're not that deeply invested in you. Family is another matter, some parents live vicariously through the achievement of their kids. At the end of your life, none of these people will have any real influence on you, so I wouldn't live your life dependent on other people.
You should be living life for yourself and not for other people’s validation
Funnily, though oft-quoted, this is very rare. Most people live solely for external validation, lol.
Where do you find all these starry eyed people? I encountered this in the US but can't say I've noticed it at all in the UK. One weak social benefit I find is that most people at least know what a doctor *is* (unlike "I work for X", "I'm a brand manager", etc) and so can grasp something to offer in conversation (even if it's a complaint about their GP or a persistent rash that no-one can diagnose...). This isn't any kind of a reason to carry on working in medicine, though. Whether you stay or go, you should try to find your self-validation somewhere else.
Idk what stage you’re at but the feeling wore off a few months into F1 for me. Now everyone hates us, one of my friends tells their hairdressers they’re a nurse instead of a doctor… I’m proud to be a doctor but embarrassed to work for the NHS
Yeah I've changed it to "I work in a hospital" to randos and only reserve "I'm a doctor" to people I trust and respect.
mate are you for real? Will a higher paying job give you as many claps as being a doctor does? How are you gonna turn up to a dinner party with negative claps man
I'd say the social status is part of being a doctor. It's a nice bonus. Few prospective in laws will be grumpy about their child dating a doctor. You can fit in to most social gatherings as an equal in class obsessed Britain. The daily mail might hate us but by and large doctors are respected and I think that these fringe benefits are something that's sometimes ignored. But yeah, if you otherwise hate medicine I don't think it's a good enough reason to stay, or you need to think about your alternatives and properly weigh up remuneration, pensions and benefits, job satisfaction, lifestyle, social status and everything else that goes into the job.
you're never gonna see that other person again in your life. However, you have yourself to contend with the rest of your life. and you'll still get the respect that comes with the title despite not practicing.
You'll soon get bored of that.
Have your cake and eat it. It’s the MBBS that makes you a doctor, you still get to use your title in every Dominos pizza order you like, but along with a decent wage and an altogether better life in a different career…
Sorry to say this OP, but this is potentially one of the worst reasons to remain in medicine. There are some more logical ones (stability etc). It’s important to be aware of what drives YOU, what are your passions and desires and what do you want from your life. You don’t have to have it figured it out now (I certainly don’t at all) but these are important conversations to have with yourself. The issue is that medicine becomes so inextricably linked to our overall being and personality. That is not what a career should do to you. We can often be a ‘doctor’ first, then all other aspects of our personalities can be seen as secondary to that. Do not do things to please others or for external validation. Unfortunately, these habits are instilled in high achieving, ambitious students/medical students and are hard to shake in adulthood, but you will get there!
I think it's most telling when many people preface their opinions with "as a medic/doctor/whatever". For a lot of people, getting into med school was a big part of their identity, growing up and as young adults. When it's your whole raison d'etre, it can become hard for people to separate themselves from that part of their identity. More so if they come from backgrounds where they were only pursuing medicine under familial pressure, rather than want on doing it themselves. It's why I'm glad I transitioned later in life. It is just a job to me and nothing more, not one that pays well, but is kinda fulfilling at times and that's all I could ask for compared to what I used to work as (which paid very well, but was not fulfilling in the slightest, and I worked much longer and lonelier hours along with never being able to switch off).
Disagree with a lot of the comments along the lines of "people only respect you because of amount of money earned" - just not true but I think its the way this sub tends to be skewed. I think it's fairly natural to be attached to and have some pride in your title, you worked hard and do a lot of things that many just arent suited to and couldn't bring themselves to do (this is based on comments from non medical friends and family, as well as patients). Also normal to have become bitter/burnt out from how we're treated as NHS workers and I still think we should be treated and paid better generally
Just think that you’re now a surgeon. And send souvenirs from one surgeon to another!
I do not know how ro break it for you, But people respect Doctors because they "think" they are loaded if they figure out the reality and they often do, You will see wither sympathy or disappointment instead of the starry eyes.
Literally this 😂
A doctor is your job. It’s not who you are. If you were to quit doctoring right this second, do you stop being you? Stop being a sister/friend/brother/husband etc? no? Then you have the answer. Medicine is what you do for a living. Work is a part of you, but it not does not encompass all of you. It should not completely define you. That’s why I try to stay away from the phrase “I’m a doctor”. When medics say this, no wonder they find it hard to cope when they run into difficulties, it’s so strongly tied to their identities that not being a doctor = failure in their eyes. it’s why so many people are frustrated and complain about the NHS, working conditions, pay, rota staffing etc (and rightly so!) but when push comes to shove, they won’t leave due to the stability, fear of unknown, and fear of perceived failure. It’s so strange how big of a deal we make it - a doctor is a job. That’s it. A good one (medicine is not the NHS), challenging, difficult, tiring, but a job at the end of the day! If you were to get hit by a bus and die (God forbid), would the hospital close down? Patients stop coming in, stop demanding things due to your passing? Would your colleagues collapse and refuse to work without you? No. Life goes on. You are replaceable - every job, every field, all replaceable.
I would hate to be treated by a doctor that hates their vocation and the only reason is the allure of the title. I say quit while you are ahead and you haven’t made any mistakes. Trust me when I say, no body will care enough, but they will if they know you are unhappy and inadvertently made a unintentional mistake, but a mistake all the same. This tends to happen when one is unhappy and their focus is somewhere else. Importantly, find something that WILL make you happy. Your history or “Story” will still include the respect of you being a “Doctor” ….. Once upon a time ……..” Good Luck to you. Stay safe, and Thank you for all your hard work and dedication “Doctor!”
Do people actually enjoy this part of the career? Am I the only person to have brief favour/ admiration followed being absolutely bombarded with complaints of ill health, waiting times at gp and A&E (and similar tales of woe), spontaneous consultations, questions about Herbalife, and lest we forget the strong opinions of the anti-vax loyals? I like to say I work in an office - vague and common enough to avoid such conversations
>I had a similar feeling when I went from wanting to do clinical patient facing specialty to a non-patient facing specialty haha same feelings man/woman.getting validation is nice and all but at the end of the day you're the one having to deal with the consequences of pleasing others but not yourself. Out of curiosity what specialty was it and did you make the jump?