Attention patients/families of patients/people who leave me annoying voicemails because they want me to write them prescriptions:
My name is not Miss. Nor is it Kate, or Katherine, and it's really, really not Kathy. No, I am not a nurse. No, I am not a social worker, clinical therapist, or whatever else you've decided for which I went to school for four or five years. No, I do not need to "check with the doctor."
I am the doctor.
When people want to check with the doctor? They could check with me. See how that works?
If I were a nurse, then that'd be great, had I wanted to be a nurse. I'd be debt-free, making a lot more money currently, and working a much better schedule. I could defer and check with the doctor. But, I made a different choice. I did three undergraduate majors in four years. I spent four years in medical school working up to 120 hours per week while taking out ridiculous amounts of loans for the privilege to do so. I spent a year in hell doing an obstetric internship, and then committed another five years of my life to psychiatry residency and fellowship. I work 60-80 hours a week, have ruined my credit because I can't make the $1600/month payment the loan company thinks I should be able to make on a second year resident's salary, and lay awake at night wondering if I'm doing the right thing, if I'm serving my patients well, and if any of them are going to put a gun to their head tonight. It's a job I love, and a choice I made, but it's a freakin' lot of work and comes at a large cost.
The least you can do, here, is call me "Doctor."
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3 comments:
Hugs Doctor Kate.
Much as I hate to ask, is declaring bankruptcy an option to help with that loan? Because that's almost my mortgage payment (add $1000 and no passing out)
Love you honey. Hugs to Mags too.
Doctor Kate!
But geez, there's a guy I work with from the deeeeeeeep south who calls me Miss Lisa (same thing with all the other women) and I hate him. It's so demeaning.
Sorry, but this kind of made me giggle for a couple of reasons:
A) I am now thinking my career choices are a symptom of insanity.
B) I just told a co-worker yesterday that when I finish my education, I fully intend on making even my husband address me as Dr. Ferguson! (At least for the first year!)
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