Have you ever been mistaken for a doctor?

[ThePrincessBride]

So, I have heard some stories of female doctors being mistaken for nurses...so I was wondering this: have you, as a male nurse, been mistaken for a doctor?

[KarmaWiseRaven]

Funny Story: I was working at this Psych Rehab place in Calif that's where I'm from and there's a hospital across from where i worked and some of us use to go over there to eat lunch they had the best burgers not kidding. Well anyways i would always get a discount on my food LOL and i always wondered why. So one day I'm in there and this cashier looks at me says Hey Doc hows it going up there? I guess she was meaning the upper floors of the hospital and i said Doc?? She said yes i said i guess ok but i'm not a Doc and she said your kidding i said nope ( I was a CNA ) at the time. She said you look like one that works here. I said really what does he do? She said i don't know. She gave me a discount anyways. lol And when i asked why did you give me the discount she told me that this DR has a great sense of humor and is always playing jokes on the staff so to be on the safe side she just best give me the discount. LOL I wanted to tell her the only thing i wanted to operate on is that burger and fries and drink. These are my thoughts use them as you wish.. Anthony

[drmorton2b]

It isn't uncommon for some men over age age of 65 to call me a Doctor or say I am going to be a good doctor.

Which tells me I am doing a good job as a nurse.

It still irks me when they call me a Doctor. I have 0 interest in becoming a doctor.

[R.NICU]

sometimes. i tell them i'm a nurse and they ask me if i'm going to upgrade to doctor

...um, no.

[LostButMakinGoodTime]

At 51 years of age, I have plenty of gray hair . Add ceil blue surgical scrubs, and our white lab coats, and I'm mistaken for a surgeon ALL the time. Not always a bad thing, I have no problems being served in the physician dining room...

[Snugpeach]

Every day I work.

[remifentanil]

I tell the patient who I am when we first meet.. I tell him I am the NURSE ANESTHTIST who will be putting him to sleep.... as soon as a family member comes in to the preop room before we go to surgery the patient will STILL say.. Oh and this is my anesthesiologist...

I think it has to do with the difficulty of pronouncing ANESTHETIST.

[nursetim, NP]

I think it has to do with the difficulty of pronouncing ANESTHETIST.

Well it IS a pronounced profession.:lol2:

[PeaceKeepr]

every day

[KirbyEMT]

I'm an ER tech (EMT) and halfway through RN school. At work and school I get asked if I'm training to be a Dr. Also, I'm a 20 year old, medium frame, but could pass for a 14 year old, so I get asked the MOST, how old I am. I tell them I just turned 12.

[KirbyEMT]

The funniest part is taking care of patient's with a female complaint in the ER. I'm very professional about all my care, but usually halfway through the assessment questions. They'll blurt out, are you old enough to be talking about all this? Depending on how you feel they'll take a joke, I'll reply, "NO, but I'm VERY experienced."

[Noimanurse]

As many of you have said, "I'm your nurse", they say, "oh so whats the plan of action, Doc", I would like to say, "well, lets start by turning your hearing aides on, I just said I'm your nurse" but I'm unsure if they would think it was as funny as I would. I've often replied, "No, the lady that just walked out of your room is your doctor, I'm your nurse."

I do agree its just a generational thing, the elderly are just use to seeing ladies as nurses and men as doctors.

[Annjella]

When my male classmate and I both have the same patient during our duty, I just find it a little annoying when we both introduce ourselves as student nurses and the patient and their families keep referring to him as "doc".