Multiple physicians with the same name, spelled the same way.

MunoRN, RN · Jul 12, 2013

Are there first names the same? If so I guess it's time to move on to middle names.

classicdame, MSN, EdD · Jul 12, 2013

we had this issue for a while. The operator would call out Dr. John Smith, orthopedics or Dr. John Smith, Cardiology

NicuGal, MSN, RN · Jul 12, 2013

When I was in school we had 10 Dr. P. Patel. We had to find out if they had a middle initial and use that if we paged lol

Penelope_Pitstop, BSN, RN · Jul 13, 2013

When I was in school we had 10 Dr. P. Patel. We had to find out if they had a middle initial and use that if we paged lol

I was about to ask if it was Dr. Patel. When I've typed that one in to enter a telephone order...well, it's been interesting!

poppycat, ADN, BSN · Jul 13, 2013

On the other end of the spectrum is patients with the same name. I used to go to a doctor whose practice had 25 patients with my exact name, including middle name! They called us by our birthdates & I was first because mine is 1/2! Yes, I have an extremely common name.

Once I got married that problem stopped because my husband & I are the only 2 people in this state with our last name!

KelRN215, BSN, RN · Jul 13, 2013

Has anyone had the experience of having 6 (SIX) physicians working in the same hospital with the same name, spelled exactly the same??? (And no, they are not related), LOL!!!
How did you handle this? Keep them all straight??
Wondering if this is some sort of sick new-nurses initiation hazing, LOL!!

I've not had six but have had 2-3 with the same first and last name. Either separate them by middle initial or specialty. Joe M. Smith, Ortho and Joe R. Smith, Neuro.

blondy2061h, MSN, RN · Jul 13, 2013

All of our paging is through the computer now. You type in the first few letters of the name and get a list of those people, click on the one and see their "profile" then you can page from there. Everyone's profile has their picture, so in same name situations you can look at the picture. Specialty is also listed.

RunninOnCoffee · Jul 14, 2013

How about identical twins in the same specialty and share a practice? One is fatter than the other and the fatter one mumbles worse than the other. Otherwise there is no telling them apart. Even their handwriting is horribly identical.

wooh, BSN, RN · Jul 14, 2013

We had a doc do a consult that had a common last name. I just flat out had to ask him, "and which Dr. X are you?" He laughed and told me. What else would he do, make me guess?

If you're lucky, and you're doing order entry, it will list their names AND their specialty. That helps differentiate between the MD husbands/MD wives that took husband's names. Doesn't help for the one that always gets me though. Two MDs that are partners in the same group with same first and last names. And I can NEVER remember which middle name is which. I can remember most everything else that differentiates them. I know what the one likes to order that's different from the other. I know the approach I have to take with both to get what I want. I even can recognize their voices on the phone. But for the life of me, I can NOT remember which middle name belongs to which.

KelRN215, BSN, RN · Jul 14, 2013

How about identical twins in the same specialty and share a practice? One is fatter than the other and the fatter one mumbles worse than the other. Otherwise there is no telling them apart. Even their handwriting is horribly identical.

We had residents who were identical twins in the same specialty once. Fortunately they weren't rotating through at the same time but when the second one came, no one could remember he wasn't the first one.