Names patients call you other than your own name

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Specializes in Med/Surg, International Health, Psych.

Despite countless self-introductions as Ms. [my last name here]. I have found that patients will call me basically "whatever the heck they want to." Usually Dr. [my first name] or simply my first name. Despite repeated corrections, they persist. I no longer bother to correct them anymore. However, today I heard the oddest phrase.

Patient's wife: "We were at dinner, but I told the family that we had to go see Tom's shrink nurse". A "shrink nurse", really?! "Oh, we mean that affectionately." Of course.

What do patients call you?

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Specializes in Education, FP, LNC, Forensics, ED, OB.

The one that made me laugh every time the patient walked through the door ...

"I'm here to see the nurse beautician".

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

Thats cute!

I'm usually called by my first name with some vets calling me Doc out of sense of respect. They totally get that I'm not their physician.

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Specializes in Family Practice, Mental Health.

After reading the first few replies, I feel all alone in my little corner of "Hey You".....

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i had a pt.call me sexy then ask for a bed bath,then i ask told my supervisor and switch my pt.

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Specializes in HH, Peds, Rehab, Clinical.

I'm not an NP, but where I used to work, there was a rehab patient that would put her light on at HS and ask for the "pill lady" to bring her her Ativan. I finally told her that she can just go ahead and call us "nurse". She laughed and said "Oh, it's just easier for me to say pill lady". I laughed and said "well, some of our nurses are men, so when you ask for the "'pill lady", you might be waiting for a very long time!".

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Dialysis.

Sometimes pill lady or sometimes pill nurse. Doesn't bother me. I work in LTC and some of the residents differentiate our primary jobs by calling us the pill nurse, as in "your my pill nurse so I'll put on my light for the bathroom nurse when we are done." Before I get flamed here let me explain that. I have no problem helping a resident to the bathroom, but we have several that just won't let me. These residents are very adamant that only the CNA's help them to the bathroom and not the nurse. These ladies clearly state "that's not your job honey."

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Specializes in Hospice.
I have no problem helping a resident to the bathroom, but we have several that just won't let me. These residents are very adamant that only the CNA's help them to the bathroom and not the nurse. These ladies clearly state "that's not your job honey."

So funny, I've encountered this too! Due to staffing challenges I worked multiple shifts as an aide in LTC.

Now returning to our regularly scheduled thread...

I was the "snack lady" for one resident because I always distributed hs protein snacks to my diabetic residents so I knew they received them. She loved snacks, so I was held in high regard:)

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After reading the first few replies, I feel all alone in my little corner of "Hey You".....

oh chile move over im in this corner too.

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Specializes in family practice.

Since my last name is hard to pronounce, I tell them to call me by my first name since I was not a physician and I did not have my doctorate yet. I jokingly tell them calling me Dr might give me weird ideas about going back and since I just completed my masters, I'm not yet interested. So far only one has called me Dr.

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Specializes in FNP, ONP.

No one ever calls me anything unusual, I suppose at least in part because I'm male. A few that I have known for years and to whom I'm close call me by my first name, most call me Dr. Devil. I am holding out for Mr. Secretary (as in Secretary of Health and Human Services).

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For some weird reason my pts grandfather would call me her teacher

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