What's On Your Mind?

[makingfetchhappen]

I usually only go by Mister/Miss.

If anyone called me Miss Fetch I might lose it. It's Ms Fetch and don't you forget it!

[oshaku]

My supervisor told me to refer to him by his first name, I replied with "will do, professor".

 

Habits, I guess.

 

Second lab I worked with: I kept referring to my supervisor as Dr. [last name] until he emailed to say "please, no more Dr. [last name], call me [shortened form of first name]."  The asian in me felt weird because everybody older than me gets referred to by their title. 

Since then though, I've been referring to all my supervisors by first name.  It's what everyone in the lab does. 

[bruhh]

First day I showed up at my lab for an interview with the PI, I knocked on the door and asked for "Dr. [last name]". The RA that opened the door just started laughing and said, "you mean [first name]"?

[mnemosyna]

This quote is in my minds since this morning: "[...] medicine is built on mistakes, because doctors, like the rest of us, learn by screwing up." It comes from a very interesting article in the NYT about medical errors: http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/05/18/anatomy-of-error?mbid=social_facebook

 

And it's scaring me.

[Savac]

Really? Where? Did they ask you to?

 

UOIT

 

Everyone did it, and the profs preferred it that way

[Birdy]

If anyone called me Miss Fetch I might lose it. It's Ms Fetch and don't you forget it!

I get annoyed with Miss now, myself. I have been married for nearly a decade - it's Mrs. Throws people a bit because my husband took my last name, so our family name is my maiden name but I still go by Mrs since my husband and I share a last name.

 

I've noticed things are so much more casual for my kids than they were for me. My friends' kids call me by my first name and my kids call my friends by their first names. My son's EA at school also has him call her by her first name, but everyone else is Madame/Monsieur.

[Falling]

I get annoyed with Miss now, myself. I have been married for nearly a decade - it's Mrs. Throws people a bit because my husband took my last name, so our family name is my maiden name but I still go by Mrs since my husband and I share a last name.

 

I've noticed things are so much more casual for my kids than they were for me. My friends' kids call me by my first name and my kids call my friends by their first names. My son's EA at school also has him call her by her first name, but everyone else is Madame/Monsieur.

 

I'm 25 and I still call my friend's parents Mr/Mrs (or a culturally appropriate equivalent). I can't imagine doing it differently.

[rmorelan]

I'm 25 and I still call my friend's parents Mr/Mrs (or a culturally appropriate equivalent). I can't imagine doing it differently.

 

ha, I am british so it goes without saying that everyone is Mr/Mrs/Miss/Dr this or that in almost all cases. I struggle calling anyone anything else, but strangely I don't really like being called Dr. personally.

[JohnGrisham]

You guys call your profs by their first names? Is that a West Coast thing?

 

I'm pretty sure that is not common in Ontario.

 

Even seven years after graduation I STILL don't address my old profs by their first name!

 

And it's kind of funny when you think about because I work in a field where I address virtually everyone by their first name and vice versa.

Haha well some profs insist you call them by first name to break down the "I'm above you as professor" status etc.

 

But definitely not all and only ever refer to first name if they first say its okay. Many will get uppity about "I didn't spend X years on my PhD in yzx to be called by my first name!"

[Birdy]

ha, I am british so it goes without saying that everyone is Mr/Mrs/Miss/Dr this or that in almost all cases. I struggle calling anyone anything else, but strangely I don't really like being called Dr. personally.

I can't imagine I'll like being called Doctor either. I'm having a hard enough time even calling myself a med student.

[Birdy]

This quote is in my minds since this morning: "[...] medicine is built on mistakes, because doctors, like the rest of us, learn by screwing up." It comes from a very interesting article in the NYT about medical errors: http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/05/18/anatomy-of-error?mbid=social_facebook

 

And it's scaring me.

The amount of responsibility and trust that will be given to us is really quite immense, and the fact that we are human and thus fallible makes it a terrifying prospect. A doctor I spoke to a few years ago told me that I need to be able to accept the fact that I will kill someone at some point or medicine will break me when that happens.

 

It makes sense. Having a healthy fear of what could happen will help maintain vigilance so as to make it a rare occurrence. But, of course, we can't let the fear be paralyzing or we'll never help anyone either. The message I got from that fantastic piece you posted is what I've heard before: Some fear is good. Hubris kills.

 

Of course, I have zero experience being responsible for other peoples' life or death as a health care provider, only as a mom, and that's a whole different terrifying set of responsibilities.

 

Edit: have you seen Dr Goldman's TED talk on medical mistakes?

 

http://www.ted.com/talks/brian_goldman_doctors_make_mistakes_can_we_talk_about_that

[rmorelan]

The amount of responsibility and trust that will be given to us is really quite immense, and the fact that we are human and thus fallible makes it a terrifying prospect. A doctor I spoke to a few years ago told me that I need to be able to accept the fact that I will kill someone at some point or medicine will break me when that happens.

 

It makes sense. Having a healthy fear of what could happen will help maintain vigilance so as to make it a rare occurrence. But, of course, we can't let the fear be paralyzing or we'll never help anyone either. The message I got from that fantastic piece you posted is what I've heard before: Some fear is good. Hubris kills.

 

Of course, I have zero experience being responsible for other peoples' life or death as a health care provider, only as a mom, and that's a whole different terrifying set of responsibilities.

 

Edit: have you seen Dr Goldman's TED talk on medical mistakes?

 

http://www.ted.com/talks/brian_goldman_doctors_make_mistakes_can_we_talk_about_that

 

yeah....they are right about that learning from your mistakes, and some pretty big mistakes they can be (I am well into the constant messing up phase). Medicine can be a very scary place - fear is the primary motivator at this point for much of my studying. Fear of killing someone, fear of making a big mistake. That alone is a big switch - from my usual love of learning or really finding how we all actually work when you get down to it. That transition is not always easy to handle to be honest - this field like many others has its downside..

[xcon2run]

yeah....they are right about that learning from your mistakes, and some pretty big mistakes they can be (I am well into the constant messing up phase). Medicine can be a very scary place - fear is the primary motivator at this point for much of my studying. Fear of killing someone, fear of making a big mistake. That alone is a big switch - from my usual love of learning or really finding how we all actually work when you get down to it. That transition is not always easy to handle to be honest - this field like many others has its downside..

 

 

Having no experience in the medical field yet, I have tried really hard to find out how docs actually handle all the pressure when the stakes are so high. Personally I'm fascinated with the idea of having that much responsibility but in a "holy shit" kind of way haha. I've read and re-read this blog below and I feel the author does an amazing job of getting across how serious and horrifying life could be as a physician. I know it borders on the incomprehensible compared to our system (the author is a surgeon practicing in a dangerous part of South Africa) and he's often cherry picking intense stories, however it's still eye opening for someone not yet in the field.

 

http://other-things-amanzi.blogspot.ca

[makingfetchhappen]

The amount of responsibility and trust that will be given to us is really quite immense, and the fact that we are human and thus fallible makes it a terrifying prospect. A doctor I spoke to a few years ago told me that I need to be able to accept the fact that I will kill someone at some point or medicine will break me when that happens.

 

It makes sense. Having a healthy fear of what could happen will help maintain vigilance so as to make it a rare occurrence. But, of course, we can't let the fear be paralyzing or we'll never help anyone either. The message I got from that fantastic piece you posted is what I've heard before: Some fear is good. Hubris kills.

 

Of course, I have zero experience being responsible for other peoples' life or death as a health care provider, only as a mom, and that's a whole different terrifying set of responsibilities.

 

Edit: have you seen Dr Goldman's TED talk on medical mistakes?

 

http://www.ted.com/talks/brian_goldman_doctors_make_mistakes_can_we_talk_about_that

I have listened to Brian Goldman's show before and he actually kinda rubs me the wrong way. I just Googled him to see what ER he works in, and upon seeing it's Mount Sinai, I realize that I am pretty sure he treated me once years ago! I actually really liked him as a patient, so maybe I will give his show another shot.

 

I really liked that New Yorker article. I think the surgeon here has a really insightful and nuanced understanding of the risks and responsibilities he has. It's definitely inspiring.

[xcon2run]

I have listened to Brian Goldman's show before and he actually kinda rubs me the wrong way. I just Googled him to see what ER he works in, and upon seeing it's Mount Sinai, I realize that I am pretty sure he treated me once years ago! I actually really liked him as a patient, so maybe I will give his show another shot.

 

I really liked that New Yorker article. I think the surgeon here has a really insightful and nuanced understanding of the risks and responsibilities he has. It's definitely inspiring.

 

How does he rub you the wrong way? A family friend of mine, who is an internist, has told me the same thing on numerous occasions. 

 

If you enjoyed that article you should definitely check out his movie called "The English Surgeon", truly amazing. 

[makingfetchhappen]

How does he rub you the wrong way? A family friend of mine, who is an internist, has told me the same thing on numerous occasions.

 

If you enjoyed that article you should definitely check out his movie called "The English Surgeon", truly amazing.

In the TED talk for example, the first mistake he speaks about, I'm a little bit confused as to why he thinks it's a good thing that his attending smoothed things over so that the family did not sue. He doesn't make it clear whether or not the family was informed of his failure to report to his attending before discharging his patient. In contrast, the surgeon in the article describes a time where he told a family that he made a terrible mistake and they should sue him. I feel like the surgeon in the article displays a much deeper understanding of what his errors mean and how to approach them. I will check out the movie for sure thanks!

 

He just seems to take this sort of loosey goosey approach a lot. On an episode of his show I listened to, he seemed to be endorsing the idea of making up a diagnosis out of thin air because sometimes patients seem to prefer it. He also has a book about medical slang, which I read about. He described things like calling an overweight patient with cyrosis of the liver a "yellow submarine". I just found that really off putting. I know I am looking at it from the outside and I haven't had to deal with the things that make that kind of gallows humor seem necessary, but to me it was crossing a line.

 

Also, I am way more interested to hear what your internist friend thinks. I don't feel like my opinions on this stuff hold too much weight because I haven't worked in health care. One thing that never ceases to amaze me about medicine is the scope of ways to approach it. It seems like a lot of doctors approach things in radically different ways. I haven't seen anything like it in any other field.

[Birdy]

I have listened to Brian Goldman's show before and he actually kinda rubs me the wrong way. I just Googled him to see what ER he works in, and upon seeing it's Mount Sinai, I realize that I am pretty sure he treated me once years ago! I actually really liked him as a patient, so maybe I will give his show another shot.

I really liked that New Yorker article. I think the surgeon here has a really insightful and nuanced understanding of the risks and responsibilities he has. It's definitely inspiring.

Some of his opinions rub me the wrong way, as well, but I like a lot of his podcasts.

 

As to his work on the book of unofficial medical jargon, your comment reminds me of something. Where I work, we deal with medical reports, and my coworker remembers reading with horror, once "patient is SOB." She tells how she went to her supervisor, horrified that someone would call someone a son of a b.... in their file which they have every right to access. She did not realize it means "short of breath" and pointed out that most patients probably wouldn't either. It's something I'm going to keep in mind.

 

But yeah, I'm doubting I'll ever be comfortable using the names and gallows humour some use to get by.

[mnemosyna]

Edit: have you seen Dr Goldman's TED talk on medical mistakes?

http://www.ted.com/talks/brian_goldman_doctors_make_mistakes_can_we_talk_about_that

No, but I'll watch it. Thanks!

[Falling]

Has anyone had trouble with Coursera videos? If I switch tabs for something the lecture slide freezes. The audio of the lecture still goes on, but the slide is stuck. Incredibly frustrating.

[MD2015]

Good night, Robin Hood. 

[jfdes]

Random question --

 

firstinitial.lastname@email.com OR firstname.lastname@email.com

 

?

[MD2015]

firstnamelastname@email.com or firstname.lastname@email.com

[Birdy]

Random question --

 

firstinitial.lastname@email.com OR firstname.lastname@email.com

 

?

Either

First&middleinitialsLastname (FMLastname) or First.Last.

[oshaku]

first.last

 

As someone with an extremely common last name, there are too many other people with the same last name and first initial (my university ID is firstinitiallastname52). Even if the last name isn't very common, it's still safer for uniqueness to have full first and last name.

[thatonekid]

firstnamelastname@email.com or firstname.lastname@email.com

 

This.