Drumroll please...
Linda!
She correctly nailed it on the head at 32 years old. Although she loses points for suggesting that Mrs. D is a "teenyboppper" [D married a woman his own age, thank you!] she still wins the coveted Medical Mafia Mug!
Congrats to Old MD Girl for finishing as runner up with a guess of 31!
Congrats to Old MD Girl for finishing as runner up with a guess of 31!
But apparently Doctor D doesn't look 32.
While looking younger than one's actual age may be the goal of maturing women, it doesn't always bode well for an MD.
Patients who don't know D usually refer to him as "that young doctor."
Often in the middle of an examination patients will stop and ask, "Doctor D, how old are you?" The don't care much about the age I tell them. The real question is, "Do you have enough experience to be taking care of me?"Patients who don't know D usually refer to him as "that young doctor."
"Hi, I'm your new doctor. No, really I am! Wait, where are you going?"
Actually D has had an MD at the end of his name for half a dozen years and knows his shit, but it doesn't matter when the babyface stirs up immediate distrust.
D would grow a long beard to radiate age and wisdom if Mrs. D could stand kissing it, but since she dislikes beards, Doctor D has to wear his face stubbly to keep the old ladies from asking if he would like to meet their granddaughter who is still in highschool.
D would grow a long beard to radiate age and wisdom if Mrs. D could stand kissing it, but since she dislikes beards, Doctor D has to wear his face stubbly to keep the old ladies from asking if he would like to meet their granddaughter who is still in highschool.
The fact is that everyone expects a really good doctor should be old.Admit it. This is the doctor you hoped for, isn't it?
Now D isn't hating on old doctors, since he plans to be one eventually, but it gets frustrating when patients give him that "Oh shit, a young doctor. I'm gonna die!" look when they first lay eyes on him.
What do you think? Does a doctor's age change your expectations about his or her competence? Do you prefer younger or older MD's to care for you?
D always loves to hear your thoughts!
PS: Linda, email me so I can send you your award!
23 comments:
Sure, now I feel REALLY old.
The med student on my team at present is male, taller and older than me. Makes it even harder to convince people that I actually am a doctor.
Woohoo!!! Runner up!
Thanks for commenting over at my blog. For some reason I can't get it to post, so I wanted to let you know I didn't delete it!
I have actually found that my younger doctors listen better and can relate to the things my life includes (4 kids, running, etc.) better than older doctors because they are at about the same stage of life as I am.
I look young for my age too and when I go places with my daughters, we honestly get mistaken for sisters. It is funny now but wasn't so funny when I had 4 small children and went places and people would give me dirty looks like I was some irresponsible teenage mom or something.
My GP is about six months older than I am (40), and I figure that's just about right... and yeah, I'll cop to it, I started getting weirded out when the doctors started looking potentially younger than I am.
No. Age really doesn't matter to me.
sorry, but we are better.
I like the young doctors, they are usually hotter! Just kidding. Really though, usually the younger doctors actually seem to listen better and I'm only 21 so maybe I just feel more comfortable around them.
Age doesn't matter to me. My gastro is my age, and devastatingly handsome. Ny neuro is in his 60's and also a Hunk. My GP is in his early 50's, has a ponytail half way down his back and says "dude" and "awesome" a lot, and he's hot.
So age doesn't matter to me, but I have been lucky to have found fabulous doctors who are kick-ass smart, and easy to look at the same time.
mo
I'd talk the Mrs. into supporting a full beard if I could, as we all know I'm a big fan of the facecoat.
See - I have a good friend who has an MD/PhD and his view is this- "go to the YOUNGEST, hippest, FRESHEST internist you can find... and when you need surgery - go to one who is OLD - AND MEAN AS A RATTLE SNAKE." (his quote)
This made me laugh a few years ago when he said it - but I have always found it amusing when I've gone to new doctors or surgeons and they haven't ALWAYS followed his advice).
HIS point - truly- that your Internal med doc should know every thing new on the market and experience is fine but knowing all the new diseases and how they have mutated LATELY and what drugs and treatments are happening is more important.
Meanwhile - age for me is a factor- and so is gender. I have found that women specialists have sometimes become so shut down that they are WORSE than men OR they are truly "saints" while men generalists are sometimes more "compassionate" than their counterparts ... but I still go to a woman Internist... bc she's felt cramps before and knows the fear of the speculum.
Meanwhile - older doctors seem to have healed from the barbarisms of medical school and ridden out the stages of being sick of their careers - and are HAPPY in what they do... are also truly good doctors... but so far I've been truly lucky. And sadly- I have 11 specialists - so I've had to be VERY VERY LUCKY. I truly adore all my doctors and feel very supported by them.
They have good staff etc and obviously spend time picking out good quality people. If AGE or GENDER mattered *THAT* much to me - I'd be hosed.
At some point we have to go for the people who are working with us in a partnership with our HEALTH. (and who love their jobs and their lives and what they do).
Cheers!
Wow. I write a lot.
It's more about their dress and deportment. I've seen young docs who look professional, and a middle aged doc who goes around in tight jeans snakeskin boots and rock band tshirts. I might trust the younger guy more in this instance.
Then again, as a nurse I notice that people trust the older nurses more. I'm 30, and it's really hard to get people to take me seriously at times. They always ask how long I have been a nurse. Funny though, I've only been a nurse 2 years less than my mom, but she's 58 and all the patients assume she has 30 years on the job!
Yea for me! I won! I got a few days of vacation and I found out that I guessed right. It's a fine day, indeed.
Ummmm, does Mrs. D mind you telling the whole world her age?
Linda
My voice sounds younger than I am so people are sometimes surprised to meet me and see an old lady instead of a youngster like they'd envisioned.
My beloved's doctor is 32-ish and he's wonderful.
Linda (yea, the same one. I got excited about winning and had to come back and read the post again.)
Is that really you? Cute! (I bet you hate to be called cute too, right? Sorry, but it's true!) More to the point: my PCP is a lady I would guess to be in her 50's. I would prefer a younger doctor. My reasons are different. I would like a good, smart, young doc that I could have for a LONG time (preferably the rest of my life) so they would know and understand me and my medical history. I live in a smallish rural community, so it is not unreasonable to think I may find one. With the way people are getting second (and third) careers today, you never know if an older doctor (or nurse) is more or less experienced than a younger one.
I've been thinking about all of the doctors I've seen, and each of them seems to have been just the right age. From the July intern who cheerfully apologized for startling me one night ("They haven't taught us how to wake patients yet!") and later giggled when he gave me his business card ("You're the first patient I've given my card to!") to my most senior physician, who seems to have seen it all, every one of them brings something special to the table by virtue of their age.
The sheer enthusiasm and eagerness of youth, that camaraderie that may come with a doctor who is the same age as a patient, the steaming dedication of someone fresh out of a fellowship, the sense of ease, solidity, and reliability you get from a doctor who has done a certain procedure a thousand times---it all works out.
I like younger doctors . . . they are usually less bossy and closed-minded . . . more willing to consider alternative options . . .
- Marie (Coming Out of the Trees)
Shut UP!!! THIRTY TWO?!?! That means you were born in 1978. I had a baby in 1978 too. Only my 32 year old is a bartender posting things on Facebook like "James is attending 'This Weekend @ D'Jais We Love New York Girls Weekend!'"
Sigh. Maybe he is just a late bloomer.
What you're saying just because I'm a doc I can't go to D'Jas? I like New York girls too!
Seriously, I often hope my kid doesn't do any of the heavy professional stuff. I kind of wish he grows up to be a starving artist.
There is more than degrees that make a man. He may have bloomed already just in a different way.
At my first ER visit after working as an RN, I asked my MD how long he had been a doctor. Please note, this was a teaching facility with an ER residency program. And it was July. Was I rude? Probably. Do I care? Not really...
Ah, Dr. D. you little whippersnapper, you are so right. Despite my shameful flippancy, I do know after 34 years as a mother that each of my children needs to choose their own path. Their path, not mine.
Despite my snarky remark, he truly is a gorgeous, funny, brilliant (and that is not just a mother talking, he really is), talented artist and the best father I have ever met. He blooms all the time, actually, in constantly changing ways. I love him so much it takes my breath away.
He is surrounded by conventional overachievers, myself and his sibs, and we pale in comparison to the color in his life.
He is worth showing off. The slide show I did for his birthday is here: http://tiny.cc/gies0
LoL @t young doctors being judged.
Cool blog, Dr. D. LoL.You're speaking the truth. You'll be alright though, it all comes with the profession..eh.¿?. & I'm not going to lie though, i do always expect to see an old/very older doctor, but nowadays i never do, i see babyfaced middled aged adults, &i do think i will get horrible service, just by the doc being young, but it doesn't turn out like that. It doesn't matter if a older or younger doc cares for me, they wouldn't be in the profession if it were a problem, is how i look at it.
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