doctor

The island has been good for my self-image as an MD, perhaps no where else will I feel more like a capable consultant.

Other than the one ED charge nurse who asked whether I was a medical student or pediatric resident, and then after finding out that I was in fact the attending, stating that I must have been a child prodigy, no one else has questioned my age. It's nice to have one's opinion be respected by veteran ED physicians and surgeons, and have people ask if I'd like to stay on. It fuels my confidence to have nurses and patients "oh yes, I heard good things about you."

After a month of trying to get nurses and secretaries twice my age to call me by my first name, I've given up. I suppose it's only strange to have older people call me doctor because I've worked with babies and kids for so long. This one charge nurse compromised and started calling me Dr. Mona...which is even worse. It makes me sound like some TV or radio person who isn't a real doctor and so whose title should be in "parenthesis" like "doctor" Phil, "doctor" Oz, etc...not saying I'm better than them, but it decreases its legitimacy a little bit.

It's also nice to have nurses truly care about your personal health and well-being and insist that you go get a check-up or blood work right now, and make the appointment for you.

That being said, some L&D nurses are still mean ol' bags, and radiologists are MDs who don't really understand that when you are "on call," it means you're actually available to do your job, and not entitled to sleep all night...shocking, I know!

P.S. Downtown parking in Ch'town is 25cents/30min!! That's right, a loonie gives you 2 hours! Gotta be the best rate in the country...although I do believe Iqualuit was free.