Dr. McJerky
Here it is...my first run-in with an old school doctor. You've seen them as patients or even heard about them from other people. And you've thought they were arrogant, pompous jerks. Well, turns out that they treat med students the same, so don't think you're special!
I was paired up with another doctor in the operating room when Dr. McJerky came in to assist. He seemed nice at first until he started quizzing me (which is a normal part of our training...what us med students call "pimping"). He asked me what the blood supply of the ovaries were and I answered quite confidently that it was the ovarian arteries (duh) and they arise from the abdominal aorta (largest vessel in the body). "Wrong" he said, "You better go look it up later". I spent the rest of the surgery pretending to watch, but secretly wondering if I had missed something HUGE in anatomy in the last 2 years. I was doubting myself (because I do that sometimes), but was quite sure that ovaries were similar to testes in males and that they were supplied by ovarian/testicular arteries that come off the aorta. After my shift, I looked it up. Sure enough, I was right...for the most part (there is also a portion that comes from the uterine artery). "That f***er! What an a*****e" ,I thought to myself. Not only was Dr. McJerky wrong, he made me doubt myself. Lesson learned. The immature part of myself wants soooo badly want to rub it in his face, but he has to evaluate me, so I think I better not!
Same doctor, different day. He 'pimps' me again: "Tell me what you know about HPV". I start off by saying that HPV is a DNA virus and there are many types of HVP. Some are passed by contact and cause simple warts or plantar's warts and some are passed sexually and cause genital warts or cervical cancer. I keep blabbing on until he stops me and says "Wrong. HPV is always passed sexually and does not cause regular warts. You should do more reading." This time, I am quite confident in my response because I had read about HPV the night before, so I say to him "I am quite certain that HPV is the virus that causes warts, but certainly in the context of gynecology, HPV is only sexually transmitted." His reply: "Nope, HPV is ALWAYS sexually transmitted...period."
Dr. McJerky has changed the results of the last few decades of biological research. It's a miracle! It's not so much that he is wrong about things (hey- I am every day), but it's the WAY he approaches it. He should maybe go back and do some reading...and get some social skills.
Oh- and make sure you women are up to date on your PAP tests. I know they're uncomfortable, but it may catch a cervical cancer.
I was paired up with another doctor in the operating room when Dr. McJerky came in to assist. He seemed nice at first until he started quizzing me (which is a normal part of our training...what us med students call "pimping"). He asked me what the blood supply of the ovaries were and I answered quite confidently that it was the ovarian arteries (duh) and they arise from the abdominal aorta (largest vessel in the body). "Wrong" he said, "You better go look it up later". I spent the rest of the surgery pretending to watch, but secretly wondering if I had missed something HUGE in anatomy in the last 2 years. I was doubting myself (because I do that sometimes), but was quite sure that ovaries were similar to testes in males and that they were supplied by ovarian/testicular arteries that come off the aorta. After my shift, I looked it up. Sure enough, I was right...for the most part (there is also a portion that comes from the uterine artery). "That f***er! What an a*****e" ,I thought to myself. Not only was Dr. McJerky wrong, he made me doubt myself. Lesson learned. The immature part of myself wants soooo badly want to rub it in his face, but he has to evaluate me, so I think I better not!
Same doctor, different day. He 'pimps' me again: "Tell me what you know about HPV". I start off by saying that HPV is a DNA virus and there are many types of HVP. Some are passed by contact and cause simple warts or plantar's warts and some are passed sexually and cause genital warts or cervical cancer. I keep blabbing on until he stops me and says "Wrong. HPV is always passed sexually and does not cause regular warts. You should do more reading." This time, I am quite confident in my response because I had read about HPV the night before, so I say to him "I am quite certain that HPV is the virus that causes warts, but certainly in the context of gynecology, HPV is only sexually transmitted." His reply: "Nope, HPV is ALWAYS sexually transmitted...period."
Dr. McJerky has changed the results of the last few decades of biological research. It's a miracle! It's not so much that he is wrong about things (hey- I am every day), but it's the WAY he approaches it. He should maybe go back and do some reading...and get some social skills.
Oh- and make sure you women are up to date on your PAP tests. I know they're uncomfortable, but it may catch a cervical cancer.
posted by MSI (Med Student Intern) @ 11:35 AM
3 Comments:
At 4:09 PM,
Anonymous said…
Hey you, at least your pimp is an attending. Isn't he? I had exactly the same problem with one of my residents. She repeadently made me feel like s***. I questioned myself and run to the books to see how unbelievably unattentive I was in my readings only to find out that she was wrong.
My take on this is that they need to make themselves feel better by making us look like idiots. And if we do give the right answers, we do not help them to feel superiour, do we? So the right answer for them is the wrong answer. I do not think it is limited to the old school docs, as in my case it was young, good-looking female, who is very anxious about her own performance. I do not mind being pimped when it is educational experience for me. But I do get frastrated when they are using me as a hit-doll to relieve their own negative emotions.
At 11:03 PM,
Anonymous said…
EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
Fiery Redhead
At 9:24 PM,
Dr Mama said…
I've been lucky so far... I haven't really run into Dr. McJerky on my site. Internal med starts in 2 weeks though, so give me time - I know it's coming :)
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