MD

September 27, 2010

D: I actually agree with her. It’s a private thing.

Me: Come on, so is showing your boobs to a doctor, but that doesn’t bring about half as many issues.

D: Sooo… How often do you show your boobs to the doctor?! And wait! Are we talking doctor doctor or PhD doctor here?

[Scene: Hospital.]
Rachel: (stopping a nurse who’s coming out of a room) Oh, uhm, excuse me, I’m here to see my father. My name is Rachel Green.

Ross: And I’m Doctor Ross Geller.

Rachel: Ross, please, this is a hospital, ok? That actually means something here.

Something tells me I won’t be taken seriously if, after I get my PhD, I’ll introduce myself as dr. Alexandra…

Posted in Life, universe and everything

8 comments

Alexandra - September 29, 2010 - 9:41 am

) Phil, you’d be surprised to hear what euphemisms we use…

Phil - September 29, 2010 - 9:35 am

Dr: 29:

I had no idea women actually referred to their genitals as their ‘lady bits’.

Dr. 29 - September 28, 2010 - 10:03 pm

It’s funny because when I was at my previous school (where I did my PhD) everything seemed so informal, so casual. I never addressed PIs or bosses as Dr. such and such. But at my new school, I feel weird to not say Dr. because even my boss refers to some of the other profs in the department as Dr. such and such. And, I love the conversation you had with your husband. Even though I majored in biology, and know the ins and outs of the human body I still feel icky when I show my lady bits to a gyno (women usually). I feel like they’re judging me, and I don’t know if the Dr. will have nightmare about my lady bits at night. Hehe.

@Jen. Agreed! Your comment is SO funny. Yes, after spending so long behind a desk or bench you’d better believe I’ll make someone refer to me as Dr.

Jen - September 28, 2010 - 2:46 pm

I think if you have put that many years into school, you damn well should use that title whenever possible. I’d at least have lots of business cards printed up. Just don’t offer medical advice.

Alexandra - September 28, 2010 - 12:40 pm

I used to do a good job at answering comments before, but then I got a bit lazy and stopped.
I’m going to answer this one, since the gals seem very curious and Phil makes a good point.

@Andra and Caity: D and I were talking about how some women don’t go to the gynaecologist because they detest the pelvic exam – invasion of privacy and whatnot. I was saying that come on, it’s the 21st century and we should be comfortable with talking to a doctor about anything related to our health. D said he could understand why that might be a delicate issue. And then I went to say that we show our boobs to a doctor more easily although that’s also very private. Then the conversation sort of strayed…

@Phil: Nobody in my field uses Dr. when they introduce themselves. When somebody introduces you to an audience, for instance, they might refer to you as dr. as in “It’s my pleasure to introduce dr. John Smith…”, etc. I think you may be perceived as conceited if you introduce yourself as dr. Like saying “Hi I’m very-smart-and-want-to-flaunt-my-degree-in-your-face John Smith”.

Phil - September 28, 2010 - 11:01 am

On a more serious note, I think there is a good question there about what circumstances you should use your title.

The nice thing about mathematics is that nobody really cares whether you have a Ph.D. or not. It’s easy to tell whether someone knows their shit, so the community tends to listen to everybody, from graduate students, to head of departments, so long as they’re not spouting bullshit. On the other hand, for other fields, like the humanities, and some of the softer sciences, I think the nature of the material, and the wide proliferation of bullshit, makes it so people are more concerned with tacking “Dr.” in front of their name.

On the other hand, it could backfire. I honestly have a hard time taking people seriously if they’re so insecure as to tack degrees behind their names—-but I guess if you work in something business related, it’s important.

Caity - September 27, 2010 - 9:15 pm

Haha, that’s funny. I am also curious as to what this original private thing was!

Andra - September 27, 2010 - 1:55 pm

What were you two lovebirds talking about in the first place? Meow?!