Why Doctors are Scared of the Pediatrician

Embryology was my worst subject....

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[mfd]

That is the reason I don't immediately tell other doctors as outpatient that i'm a physician. I usually only tell them at the end of the visit or at the 2nd or 3rd appointment, or if they ask me. If I am in a medical consult, it is because I want advise from an experienced professional, not because I want to be quizzed.

[juliegreen]

I always tell the doctor “pretend I don’t know anything”.

[dianadaschel]

I once worked a side job as an after hour advice nurse. I will never forget one call. I was talking to the parent who bashfully admitted “Both my husband and I are pediatricians”. When it’s your own precious kid you can never be too confident.

[JolieFleur]

My husband is a doctor and we just had a new baby. The pediatrician found out and she was quizzing him on the physical exam findings. Luckily, he got everything correct. (He's a surgeon not a pediatrician for anyone wondering).

[voicingsomeopinions]

I've gotten some practice with saying, "I have not done any work related to or thought about this topic since grad school. Please explain it to me the way you would to anyone else."

[doctorlangdon]

One of my most embarrassing moments as a pediatrician in the newborn nursery in residency was when I didn’t know that the baby’s dad was an IM attending. I explained as if to s kindergartner, “The amount of sugar in your baby’s blood is low and has not responded to oral liquids. We have placed this little tiny straw into her vein so that we can give her sugar that way.” I was mortified when I figured out he was a physician!🤷🏻‍♀️

[khalilahd.]

Aw man I can imagine how embarrassing this would be 😂😂. They have to remember that even though you’re a doctor you specialize in something different so you could always use a refresher 😅

[l.c.]

My great aunt is a retired physio therapist, something her physio therapist is unaware of and she will take that secret to the grave if she must.

[TheGeeoff]

I work at a pediatric ER referral hospital as a nurse.

The rule is that the parents are there as parents, not physicians. So I treat them as parents.

That said, if one of them has a medical background then I don't explain simple basics like SpO2 readings.

However, one of the other rules is that length of time before the parents informs you they are a physician is directly proportional to how well things go. In other words, if they walk in wearing scrubs with a hospital ID badge, then they're gonna be a know-it-all pain in the ass. Whereas, if it casually comes out after ten minutes of history taking and physical exam, then everything should be alright and we can figure it out together with no problems.

[Faraz]

As doctors this also applies when seeing other specialties as patients ourselves. It’s also true that we make the “worst patients” because we think we know better, but we do not 😂

[Kate-ozhf]

I remember being pregnant with my oldest and the doctor saw in my chart that I had been pregnant before, so she said something along the lines of "But you've done this before, so I probably don't need to go over that." I had to point out that my first pregnancy ended about 1 day after I found out I was pregnant. I hadn't really been through any of it before.

[alexandradaniele]

As an L&D RN I have had patients who were doctors, although rarely OB doctors. I always explain things the way I would to a non- medical patient. I did have an OB resident once, but still explained everything fully. It's usually a whole new experience for docs to be the patient, especially if they haven't done OB since med school.

[neffsnicker]

Used the word erythematous with my son’s pediatrician and now I can never go back to that practice :/

[ShinigamisBlade]

My mom always said it's different when it's your own kid so she pretends to know nothing. Poor doc!

[patriciabennett]

Super entertaining and totally fun to listen too. I always look forward to your uploads. Hoping your baby is doing well. It is super being a parent. Wishing you and your wife plus family my very best. Thank you so very much. Kindest regards.

[joanhoffman]

Not a parent or doctor. I have a B.S. in zoology (many, many biology courses!) and if I feel the doctor could use bigger words with me, I tell them. And they do. It feels good to hear terms I’m capable of understanding. If I don’t, I ask for clarification. Don’t be afraid to speak up and say you don’t understand. You can avoid potential problems that way.

[juliejanesmith]

Seems like everyone would be best served by the pediatrician saying “I know you’re a doctor too, and I don’t want to waste your time, but I also know your not a pediatrician and what we know and remember from med school rotations vary, so I’m happy to answer any questions, refresh your knowledge, or offer my opinions for care if you’d like. I know if I or any of my family needed a [insert other doctor’s specialty] I’d be lost, I haven’t learned anything about your specialty since med school!”

Also, come on doctors, use this opportunity to flex your “humble” muscles! Saying “I don’t know, I need to refresh my knowledge/ learn more about this, can you help me/ give me your opinion?” whenever you can only makes you a better doctor for your patients!

If everyone knew everyone else’s specialty then… there wouldn’t be any point to a specialty, would there!? 🙃

[daphna]

Doc Schmidt, this is hilarious. It made me bust out laughing at dialysis

[tommiegirl]

Lol!! I'm gearing up for surgery and you still made me laugh. Doc, you're one in a million. Hug that baby and have a good week!

[cristinadallesantro]

The pediatrician has an obligation to fully review all options, in detail, with the physician parent and spouse, even if they fear insulting the MD. However, in real life, I've seen this scenario play out many times....sigh