Before I dive into this topic, I want to make it very clear that I am proud and honored to be a physician. I endured four years of medical school and three years of residency training because I had a lifelong love of medicine and truly wanted to be a healer. That being said, I have never been nor will I ever be what is considered typical for a physician. Don’t expect me to talk about medical cases and read medical tomes when I am away from the office. Many of my colleagues are so unbalanced that they will eat, breathe and live medicine constantly, but that is not my style at all. Some of them are also social misfits and cannot talk about a non-medical topic without stumbling and bumbling. The social awkwardness of some physicians is so painful to witness that I find myself cringing and looking for a quick exit when social hour begins at a conference or medical dinner.
I keep my fitness background on low profile when in medical circles because I realize that some of my colleagues may regard what I do in the fitness world as highly irregular and downright scandalous. To be honest, I really don’t give a hoot what they think, but because I don’t enjoy being scrutinized by conservative types, I avoid discussing my fitness activities as much as possible when at medical events. I realize that aside from our medical backgrounds, my colleagues and I share almost NOTHING in common. What could I possibly say to a colleague who brings a stethoscope to a medical dinner (yes, I have seen colleagues do this!)? The lives of most docs are boring to an extreme and do not hold my interest. I am not saying that all doctors are like this, but I definitely keep my interaction those who act like medical snobs to a bare minimum. There are a few doctors who will make a point of pimping the other docs at a dinner table. Pimping refers to quizzing on medical topics and cases and is typically performed by a professor or proctor and directed at a student or resident during teaching forums or rotations. It is extremely tacky when a physician attempts to pimp his colleagues and is a clear sign of an inflated ego.
I don’t mind standing out in the flock with plumage that is brighter. It honestly suits me. But it doesn’t mean I am less than the other doctors who are out there. I am licensed and board certified, a published medical researcher and see patients on a regular basis. Thank goodness I have a very full life, one that is so varied and exciting that I can easily escape the dry and often depressing climate of medicine and enjoy something that has twists and turns.
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