i am woman

Oh, the joy of being one of two women in orthopedics....
Why is it that many doctors still do not know what a PA does? Aren't these the very men/women hiring this new set of hands? How can they make such an investment and yet not know what they have truly paid for? How can they allow their patients to be seen by their PA's for years, and not know their education? This is truly absurd.

I am slightly offended by their lack of interest.

I know what they do. I know how long they spent in school and in residency.
I know what a nurse does, and how a nurse is educated. Hell, I know CNA, LPN, RN, RNP, MA, CMA, RNA, AA, MPH, CDE..... I know what all of these people do, and if I worked with a different set of letters I would spend the five minutes it takes to look up their job description too.

Today I had a surgeon ask me when I graduated from high school. High school?!? Doesn't this seem to imply that I am a recent graduate? "What are you, like, 18?" he said. Honestly.

I also have had a surgeon say, "It feels like this room is a little hot. It must be because you in the room (wink)." Really? I may need to resuscitate the women's liberation movement.

This is a time where you really need to laugh it off.

I told my preceptor that this surgeon thought I was a recent highschool grad, and about the comment on the temp of the OR. She laughed and said, "maybe you should wear your cheerleading outfit tomorrow."

Maybe I will.