Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- List of contributors
- Prologue. Breaking the silence
- Letter from a young doctor
- Part I On caring for patients
- Section 2 Problems in truth-telling
- Section 3 Setting boundaries
- Part II On becoming a “team player”: searching for esprit de corps and conflicts of socialization
- Section 5 Argot, jargon, and questionable humor: assuming the mantle at the patient's expense
- Section 6 Making waves: questioning authority and the status quo
- 17 Personal identity
- 18 Duties to treat?
- 19 Hierarchy and the dynamics of rank
- 20 Conflicts of interest
- Section 7 Perceiving misconduct and whistle-blowing: observing peers or superiors commit an act deemed unethical
- Epilogue: Using this book
- Glossary
- Index
17 - Personal identity
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 February 2015
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- List of contributors
- Prologue. Breaking the silence
- Letter from a young doctor
- Part I On caring for patients
- Section 2 Problems in truth-telling
- Section 3 Setting boundaries
- Part II On becoming a “team player”: searching for esprit de corps and conflicts of socialization
- Section 5 Argot, jargon, and questionable humor: assuming the mantle at the patient's expense
- Section 6 Making waves: questioning authority and the status quo
- 17 Personal identity
- 18 Duties to treat?
- 19 Hierarchy and the dynamics of rank
- 20 Conflicts of interest
- Section 7 Perceiving misconduct and whistle-blowing: observing peers or superiors commit an act deemed unethical
- Epilogue: Using this book
- Glossary
- Index
Summary
CASE
“Who am I”
As medical students we were not discouraged from introducing ourselves by saying “Hello, I'm Dr. So and so,” as opposed to identifying ourselves as students. If we happened to be doing rounds with an intern or resident, the physician would introduce himself or herself as “Dr. X and over here is Dr. Y” – indicating a student. When I introduced myself as a medical student, I got the feeling people thought it was silly or unnecessary.
CASE
“Don't tell her you are a medical student”
As a medical student I overheard an intern tell a fellow third year student to get a history from a patient, “But, don't tell her you are a medical student because she won't talk to you.”
CASE
“Premature description”
As medical students we were given no instructions as to the proper way to identify ourselves to patients. I saw classmates introducing themselves as “Dr.” and one student even secured a credit card with “MD” after his name. I was uneasy about this less than honest self-description, but the practice was common and the perpetrators were never corrected by faculty.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Ward EthicsDilemmas for Medical Students and Doctors in Training, pp. 172 - 177Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2001