The problems with using the word “Doctor” in front of our name…
Here are 3 ways it negatively impacted me - It’s much more than just a word.
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Date: 7th February 2025Average Read Time: 2 mins 50 seconds
I decided to quit medicine full-time almost 5 years ago but it wasn’t an easy decision.
I felt tied to a career in medicine, despite the fact that it wasn’t meeting my expectations.
A key contributing factor was the word I had in front of my name, Doctor.
It’s a label we are assigned but it’s a lot more than just a word.
It created 3 problems for me...
I felt tied to a career in medicine, despite the fact that it wasn’t meeting my expectations.
A key contributing factor was the word I had in front of my name, Doctor.
It’s a label we are assigned but it’s a lot more than just a word.
It created 3 problems for me...
1. Permanence
I had worked hard to achieve this badge and I wore it with pride (as I think we should) but it made me feel like I had to commit to it. It made me feel like I had chosen the route I was going to take and that decision was final. I started to realise that this wasn’t true. This badge we’re assigned out of University creates the false impression that we’ve picked our role in society & there is no going back. This doesn’t have to be the case if we don’t want it to be. I realised I could still change my career &/or adapt my role if I wanted to and I could do this at any time. I didn’t need to let this word determine the rest of my future if I didn’t want it to.
2. Identity Crisis
As I started to settle into working life as a doctor (around my mid-20s) I suddenly started to feel really lost... I had embraced my identity of being (or becoming) a doctor ever since I started studying at school, during my early teens. I had been working hard to achieve this goal with my foot flat-down on the gas pedal. It wasn’t until I started to finally settle into working life as a doctor & I had reached that goal, that I could start to take my foot off this pedal. As I did this, I started to pay more attention to the rest of my life & the world around me... I started to wonder who I was outside of work, I started to question what my hobbies were and I started to reflect on who I was. I didn’t know what I was apart from being a doctor. Ironically, the identity I had assigned myself started to send me spiralling into an identity crisis.
3. Labelling Theory
As I spent more time working as a doctor, I realised I was embracing the stereotypes associated with the role more & more. This included the good but it also included the bad... I would find myself answering questions about work with a reflexive “Yes, it’s pretty exhausting” without even thinking about the words that were coming out of my mouth. I would find myself trying to fit in more work towards the end of my shift even though I knew I couldn’t get it done without over-running because I wanted to off-load the burden from my peers. I would find myself trying to avoid organising things during time off because I thought I would be too exhausted. I now realise that the word “Doctor” acts just like any other form of labelling theory. It makes it really easy for us to embrace the stereotypes associated with our role. I realised I was embracing the overworked, exhausted & self-less traits that have become all too familiar in the medical profession, without even realising it & these were having a negative effect on my mindset & work-life relationship.
We are more than just a word in front of our name.
I had been completely oblivious to the impact this word was having on me.
I realised I needed to stop letting it control me like it was…
We really are more than just a word in front of our name. We don’t have to let a word define us and I think it’s really important that we embrace our whole lives into our identity, instead of just what we do for work. Please let me know if you relate to any of this, just send me an email (elle@gabrielletodd.com) or reach out to me on instagram.
Did you know I offer 1:1 coaching to help others make changes in their lives? This can be related to careers, starting a business or forming healthier habits. Please just send me an email directly to elle@gabrielletodd.com if this is something you feel you would benefit from & would like to learn more about.
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