# I met my doctor's other PA. It was confusing. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 29, 2019, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-met-my-doctors-other-pa-it-was-confusing/841007 "2019-09-29T19:34:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2019, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-met-my-doctors-other-pa-it-was-confusing/841007/41 "2019-10-01T02:15:22Z")
This thread has me thinking she might actually be my doctor. I’ll look into it tomorrow. Meanwhile, the spoiled old lady across the hall has been yelling for help again. She doesn’t usually need help doing things and help is a call light and a lot of time (we’re understaffed) away, but she’d rather yell than use her call light. Anyway, a CNA left my door open and I realized I have loud music and a means to share it, so I introduced her to Iggy Stooge, before he went Pop. Childish and ineffective, but fun for a moment. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2019, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-met-my-doctors-other-pa-it-was-confusing/841007/42 "2019-10-01T02:22:52Z")
You are so bad! ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2019, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-met-my-doctors-other-pa-it-was-confusing/841007/43 "2019-10-01T19:39:26Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > The first time they told me I’d be seeing a P.A., I thought it meant pathologist. I told them I wasn’t dead yet:) > My diabetic clinic has N.P.s, they are all excellent. Love them. Pathologists aren’t called only in forensic situations. The details will vary by location, but in general they’re the people who look at anything which may involve examining tissues, such as doing a biopsy or being called when a blood sample looks funny (and I mean “looks” literally, through the microscope). ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2019, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-met-my-doctors-other-pa-it-was-confusing/841007/44 "2019-10-01T20:20:57Z")
Day shift RN says my doctor’s the same as she ever was and is looking into who visited. I’m wearing my Latin Disciples bandana and back from PT where I rode the Omnicycle hard enough to almost sweat. Spoiled Old Lady, SOL, got hauled away to the hospital, probably because she punched a staffer in the cafeteria. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2019, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-met-my-doctors-other-pa-it-was-confusing/841007/45 "2019-10-01T20:23:40Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > Pathologists aren’t called only in forensic situations. The details will vary by location, but in general they’re the people who look at anything which may involve examining tissues, such as doing a biopsy or being called when a blood sample looks funny (and I mean “looks” literally, through the microscope). Yeah, I know. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2019, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-met-my-doctors-other-pa-it-was-confusing/841007/46 "2019-10-01T20:47:33Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > Where the hell did you get that I hate foreigners? And the Japanese stereotype is HOW SHE WAS FUCKING DRESSED! As you, of all people, should be familiar, since there are shops over there that cater to that crowd. My friends and family, all Japanophiles, knew exactly what I was talking about based on my description and provided the term AND added that it was generic because several groups go for variations on that look. How exactly was she dressed? Because the only description you said was “loud.” Were they just colorful scrubs? ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2019, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-met-my-doctors-other-pa-it-was-confusing/841007/47 "2019-10-01T20:56:55Z")
I didn’t take a picture. ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2019, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-met-my-doctors-other-pa-it-was-confusing/841007/48 "2019-10-01T21:59:07Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > If there’s a rule about, say, wearing a white coat or hospital scrubs or whatever when interacting with patients, and the PA in question violated that rule, I’d definitely agree with you. But if there’s no official dress code, then I don’t see why merely having long braids and cutesy colorful clothes should be considered bizarre enough to be “unprofessional”. > Well, “Paw Patrol” and “mermaid” are **costumes** , while “Harajuku” is a fashion style for street wear. Sure, there are extreme/performance versions of Harajuku that would count as “costumes”, but the OP’s description of “long braids, loud clothes, and backpacks” doesn’t sound really out there. I agree there’s a grey area, but many fields don’t have a detailed dress code but require professionals to dress professionally, i.e., no jeans, sundresses, etc. “Cutesy” isn’t a term I like, but it certainly connotes the antithesis of professional. Miriam-Webster: \*cute: attractive or pretty especially in a childish, youthful, or delicate way. \* Beyond all that, though, there’s again the matter of public perception. My examples before were somewhat whimsical, so let me try again. If you look into the cockpit of a commercial flight and the pilot is wearing sweatpants and a stained tee with a hole in the back, are you going to have more or less confidence than someone wearing a pilot’s uniform? Your attorney shows up in court wearing daisy dukes and braids. Is the judge more or less apt to to treat him or her as a professional? Gone are the days when we women were advised to dress in severe suits to be taken seriously, but “cutesy” attire in professional settings doesn’t do us any favors. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2019, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-met-my-doctors-other-pa-it-was-confusing/841007/49 "2019-10-01T22:49:21Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > Day shift RN says my doctor’s the same as she ever was and is looking into who visited. I’m wearing my Latin Disciples bandana and back from PT where I rode the Omnicycle hard enough to almost sweat. Spoiled Old Lady, SOL, got hauled away to the hospital, probably because she punched a staffer in the cafeteria. Omg! Not your bike ride. The old lady taking a pot shot, Wow! That place is insane! ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2019, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-met-my-doctors-other-pa-it-was-confusing/841007/50 "2019-11-12T00:38:37Z")
Harajuku Girl must’ve thought I’d be at church yesterday because she dropped in Sunday morning at a perfectly convenient time and I fooled her by being here. Turns out she’s my pulmonologist. I told her I need an inhaled steroid. “You don’t wanna take steroids all the time!” The Hell I don’t, having used Advair as long as it’s been on the market, but there’s no arguing with someone who barely speaks English. My wife’s old, mostly empty Flovent is easier on my system than regular use of my albuterol rescue inhaler, and all they need to do is call my regular MD to see what I take. Any pulmonologist who opposes the use of inhaled steroids, a cornerstone of asthma treatment is too experimental for my tastes. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2019, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-met-my-doctors-other-pa-it-was-confusing/841007/51 "2019-11-12T00:53:53Z")
That place ain’t gonna cough (hee) up the $$$ bucks for that inhaler. They’re expensive. I’d call my PCP and get one called to your pharmacy. Have your daughter pick it up. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2019, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-met-my-doctors-other-pa-it-was-confusing/841007/52 "2019-11-12T01:56:26Z")
No thanks. They’re generic now. The weird thing is that they had a couple different ones when I came in and one was barely used before it vanished. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2019, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-met-my-doctors-other-pa-it-was-confusing/841007/53 "2019-11-12T04:25:19Z")
I asked the nurse about a steroid inhaler and she brought my albuterol inhaler. Somebody needs to teach these people how to treat asthma or they’ll have a dead body, like they nearly had with me that time I learned I’m deathly allergic to mace. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2019, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-met-my-doctors-other-pa-it-was-confusing/841007/54 "2019-11-12T04:33:08Z")
Well, I, for one need to hear about the mace incident. Spill. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2019, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-met-my-doctors-other-pa-it-was-confusing/841007/55 "2019-11-12T13:49:17Z")
You read it : [https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=872450&highlight=mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=872450&highlight=mace) ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2019, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-met-my-doctors-other-pa-it-was-confusing/841007/56 "2019-11-12T15:03:28Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > You read it : [https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=872450&highlight=mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=872450&highlight=mace) Oh, yeah. I forgot that. I thought maybe you had a secret double life as cat-burgler and got maced. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2019, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-met-my-doctors-other-pa-it-was-confusing/841007/57 "2019-11-12T16:06:24Z")
Nah, I’m allergic to cats. Yours are safe. ---
**Author:** ![rbroome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/838e76/32.png) [@rbroome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rbroome)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2019, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-met-my-doctors-other-pa-it-was-confusing/841007/58 "2019-11-13T23:08:17Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > Sounds reasonable, but is there anything in those standards about not wearing long braids and an “aggressively cute” Japanese “mode of dress”? Because that seems to be what the OP was most concerned about. For all the OP knows, this person did that. As stated, this standard doesn’t cover using a language that the patient can understand. As for the dress, I agree with the OP. The dress was the major issue in regards to the visit. The sex of the person was incidental. The person was working. If the person had come in to an office environment looking like that it would have generated comment. Heck, it might have been more sexist to not have commented. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-met-my-doctors-other-pa-it-was-confusing/841007.md?page=2)