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After reading thise HPCSA guidelines, I realize that the times I actually don't like being a Dr is when I'm not at work. But seemingly one needs to always be a Dr.
I've had talks about social disrepute with people before, especially with some photos or videos I've posted before. It gets a bit difficult not being allowed to be your own person when you're not at work.
I actually never wanted to be a Dr on twitter for the longest time. My friends even know that I don't like being introduced as a Dr. I only started referring to myself as Dr Naks about 3 years ago, but the aim was to bring information to the general public.
This has nowbecome my identity also, and I have so many times considered removing that as a brand and just becoming a regular tweep who tweets anything they want. But I'll still remain a Dr here and outside social media.
I'm a firm believer that an informed patient is the best patient. I was also taught that medicine starts in outside the hospital, before a person gets sick. The so called preventative medicine. Hence this change, which Inwas reluctant to do.
I got comfortable with it in time. But there's been conflicts regarding my profession and what I tweet a number of times before, and this is usually a matter of differing opinions rather than actual malice.
In the views of many, you can't be a Dr and a normal human being because there's an image to protect. True as it is, I appreciate that many people are starting to realize that we are just humans.
In my place if work, I'm a Dr, I'm a gynaecologist and I maintain a strict professional relationship with my patients and colleagues. Outside work I often would like not to be a Dr, and that's the part that makes being a Dr difficult.
I mean I'm referred to as Doc/Dr by some friends and family members. And it has helped very little to dispute this.
Conversations change in social settings when one person realizes that you're a Dr. I've tried to really own this but it becomes tiring. I think a whole lot of Drs agree that we often just want to be ourselves without being medics.
Obviously one could argue but you post pictures of yourselves at work, you refer to yourselves as medics on social media and this is truly us trying to own this whole thing.
I guess one just needs to always be mindful of what they post and be ready to deal with whatever comes their way should things go sideways because I can assure you. Things will go sideways!
You can't even tweet that you drink alcohol
