Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Don’t assume that you know what a doctor looks like

Nisha Mehta, MD
Physician
October 20, 2016
Share
Tweet
Share

Recently, an African American female physician was prevented from providing help to a passenger in distress on a Delta airlines flight because she didn’t fit the flight attendant’s image of what a doctor looked like.

The racial and gender issues that this event highlight are readily apparent.    As a South Asian, I have to say I’ve never been told I don’t look like a doctor on a racial basis.  If anything, because of the number of South Asians in medicine in real life and in media, TV shows, and movies, people actually assume I’m in medicine … or an IT field.

However, I have had many people assume I’m a nurse (I’m female), ask how old I am and where I trained before letting me do a procedure (a question rarely asked to my older white male colleagues), and state their surprise that I don’t have an accent (presumably because many of the South Asian physicians they’ve seen are immigrants, and I’m part of the first generation of American born South Asian physicians).

So, what exactly does a doctor look like in America today?   Let’s review some facts from a 2014 survey of physicians with an active license to practice medicine in the United States, conducted by the Federation of State Medical Boards, and a 2010 AAMC database:

  • 66 percent of actively practicing physicians are males, and 32 percent are female (2 percent declined to answer).
  • Approximately 20 percent of actively practicing physicians are less than 40 years old, and approximately 11 percent are above 70 years old. The rest are somewhere in between.
  • 75 percent of actively practicing physicians graduated medical school in the United States or Canada. In order, the five countries where most of our international medical school graduates come from are India, the Caribbean, the Philippines, Pakistan, and Mexico.
  • In 2008, 75 percent of U.S. physicians were white, 12.8 percent of physicians were Asian, 6.3 percent of physicians were black/African American, 5.5 percent were Hispanic/Latino, and 0.5 percent were American Indian/Alaska Native. Statistics on medical school demographics show that these numbers are actively changing, with the number of minority students on the rise.

Obviously, the diversity doesn’t stop there.  Much like the demographics of the rest of our country, our physicians were raised in different socioeconomic backgrounds, practice different religions, have varying politics, live in both rural and urban settings, have different hobbies, and live different lifestyles.  A recent New York Times Article cites that physicians are about 50/50 Democrats/Republicans overall.    From greatest to least, an article from the Journal of General Internal Medicine from 2005 states physician religious preferences to be Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, Atheist/Agnostic, Hindu, Muslim, Orthodox, Mormon, Buddhist, and other.  From looking at my own physician colleagues, interests vary from surfboarding to baking.

My point is this: Don’t assume you know what a doctor looks like, especially in the outside world sans white coats and scrubs.  In this situation, I’m not sure how you could reliably pick us out of a crowd without speaking to us.  We are much more diverse in our appearances and personal lives than you may think.  Just know that when it comes to matters related to patient care, we do have one thing in common – we have the patient’s best interest in mind, and we are trained to handle emergency medical situations.  Please don’t turn down our help because we don’t look “doctor” enough to you.

Nisha Mehta is a radiologist and founder, Deserved Splurges.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

Dr. Google isn’t all bad: Patient engagement might help outcomes

October 20, 2016 Kevin 6
…
Next

Stop the competition in medical school

October 21, 2016 Kevin 3
…

Tagged as: Primary Care

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Dr. Google isn’t all bad: Patient engagement might help outcomes
Next Post >
Stop the competition in medical school

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Nisha Mehta, MD

  • CMS Medicare fee cuts: The altruism of physicians is used against them

    Nisha Mehta, MD
  • A physician faces criminal charges for going above and beyond #WeAreDrGokal

    Nisha Mehta, MD
  • In the midst of a pandemic, remember that physician practices are small businesses too

    Nisha Mehta, MD

Related Posts

  • Osler and the doctor-patient relationship

    Leonard Wang
  • Finding a new doctor is like dating

    R. Lynn Barnett
  • Doctor, how are you, really?

    Deborah Courtney
  • Be a human first and a doctor second

    Sarah Murad
  • A physician’s addiction to social media

    Amanda Xi, MD
  • Becoming a doctor is the epitome of delayed gratification

    Natasha Abadilla

More in Physician

  • Adriana Smith’s story: a medical tragedy under heartbeat laws

    Nicole M. King, MD
  • Why U.S. health care pricing is so confusing—and how to fix it

    Ashish Mandavia, MD
  • From survival to sovereignty: What 35 years in the ER taught me about identity, mortality, and redemption

    Kenneth Ro, MD
  • When doctors forget how to examine: the danger of lost clinical skills

    Mike Stillman, MD
  • When the white coats become gatekeepers: How a quiet cartel strangles America’s health

    Anonymous
  • The man in seat 11A survived, but why don’t our patients?

    Dr. Vivek Podder
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Why removing fluoride from water is a public health disaster

      Steven J. Katz, DDS | Conditions
    • When did we start treating our lives like trauma?

      Maureen Gibbons, MD | Physician
    • Why male fertility needs to be part of every health conversation

      Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian | Conditions
    • How home-based AI can reduce health inequities in underserved communities [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Inside human trafficking: a guide to recognizing and preventing it [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Graduating from medical school without family: a story of strength and survival

      Anonymous | Education
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care

      Carlin Lockwood | Policy
    • My journey from misdiagnosis to living fully with APBD

      Jeff Cooper | Conditions
    • Addressing the physician shortage: How AI can help, not replace

      Amelia Mercado | Tech
    • Why does rifaximin cost 95 percent more in the U.S. than in Asia?

      Jai Kumar, MD, Brian Nohomovich, DO, PhD and Leonid Shamban, DO | Meds
  • Recent Posts

    • How home-based AI can reduce health inequities in underserved communities [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Adriana Smith’s story: a medical tragedy under heartbeat laws

      Nicole M. King, MD | Physician
    • What if medicine had an exit interview?

      Lynn McComas, DNP, ANP-C | Conditions
    • Why U.S. health care pricing is so confusing—and how to fix it

      Ashish Mandavia, MD | Physician
    • From survival to sovereignty: What 35 years in the ER taught me about identity, mortality, and redemption

      Kenneth Ro, MD | Physician
    • When doctors forget how to examine: the danger of lost clinical skills

      Mike Stillman, MD | Physician

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 37 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Why removing fluoride from water is a public health disaster

      Steven J. Katz, DDS | Conditions
    • When did we start treating our lives like trauma?

      Maureen Gibbons, MD | Physician
    • Why male fertility needs to be part of every health conversation

      Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian | Conditions
    • How home-based AI can reduce health inequities in underserved communities [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Inside human trafficking: a guide to recognizing and preventing it [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Graduating from medical school without family: a story of strength and survival

      Anonymous | Education
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care

      Carlin Lockwood | Policy
    • My journey from misdiagnosis to living fully with APBD

      Jeff Cooper | Conditions
    • Addressing the physician shortage: How AI can help, not replace

      Amelia Mercado | Tech
    • Why does rifaximin cost 95 percent more in the U.S. than in Asia?

      Jai Kumar, MD, Brian Nohomovich, DO, PhD and Leonid Shamban, DO | Meds
  • Recent Posts

    • How home-based AI can reduce health inequities in underserved communities [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Adriana Smith’s story: a medical tragedy under heartbeat laws

      Nicole M. King, MD | Physician
    • What if medicine had an exit interview?

      Lynn McComas, DNP, ANP-C | Conditions
    • Why U.S. health care pricing is so confusing—and how to fix it

      Ashish Mandavia, MD | Physician
    • From survival to sovereignty: What 35 years in the ER taught me about identity, mortality, and redemption

      Kenneth Ro, MD | Physician
    • When doctors forget how to examine: the danger of lost clinical skills

      Mike Stillman, MD | Physician

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Don’t assume that you know what a doctor looks like
37 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...