My name is …

My name is Mike – Michael, technically. I was named after my aunt’s son, who tragically died at a young age. As a child, I loved being called Michael and swore that I would never go by Mike. Times change, and Mike quickly became my preference. At this point, only family members and a handful of close friends call me Michael.

At work, I am Dr. Pistoria, and that has bothered me for years. In my former job (where I had spent almost 17 years) enough people had become comfortable enough with me to call me Mike. However, nearly all of the nursing staff and case management staff on the floor I used to work called me Dr. Pistoria. This was despite the fact that we had worked together on a daily basis for the better part of 3 years. With few exceptions, I was unable to get people to use my given name.

In my new job, I again work very closely with a relatively small group of people. After several months on the job, I asked people to feel free to use my given name. Almost universally, the response was “I can’t do that.” When queried for a reason, most people thought it was a matter of respect. I had worked hard to become a physician, and I deserved the respect of being referred to as “Doctor.”

When I introduce myself to patients, I use my full name and tell them I am the hospital medicine physician who will be caring for them. I do not use “Doctor.” The same applies when I identify myself over the telephone at work – I am Mike Pistoria, a physician at Coordinated Health, and never Dr. Pistoria.

My thoughts on this were recently challenged at a conference where there was some discussion about the power differential involved with being a physician. Physicians, in almost any professional relationship, either do or are perceived to hold the lion’s share of power. The conversation turned to respecting that power differential and avoiding anything that might be perceived as leveling the playing field and possibly putting the physician at risk for boundary issues with patients, staff, and others.

It was an interesting discussion. I made clear my preference to be called by my given name. I spoke of the value of caring for patients in high-functioning interdisciplinary teams. I recognized that while every team must have a captain, I pushed back against the argument that the captain – in this instance – must be referred to as “Doctor.” Others disagreed sharply. They either wanted the respect they felt they deserved or had concerns about minimizing the power differential and the potential for boundary violations.

The whole discussion prompted a reevaluation of my viewpoint. As I heard from people who had been impacted by boundary violations – they had allowed people to get too close to them and had been taken advantage of or had blurred the line between professional and personal relationships – I started to question my stand. I have not fully resolved this issue for myself yet, but I do think I will stop pushing so much for people to use my given name.

I think I can learn to live with people calling me “Doctor.” I think I can effectively continue to lead interdisciplinary teams in a meaningful way, generating a true sense of team, while people demonstrate the respect they believe I deserve. I think if people want to be a little more informal with me, “Dr. Mike” will work in the future.

Now, if I can just find a way to stop people from calling me “sir”…

Dr. Mike is chief of hospital medicine at Coordinated Health in Bethlehem, Pa. He believes that the best care is always personal.

My name is Mike – Michael, technically. I was named after my aunt’s son, who tragically died at a young age. As a child, I loved being called Michael and swore that I would never go by Mike. Times change, and Mike quickly became my preference. At this point, only family members and a handful of close friends call me Michael.

At work, I am Dr. Pistoria, and that has bothered me for years. In my former job (where I had spent almost 17 years) enough people had become comfortable enough with me to call me Mike. However, nearly all of the nursing staff and case management staff on the floor I used to work called me Dr. Pistoria. This was despite the fact that we had worked together on a daily basis for the better part of 3 years. With few exceptions, I was unable to get people to use my given name.

In my new job, I again work very closely with a relatively small group of people. After several months on the job, I asked people to feel free to use my given name. Almost universally, the response was “I can’t do that.” When queried for a reason, most people thought it was a matter of respect. I had worked hard to become a physician, and I deserved the respect of being referred to as “Doctor.”

When I introduce myself to patients, I use my full name and tell them I am the hospital medicine physician who will be caring for them. I do not use “Doctor.” The same applies when I identify myself over the telephone at work – I am Mike Pistoria, a physician at Coordinated Health, and never Dr. Pistoria.

My thoughts on this were recently challenged at a conference where there was some discussion about the power differential involved with being a physician. Physicians, in almost any professional relationship, either do or are perceived to hold the lion’s share of power. The conversation turned to respecting that power differential and avoiding anything that might be perceived as leveling the playing field and possibly putting the physician at risk for boundary issues with patients, staff, and others.

It was an interesting discussion. I made clear my preference to be called by my given name. I spoke of the value of caring for patients in high-functioning interdisciplinary teams. I recognized that while every team must have a captain, I pushed back against the argument that the captain – in this instance – must be referred to as “Doctor.” Others disagreed sharply. They either wanted the respect they felt they deserved or had concerns about minimizing the power differential and the potential for boundary violations.

The whole discussion prompted a reevaluation of my viewpoint. As I heard from people who had been impacted by boundary violations – they had allowed people to get too close to them and had been taken advantage of or had blurred the line between professional and personal relationships – I started to question my stand. I have not fully resolved this issue for myself yet, but I do think I will stop pushing so much for people to use my given name.

I think I can learn to live with people calling me “Doctor.” I think I can effectively continue to lead interdisciplinary teams in a meaningful way, generating a true sense of team, while people demonstrate the respect they believe I deserve. I think if people want to be a little more informal with me, “Dr. Mike” will work in the future.

Now, if I can just find a way to stop people from calling me “sir”…

Dr. Mike is chief of hospital medicine at Coordinated Health in Bethlehem, Pa. He believes that the best care is always personal.

My name is Mike – Michael, technically. I was named after my aunt’s son, who tragically died at a young age. As a child, I loved being called Michael and swore that I would never go by Mike. Times change, and Mike quickly became my preference. At this point, only family members and a handful of close friends call me Michael.

At work, I am Dr. Pistoria, and that has bothered me for years. In my former job (where I had spent almost 17 years) enough people had become comfortable enough with me to call me Mike. However, nearly all of the nursing staff and case management staff on the floor I used to work called me Dr. Pistoria. This was despite the fact that we had worked together on a daily basis for the better part of 3 years. With few exceptions, I was unable to get people to use my given name.

In my new job, I again work very closely with a relatively small group of people. After several months on the job, I asked people to feel free to use my given name. Almost universally, the response was “I can’t do that.” When queried for a reason, most people thought it was a matter of respect. I had worked hard to become a physician, and I deserved the respect of being referred to as “Doctor.”

When I introduce myself to patients, I use my full name and tell them I am the hospital medicine physician who will be caring for them. I do not use “Doctor.” The same applies when I identify myself over the telephone at work – I am Mike Pistoria, a physician at Coordinated Health, and never Dr. Pistoria.

My thoughts on this were recently challenged at a conference where there was some discussion about the power differential involved with being a physician. Physicians, in almost any professional relationship, either do or are perceived to hold the lion’s share of power. The conversation turned to respecting that power differential and avoiding anything that might be perceived as leveling the playing field and possibly putting the physician at risk for boundary issues with patients, staff, and others.

It was an interesting discussion. I made clear my preference to be called by my given name. I spoke of the value of caring for patients in high-functioning interdisciplinary teams. I recognized that while every team must have a captain, I pushed back against the argument that the captain – in this instance – must be referred to as “Doctor.” Others disagreed sharply. They either wanted the respect they felt they deserved or had concerns about minimizing the power differential and the potential for boundary violations.

The whole discussion prompted a reevaluation of my viewpoint. As I heard from people who had been impacted by boundary violations – they had allowed people to get too close to them and had been taken advantage of or had blurred the line between professional and personal relationships – I started to question my stand. I have not fully resolved this issue for myself yet, but I do think I will stop pushing so much for people to use my given name.

I think I can learn to live with people calling me “Doctor.” I think I can effectively continue to lead interdisciplinary teams in a meaningful way, generating a true sense of team, while people demonstrate the respect they believe I deserve. I think if people want to be a little more informal with me, “Dr. Mike” will work in the future.

Now, if I can just find a way to stop people from calling me “sir”…

Dr. Mike is chief of hospital medicine at Coordinated Health in Bethlehem, Pa. He believes that the best care is always personal.