Doctor/ Allied health professional couple

[uneditedtales]

Hi, I saw the post about doctor/lawyer couple and was wondering what its like for spouses who are not doctors but are in the medical field? Do couples work together? (for e.g. doctors/PA or doctors/Nurse) What are some of the common challenges?

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[DCJenn]

Re: Doctor/ Allied health professional couple

I'm in an affiliated health care field but not a health care professional (I'm in social services)

Some people here DO work with their spouses but even if I worked with kids, I couldn't work w/ him. (he's a child neurologist) I need my professional sense of self.

Jenn

[Deebs]

Re: Doctor/ Allied health professional couple

I'm currently a SAHM, but also a "retired" health care administrator. While DH was in medical school, I was at one of the three hospitals he was learning in. We had a couple of conflicts because part of my job was to directly review patient care. DH loves to tell people that during his third year of medical school, I "pulled him aside" during dinner one night to discuss his high CHF readmit rate. In that position, I always worried that if he screwed something up a ton, I would be professionally embarrassed (writing this, it sounds a little harsh, but I can't think of a gentler word). Also, many of the colleagues I hung out with were attendings that DH was intimidated by, so that was a little weird. During residency, our positions didn't cross professionally at all, so it wasn't that big of a deal. A couple of weeks ago, we went to a conference for DH (I was just there for night-time events). I received a couple of serious job offers while there. In general, DH likes that I "get" what he does on a different level. But, he's totally obsessed with his job, thinks anyone who isn't is his field is crazy, and basically considers work a hobby that he gets paid to do. I think he'd have a hard time being married to someone not in health care.

[MrsK]

Re: Doctor/ Allied health professional couple

In general, DH likes that I "get" what he does on a different level. But, he's totally obsessed with his job, thinks anyone who isn't is his field is crazy, and basically considers work a hobby that he gets paid to do.

It is so wonderful that he feels this way about his work!

My brother is a family practitioner with his own pratice in a rural community. His wife is a RN and she works with him occassionally. Having here there has been a tremendous help to him. He trusts her and she is far more reliable than anyone he could hire. In a rural community temp help is hard to come by. And it is easier for them to share mommy/daddy duties when they are working together. Still, she chooses to work in a hospital also because she enjoys the busy-ness of the hospital, the comradare she finds there, and having autonomy outside of the family. Also, it is much less expensive for her to get health insurance through the hospital than it is for her to be insured on the plan my brother purchases for his employees.

[medpedspouse]

Re: Doctor/ Allied health professional couple

I worked for the med school where DH did his training. It worked out great for 95% of the time. There were a few times that some of my colleagues could not look past the fact that we were married and that as a professional, I could still remain objective. I would review their inservice board scores among other things in med ed. BUT these people were the minority. One of my proudest moments was when one of the department chairs, who had worked closely with both DH and I, was surprised that we were married. We always made sure to not sit together at conferences, meetings, etc. and when I hit the campus DH was just like any other resident or fellow to me.

Now that he is out training, we actually enjoy talking shop and I find that DH is great for bouncing ideas off of. We are actually working on some projects together.

Re: Doctor/ Allied health professional couple

I was in the medical field way before DH was. We met during 3rd year med school. We were drawn to each other because of our common interest in medicine. Once we moved to Ohio, I only worked PRN at the hospital that he rotated at. It was kinda weird cause everyone knew me by "that resident's wife". It was ok because they all liked him. Now he is an attending at that hospital and they all still ask him about me.