I feel old. My frequent trips to and from the hospital in Lyon for my eye have meant that I’ve spent more time than I dare consider sitting in waiting rooms and hanging about in hospital corridors.
Whilst in the beginning I couldn’t see and Mr Piglet’s comments about how young the Doctors looked fell on deaf ears (I thought he was having a crisis as his birthday was coming up), as I waited on Tuesday, I was astounded by how young these Doctors were!
I cringed inwardly as I watched Converse clad feet, holey jeans and ribbon bracelets parade around in white Doctor coats. Spots, nose piercing and those weird things that make your ear hole get bigger were everywhere. I knew that it was a teaching hospital and automatically assumed that all these kids were just out of high school and on work placements.
But no! Alas! These ugly ducklings were fully fledged Doctors (or ophthalmologists) and were totally qualified to treat me. As I watched the young girl examine my eye and provide notes I felt as if she should be asking her Dad permission to stay out late (it was past 6pm). Thank goodness that there were more senior members on the team too although they only looked about my age. What happens to the older members of staff? Do they evaporate somewhere?
I have another question though – whatever happened to dressing up for work? I know they spend a lot of time on their feet but their clothing hardly looked clean yet alone suitable for a professional person. Maybe times have changed, they obviously have and I am obviously getting old.
I always assumed and was used to being treated by Doctors that were older than me not considerably and noticeably younger than me.
This is going to take some getting used to. I had better start putting plenty of anti-wrinkle cream on.
When was the first time that you felt old?
Far too long ago to remember! It just creeps up on you without you being aware, until you go through an experience like yours and you come face to face with these young kids who are in very responsible positions. Pretty scary isn’t it?
OMG it’s official – you’ve joined the grumpy “old” women’s club LOL
ha ha and welcome! I’ve been saying for years doctors are becoming younger…and what experience do they have to draw on? Nada
It’s the same with kids who dress up as policmen – what could they possibly know about life? Text book policing
Just think about being under surgery with a young doctor ! They have to earn some experience in order to become reputated surgeons and they all have to somehow start ! It’s the same with dentists … My late mother was a doctor and she told me the first time she had to perform some injection/perfusion on her first patient ( she was a pediatrician and her first job was in an isolated mountain village) , the parents of the child did not want to let her
She told them she’d had tens of such manoevres performed ( which was a complete lie) and, with her heart ticking, she went for it. 
As she used to tell me, luckily, the child survived …
When I was 25 and had to go to Clapham Police station after my purse was stolen on the bus. The details were taken by a constable aged about 19 who leant forward and said, ‘Did you see the person who took it, Vicky?’
I immediately reverted to being like my grandmother, my first reaction was, ‘Who said you could address me by my christian name, and a diminutive at that? It’s Miss Johnstone to you.’
Poor piglet, getting old sucks.
It was on the Métro at Lille . A pretty French studente got up and offered me her seat! I was devastated, especially when she repl[ed to my protests by saying her teachers had trained her to offer this courtesy to older citizens…
Ha ! I know what you mean.
I had a minor surgery a few months ago and was so very thankful that the surgeon had grey hair. I am sure none of the ( very good looking) young men in his “entourage” was very old at all .. making me think you can be a doctor at an earlier age in Argentina. Now I see it is true in France also
Think of it this way, if they are so young, they still remember everything they learned in Doctor School
dedene is so correct … getting old sucks, no matter how old you are !
besitos .. I am glad you can see now.
I know what you mean! I hope all is well with you soon and that you enjoy a very Merry Christmas with baby piglet!
I’ve now had two doctors retire – only to be replaced by children.
Mr. Fly very much enjoys the sight of the young lady doctors at San Juan de Dios hospital…the garments under the white coats…left open…don’t leave much to the imagination.
Perhaps it’s in the interests of cheering up the (male) patients…..
Their male counterparts are very solemn in crisp shirts and pressed trousers….
Getting old is no fun. I want to do things which my knees won’t allow.
I am not surprised to hear about all the young doctors in a teaching hospital but the lack of a dress code and clean lab coats seems to me to be perhaps a failure of the hospital. We have been to the teaching hospital affilated with the University of Montpellier school of medicine and we see lots of young doctors but they are wearing clean lab coats and look and dress like professionals, albeit very young. I hope your eye sight gets fixed and that you and your family have a very Merry Christmas.
Hi Piglet! Happy Holiday Season to you.
I hope that your eyes are doing better and better. Good wishes to you for full healing.
You know, I first felt old when treated by a doctor who was my age or younger, too! I think I was about 32 at the time, and the doctor was absolutely my peer, or perhaps a little younger.
Now that I am 43.5 years, riding home on the Métro on a weekend evening late at night makes me feel really old! I look at all the young people who have been out partying, and I realize I am probably the same age as their mother. I’ve been babysitting late at night quite a lot in the last month, which is how I know. I’ve not been out partying, too. I’m too old, haha.
Be well, Piglet, and I hope that you have a very joyful holiday!
xx
Karin
Great post. I was fifteen years old when it struck me – I’m getting old! Imagine, I thought, I’ll be thirty in fifteen more years and that’s positively ancient.
That was 35 years ago! And I feel younger now than I did then!
Haha. I had the same problem with my patients. They thought I am too young to investigate them. So I bought a name plate where I wrote “Dr. Alma Stancu”.
) And I have a nose piercin but never wearing it at work. I agree with you, when you are in a profesional place you need to act and be profesional. 
Hope you’ll trust more the young doctors, they are usually paying more attention to details and are more patient.:) kisses