Have you ever used "The Doctor Trick"?
Of course you have. You probably call it something else, though. Like a light saber, it must be used with respect and care. Overuse will render it worthless, but sometimes you don’t have a choice.
"The Doctor Trick" – as a friend in residency called it – is using your title as an excuse to leave.
Dr. Allan M. Block
I remember the first time I did it. It was in residency, and I’d somehow been dragged to a Halloween party I didn’t really want to be at. Not only that, but it had a $15 cover charge. After getting in and realizing that I’d prefer having my fingernails pulled out, I went back to the door. I showed the cashier my hospital ID and receipt indicating I’d been there less than 5 minutes. I told her I’d been called to the hospital for an emergency. She gave me my money back, and I thanked her and left.
Granted, she was under no obligation to do that, but it didn’t hurt to ask. As my dad would say: "The worst they can do is say no."
So I’ve used it here and there over time, typically as an excuse to leave a party, meeting, or pretty much any event where I’m looking for a way out. I’ve never used it to try and get better seats, or a table by the window. To me, that falls on the entitled side, and usually people will say no anyway.
It’s kept in check by knowing that overuse will, like the boy who cried wolf, render it useless. There’s also a fear that abusing it will bring bad karma from the feared "Call Gods" who will punish you next time you’re on.
That said, it still provides a convenient excuse to get out of, or away from, meetings, in-laws, school boards, and other happenings you’d rather avoid.
Membership, as they say, has its privileges.
Dr. Block has a solo neurology practice in Scottsdale, Ariz.