Myths about your (and DH's) profession

amother

Sun, Mar 15 2015, 10:55 am

What are some myths and misconceptions about what you/DH do? For instance, my husband heads an IT department at a large company. People we know call him up and ask if he can fix their computer and think it's just some little thing and don't realize that a) that little thing could take hours depending on what it is b) he makes a lot of money and his skill at taking care of your little thing is worth at least a couple of hundred per hour.
For me, it's not my particular profession so much as the fact that I work from home. People think I'm available all day "because you're home". Yes, being home has it's benefits- I don't have to commute, and I can throw a load of laundry in during a quick break and greet my kids for a few minutes after school. But other than that, I am WORKING and can't watch your kids (I actually have a sitter for my toddler while I'm working) and I can't run this or that errand because I don't run errands during working hours, as I can only take a 5 or 10 minute break here or there (see above about what I CAN do during working hours; that's about it).
BH Dh and I are assertive enough to draw boundaries where we need to, so we tell people no when we can't do what they're asking, and we do educate people on what we REALLY do. Of course we don't truly understand what a profession we are not a part of is truly like. I was just wondering what your experience is in hearing others' misconceptions about what you do.

amother

Sun, Mar 15 2015, 11:04 am

Law: people think I know every aspect of the law and want free advice. A few relatives got furious with me because I wouldn't collect their debt, fix a bad satisfaction, terminate an irrevocable trust for free. Only the last is in my field. This week I reviewed and revised a contract for the last relative, reviewed and revised a satisfaction and now she wants me to review a 27 page trust. Enough is enough. She is a cheapskate using me. She gets these documents from the Internet. I am not taking her calls. BTW I am a SAHM with no interest in practicing at the moment.

spring13

Sun, Mar 15 2015, 11:06 am

People think I alphabetize and shush people for a living Smile

They don't realize that I do in fact have a master's degree for my profession and that my training makes a big difference!

My husband sort of has it the other way. He expects people to be underwhelmed b/c he's not a doctor, but when they hear about what he actually does (pharmaceutical research) they're blown away by how smart he must be to be able to do that. But with vaccine debates and similar discussions happening, I see that a lot of people make assumptions about his industry that aren't really correct. FTR, the scientists who do this kind of work are doing their best to find things out and make things work for the benefit of mankind, not just to make a buck. And they don't just throw some junk in a test tube and put it on the shelf at CVS, they take years and years and lots of people and enormous amounts of STUFF to make an effective drug.

LEsheva

Sun, Mar 15 2015, 11:08 am

Myth 1: pharmacists just count pills all day, I don't even get why they're doctors...

No, no, no, no, no.
There is some pill counting involved - and that is done by the technicians. A pharmacist balances her entire day reviewing incoming prescriptions and catching problems in therapy, speaking with physicians, and actively counseling her patients. In the hospital setting, pharmacists round with the doctors to ensure optimal medication, and in ambulatory settings pharmacists have a partnership with a physician wherein they meet with patients to adjust the therapy themselves. The degree is a four year doctorate - though many pharmacists forgo the title in order to be more approachable.

PS. Be nice to your pharmacist - we know you don't feel well and need your medication urgently. We want to give it to you right now, but we first need to wrestle with your insurance company unless you want to pay a fortune

LEsheva

Sun, Mar 15 2015, 11:14 am

spring13 wrote:

People think I alphabetize and shush people for a living Smile

YES!!!!!

Myth 2: Pharmacists and big pharma are just pill pushers looking to make money off of you

Believe it or not, we actually care about your health. We would much rather you have a healthy lifestyle to begin with and not need meds at all. But if your doctor/pharmacist suggests a medication, they are doing it because you need it to be HEALTHY. So why are some medications expensive? Because research and development is expensive and tedious, but that's the only way new treatments are discovered. Please, please make sure that you're insured

amother

Sun, Mar 15 2015, 11:57 am

I write and edit for a living. Not novels (though one day I'd like to), but in advertising and sales. Certain obnoxious relatives and acquaintances (not friends, b"H, they get what I do) constantly want me to "just write a little thing for them" or "just look over my paper" or "just fix up my ad a little." They don't realize that I charge upwards of $100 per hour (I do pretty specialized work) and that their "little thing" can take a long time, then they get upset when I can't do it for them.

My husband works in healthcare, and most people understand what his job entails, but they don't realize how time-consuming it is and that he works virtually 24/6.

I think that with most jobs, people have many misconceptions and/or don't understand that just because someone does xyz for a living, they can just produce whatever it is that you need with no effort.

amother

Sun, Mar 15 2015, 12:09 pm

My dh has a take out/catering bussiness and also cooks meals for a local yeshiva. Everyone always says to me 'youre so lucky, you never have to cook!' That is not true. Dh never hardly ever brings home food, once in a while if he has a lot of left overs he would.

rachel91

Sun, Mar 15 2015, 12:14 pm

amother wrote:

Same here!! My husband is cook in a catering and everyone is always asking me, if he also cooks at home... Answer: almost never!

amother

Sun, Mar 15 2015, 12:42 pm

My husband is a rabbi and I am also very involved in his job.

People think: No problem to call the rabbi on sundays or evenings. He doesn't need time off.

Umm. He does. He does not get off shabbos like most other professions and sundays are often taken up with simchos and funerals. (and he still has to be in shul for minyan) Please don't eat into the one afternoon he has off a week! Plus he uses sundays to catch up with paperwork and email he can't get done during the week.

He should also be a fundraiser.

I should work for free. (but not get any credit or recognition - eg once my husband got free tickets to a sports game, the shul president demanded my husband take him instead of me.) Plus I have small children. No one is offering to pay for my childcare while I do all this work. We spend a ton of money out of pocket to do the things I do do as it is.

amother

Sun, Mar 15 2015, 1:04 pm

animeme wrote:

Amother whose DH is a rav: I know I usually call my rav in the evenings; I never thought not to. Your perspective is appreciated. When should people call your DH? Does he have posted phone hours? Is that how people would know?

urgent calls welcome any time, even 2 am. (deaths, etc) Smile

He would never say anything to anyone who calls btw. I think I resent it more because it cuts into family time. It especially annoys me when it is board members. One guy calls almost every day and keeps him on the phone for half an hour or more at a time. During the day is definitely a better time to call then the evenings. (after 7/8pm) Not on sundays.

Bh almost no one calls after 9pm or so but thats a cultural thing.

amother

Sun, Mar 15 2015, 1:21 pm

I'm a PA. The myths range from being doctors helper (ie secretary) to medical assistant to nurse to doing surgery entirely on my own (hey, a grandmother can wish, right?). In my work setting I'm usually called nurse because I'm female which is interested because my nurse husband is automatically thought of as being a doctor because he is male. People assume I can just write prescriptions to save them $150 at the doctor but A. I can't because I can only do it while working under my supervising physician at work and B. the cost of seeing a doctor covers their malpractice in case of a bad outcome. Unless it is a really close family member I trust no one to not sue me in such a case and my liability only covers me at work which brings us back to the first point of only being able to practice medicine there.

MMCH

Sun, Mar 15 2015, 8:30 pm

my dh is a medical resident and a lot my friends think we are rolling in cash.
they call asking my dh the most random medical questions, ranging from like fingernail problems, to serious issues they need to discuss with their doctors.

My grandmother calls my dh (which I find adorable) almost daily to tell him that her head hurts.

being married to a doctor has its perks, but always being available to family and friends for medical attention gets very annoying.

amother

Sun, Mar 15 2015, 9:49 pm

my dh is an accountant and does the taxes for our siblings. He doesnt charge them. It bothers me (and him) how they'll call him up for advice or hand in their paperwork late and possibly ask him to tweak things more than he feels comfortable doing and they dont realize that they would be paying anywhere from $400-1000 if they got their taxes done by going to a reputable firm. Oh and they think busy season is only pesach. Busy season is January through April 15 and then again August through October. Then there is end of the year stuff so part of December is busy too!

my job, I'm a teacher, I think that most people understand what our jobs are. What they dont understand is we are paid nothing, we work the hours in school plus an additional 1-2 hours at home a day. Then when a parent needs to speak with us they get upset when they arent called back right away or that they think they can call a teachers house even though the teacher didnt give out her/his cell and home number.

amother

Sun, Mar 15 2015, 10:23 pm

People assume that my husband is bringing home a paycheck for learning full time. Nope, not a penny Smile

Next - People assume that we're being financially supported by his wealthy family. Nope, not that either Smile

Finally - People assume that since I work at a 'wealthy' school, I'm bringing in the big bucks. Nope, I wish! We're just good at living on a tight budget, bH.

amother

Mon, Mar 16 2015, 4:01 am

People assume that my goverment job is well paying, but it isn't. I get about 20-30% less than the going rate in my field.
I do have many other benefits which are amazing (many days off, many sick days with full pay, etc) but the salary itself is low.