"Nurse, nurse!"

Of all the patients I see in clinic or in the hospital, I have to admit that I hold a particular fondness for grouchy, old men. I always walk away learning a new historical fact or two, but more than anything, I leave the encounter extremely amused by their often brash comments and colorful stories. Sometimes I have to bite my tongue or reserve judgment when I don't understand their perspectives rooted in a generational gap I don't share myself. But fundamentally, even though I may not agree with what they say or continue to believe, I respect and appreciate them.

Take, for instance, the new gender trends in medicine and health care fields at large. We're female; we're taking charge, and we're not all nurses. If I had five bucks for every time I heard an old man call out to me from his bed at the VA hospital last summer, "Nurse, nurse, bring me some water!" I'd be a rich woman. And when you're the only female student in a white coat in a team of men all shorter than you, it really doesn't take you too long to figure out who that old man thinks he needs. But back in his day, we women were mostly all nurses, so there is some room to accommodate misunderstanding ... or frank confusion, depending on the situation.

This morning in clinic was no exception to this trend. I met a rather plump, pleasant old man who was pretending to be cranky. I'll call him Bob. (This is not his real name.) When I walked in to the room and introduced myself, he sized me up from the examining table with his arms folded across his chest. Bob nodded to his wife in the corner of the room who was fussing with his plastic bag full of medicines.

I proceeded, "I'm Lauren, and I'm one of the medical students working with the doctor today. I'll visit with you for a while first before we both return together. Does that sound okay?"

"Well," Bob squinted his eyes in my direction. "I told the nurse I'd talk to you only if you were cute."

I shot back with a grin, "Well, do I pass the test?"

He peered at me over the top of his large glasses. "Yes," he said. "I suppose you'll do."