Ane*%#<..ologist
Whenever I am talking to a patient of mine, to explain who I am and what I am going to do, I try to make it as simple as possible, starting from what kind of doctor I am. I am an Anesthesiologist. That word (anesthesiologist) is a mouthful for many people, medical people included. It is confusing to many. In Uganda, it is a term used to describe a doctor who specialised in anaesthesia. When I am talking to my patients before their operations, many times it starts like this; Me: Hello, my name is Dr Arthur, I am the doctor who makes people sleep when they are going for an operation and wakes them up after. This is usually followed by a smile or laughter at the sleep description. Some patients have referred to me as "the sleep doctor" after that. True story; someone once called me for advice on how to sleep well when they were failing to get sleep simply because they remembered me as the sleep doctor. I did give them advice that enabled them to sleep well ...