8 Things You Should Know Before Dating a Doctor
Dating a doctor is tough, there’s no softer way to put it. These guys work a demanding job which takes a toll on them. If you are looking to date a doctor or are already with one, here are some things you should know to help you navigate your relationship a lot better.
8 Things You Should Know Before Dating a Doctor
1) They work irregular hours
Most people work a regular 9 – 5 job with weekends off. You can plan your time, especially the weekends that are mostly free.
It is a different ball game with doctors. Because of the irregular hours doctors work, this makes them appear unavailable most of the time. It also doesn’t help that they work extremely long hours.
On average, most doctors put in 60 – 80 hours per week and could still be called out of the blue if the situation warrants it.
2) They are always busy
These irregular hours and the fact their times aren’t really theirs, keep them busy. If you plan romantic weekend getaways with your man without taking into consideration he could suddenly get called in, you might become disappointed and over time, frustrated.
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3) They are always stressed
While it is expected that these guys would get used to their super busy hours after some time, it doesn’t always happen that way. No one really gets used to being constantly stressed. Most doctors are stressed most of the time, especially those who work in understaffed organizations.
Luckily, the average doctor gets enough time off to rest and recollect himself so he can give his best to the profession.
What you want to do is understand how demanding his job is and work with him on this.
4) The major planning will have to be done by you
Another thing you should know when dating a doctor is that the major planning – if not all of it – will have to be done by you.
Dating a doctor requires flexibility and some sacrifice on your part. While planning a date at some fancy restaurant you’ve always wanted to visit might be cool, you should also consider looking at picking ones that are closer to his practice or better yet, going over to meet him at the hospital.
If you man is running a 36-hour shift, you’ll discover that the last thing on his mind would be to sit in some cozy restaurant and this in no way means he loves you less.
5) You will have to get on board with him
Of course, if your man is versatile, then he would converse with you on a multitude of subjects, especially ones that interest you.
However, his favorite topics would still be medicine and other health-related subjects and you want to get onboard.
You will find conversation flow easier when you understand the medical world to some extent, without him having to explain every medical or health term.
6) You will get free medical advice
It’s not all work and little fun when you are with a doctor. Some perks would come and one of them includes getting medical consultation and advice for free.
Beyond this, you will find your knowledge of medical and health matters broadening until you see able to self-diagnose some minor medical issues.
7) You will need to be secure
Doctors meet people every day, several of these being women. If your man is in a field of medicine where he meets mostly women, it can become tough for you, especially for gynecologists who have to deal with the female anatomy regularly.
You would need a healthy dose of self-confidence to see his relationship with his patients as what it is and not let your imagination go wild.
8) They make good listeners
Doctors listen to patients for a living. The ability to do so is one of the qualities required of this profession and the more he can do it, the better he will become.
This quality can transfer to your relationship with you having a man who is a great listener on your hands.
How to Successfully Date a Doctor
To successfully date a doctor, you would need to hone some particular traits:
1) You would need to develop a huge dose of patience and flexibility when dating a doctor.
This doesn’t end at the dating stage but would transfer beyond if you both decide to take your relationship further.
2) Be sure you can cope with his unusual hours before signing up for the relationship. There would be very little point in getting with a person and then becoming frustrated when they can’t show up to events your friends and their partners attend.
3) Get some sort of rules in place early on. If you are going to be understanding about his work hours, then he should look into giving you ample attention in the times you have together.
4) Checking up on him at work when he has a little time off between patients goes a lot in showing you understand. You might turn up to tuck him in bed if he’s running a long shift or just spend a few minutes chatting over coffee.
5) Ask him for date ideas. Not all doctors date each other and he would have a few colleagues dating nonmedical professionals.
He would have picked up an idea or two from these guys on how to date other professions right which will go a long way.
6) Learn ways to help your man de-stress. This starts with understanding his moods often; stress and tiredness can sometimes make him withdrawn or cranky.
You want to offer comfort and give him ample time to de-stress in ways he knows how to.
Tags: Date a doctor, dating a doctor