All the people in my field kind of mourn the fact that the name of our field is so terrible. Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. It's too long and doesn't have the same ring as... otolaryngologist. But nobody can think of anything better.
Here are some failed names suggested:
Myoneurobiologist
Neuromuscular orthopedist
Regenerist
Orthomyologist
Strategic medicine specialist
Neurosynergist
Physiomed
Flexicologist
Biomedist
Externist
Actually, I think it would be a good idea to just scrap the term "PM&R" altogether. Since we're called physiatrists, why don't we just call the field physiatry??
In Australia they're just called Rehabilitation Physicians, and the field is Rehabilitation Medicine (or Rehab for short, because us Aussies LOVE to shorten words). I've never heard Physiatry used in Australia.
ReplyDeleteHa ha, KT, beat me to it! And in the acute setting, they are just known as RAS/RASP/RALS/whatever acronym gets used for the rehab assessment team (who must include a rehab physician). Why use two syllables when one will do? ;)
DeleteFizziatry?
ReplyDeleteI think we call it Physiatry in Canada... Just searched to see if that's just in my head or for real and these are the top sites that came up:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.physiatry.utoronto.ca/
http://capmr.ca/
So I guess we're undecided? But definitely physiatry is a thing up here :)
(I always have difficulty spelling it though, and it's so easy to start writing psychiatry instead of physiatry)
- A Canadian GP
> Biomedist <
ReplyDeleteI gotta say, all those names sound awful. Except physiatrist. That one sounds cool. And I really can't remember what we call it here. We call it "rehab", and we refer people to "rehab". I've somehow consulted them like eighty times and even spent a month there, but somehow managed never to use the proper term.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, "physiatry" sounds cool. I think we do call it "physiatry" in Canada.
Physiatrist... thats a foot doctor right? I get it EVERY TIME.
ReplyDeleteRehabologist?
I think "Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation" might be more understandable to the non-medical public than "Physiatrist." Here in the northeast, we use physiatry and I actually received an angry complaint from a patient who 1) thought she had been referred to a psychiatrist, which made her upset because her issues were "real," and then 2) could not understand why the psychiatrist was doing a complete mobility exam. She thought it was all a scam. Tricia
ReplyDeleteSounds like that patient does need a psychiatrist...
Delete