“Oh, you’re a doctor.”

That’s a statement that can cause a jolt of fear, depending on the situation, and typically when a family member, friend, or stranger continues with a request for medical advice. And so it came, from a person driving the coach ferrying me during a conference I am attending.

“Maybe you can look at this thing on my skin and tell me what you think of it.”

Jokingly, I said, “So, instead of a tip, you’d like some professional services?”

What I’ve been taught is that this is among the riskiest situations - offering a diagnosis outside of the exam room, outside of the physician-patient relationship. Why can’t patients just go to their own doctor to ask these kinds of questions? I knew the answer to this one already, as we had been talking about the skyrocketing cost of health care in the community I am staying in.
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