Running into your doctor in public

Wondering if anyone has run into their doctor or nurse or other intimate medical provider in public and if it was awkward or not.

We have an interesting turn of events where one of the doctors in the practice we go to has moved into our neighborhood a few houses down from us. She is my wife’s primary and has seen her naked numerous times, including basic gyno exams. She’s not my primary but I’ve seen her a couple times including for a testicular lump where she did a genital examination so she’s seen me naked as well. My wife is mortified, but I’m not that concerned it will be weird at all!

I see my favorite nurse from my urologist's office alot, very nice lady

I have 2 part time employees in my accounting practice. one was a 19 year old woman. Client comes in. Claudia takes on look, runs and hides in the back until he leaves. We asked what that was about. "I saw him for birth control pills and he did a pelvic on me last week!"

Yes a few times I live in a rather small city so I have ran into my current doctor a few times either in the grocery store or at the gas station. It's never seemed awkward or uncomfortable actually more comfortable than when I see for my annual physical there's no tension, he doesn't have to be professional he can just be himself.

I ran into my pervious doctor a year or so ago and was very surprised he remembered my name. He was walking home from the clinic he works at and I was going into a business next door to the clinic. I saw him and waved and he called me by my name. He then started talking asking how I was doing? We stood and talked for ten to fifteen minutes talking about the weather, to nutrition and diet and exercise, He even asked who I was currently seeing for a doctor? And then asked why I had quit seeing him? I explained when he didn't certify to do DOT physicals I had to find a doctor that was certified to do them. He explained to me why he didn't want to get certified, explaining the cost of the certification and his personal reasons for not doing it. I thought that was really decent of him, he didn't have to do that. It was a really comfortable laid back conversation very enjoyable. It was not awkward or uncomfortable at all, it was actually a very nice visit. Completely different from when I used to see him for my physicals and med checks.

Before I retired, since I live in a very small town & worked at a grocery store, I saw my primary doctor in there often. I still see her in restaurants around town sometimes. It wasn't a big deal to me & still isn't.

We’ve run into our PCP a few times, once ar a kids pee wee baseball game her son and a friends ours kid was playing on. More recently, we ran into her at a boutique grocery store. Y’all abou what we were getting for dinner, recipes. Totally nonchalant and devoid of medical talk.

At the same grocery store we ran into the surgeon who put a muscle flap to replace an infected mesh in her head from a previous surgery. He remembered us both by name, introduced us to his son and took a look at his handiwork!

About 10 years or so after having a lung removed and getting further treatment from an oncologist, I ran into her during the Christmas shopping period as she was coming out of a department store with bags in one hand and a kid on the other. She looked absolutely haggard and exhausted and distressingly like a stay-at-home-mommy. Not one bit the professional specialist oncologist she was.

I was a bit taken aback.

I'm often mistaken for a local doctor ( we do look similar ) and it's quite amusing that people say often say hi and sometimes even start conversations thinking I'm their doctor!

In the city that I previously lived in, I would see my doctor at the gym and in the lockerroom! The gym nudity between us made for a great equalizer during my physical exams.

New location ... new doctor that on occasion I run into at the grocery store! BIG difference! Trust me ... I would love to see him in a lockerroom! 😉

Ran into my PCP at the barber shop a while back. Long line for the same barber. We killed the time discussing the merits of our favorite pistols. He touting the .40 cal Glock, and me praising my .45 ACP 1911.

I once read a funny story where a guy's female doc asked him how his back deck was coming along. Apparently her house sat on a hill directly overlooking his backyard. Neither of them realized that they were neighbors until she saw him out there one day.

I have only seen one of my doctors in the wild on one occasion. I encountered my primary care physician at the park one afternoon while I was on a run. I immediately recognized him, I feel certain he did me as well. We were going in opposite directions on the trail so it was a head on, face to face encounter. I said hello Dr. XXXX and he gave some response I didn’t completely get because I was in the middle of a good run not going to stop for him. Interestingly, he was walking and not running. We are within months of being the same age so I certainly questioned his physical abilities at the time.

I see him now and then. It's not awkward.

My Doc and I go to the same gym and we're on similar schedules (early mornings, weekdays), I've seen him in the showers, sauna and locker room, We always say hi, We also have some common friends and I ran into he and his husband at a Holiday party one year. Again say hi, chat a little, But we never have awkward conversations referring to his office,

…I've seen him in the showers, sauna and locker room…

Well here’s the difference, there’s an equality in the exposure! I better tell my wife to find out what gym she goes to 😂

I see my cardiologist almost every day, as we live next door to each other, and usually take our mile walks together.

I see mine and several I work with the the gym we all go to. I also work at the gym part time and we all use the steam/sauna/showers so we see each other in various stages of undress.

A million years ago I worked in the ER of a small hospital as an admin. One day I passed out at work. They jumped all over that, got me in an exam room and once I gave them a history that included pelvic pain I was nude and in the stirrups. I had PID secondary to Chlamydia my serial cheater of a husband gave me. I was maybe thirty at the time. The doctor who examined me was someone I actually didn't like all that much as he was a leer-er. As one could imagine, that made seeing him after that more than a bit uncomfortable.

Yes I see my Dr quite often in public and have even played golf with him on occasion. Nothing awkward just like any other friend

It happened to me frequently, but from the other side of the exam table as it were, when I was in practice in Sacramento. I would run into patients, most often in the neighborhood supermarket. Most often we would smile, say hello, and chat for a minute or two. I don't ever recall any awkwardness or unpleasantries associated with the encounters.

Didn’t run into her but one evening in a bar well after her office closed, I got a call from her.

But I did run into a colon hydrotherapist who I’d been to. We acknowledged each other and went about our business. This was in a super market.

I've seen my pediatrician several times at the mall or around town.

The dermatologist I used to see (I think she's retired now) lives nearby, I run into her from time to time.

There was such a case once. So, my hubby and I got invited to a New Year's party. We were seven couples in all. Among the guests was a doctor named Oleg, who worked as a gynecologist in one of the hospitals. Of course, all the girls in our company, including me, visited him for an examination at different times and on various occasions. We were sitting around the table. Of course we had a good drink. And suddenly one of the guys gets up and says:

"I want to toast to a great guy, a good pal and an awesome doctor, Oleg, who is the only person who's seen all the ladies here naked." I didn't really mind, but my husband (and probably other husbands) were probably pretty uncomfortable.

Though I liked him very much I would have been super uncomfortable if I'd seen my pediatrician in public as a teen.

I've seen my pediatrician several times at the mall or around town.

What was your reaction when you have seen them out and about?

My previous doctor and I had children in activities together and my wife worked in the same building as he did. We crossed paths frequently and it was always a pleasure to see him. He retired and I have a new doctor now. I have not developed the rapport with her that I had with my last doctor but I see no problem. I would follow her lead on off time interactions. If she wanted to say hi and visit great, if she seemed to just want to move on I would let her be, the same as interactions with anyone else.

For context, my best friend is very small and short, I am not. One time she and I were waiting for a table at a restaurant and the pediatrician we both had growing up walked in. We weren't her patients anymore but for some reason my doctor fear still kicked in and I thought the most logical move was to hide behind my friend 😂 Luckily I don't think our pediatrician noticed us, and I don't think my hiding spot would've been effective if she had 🤷🏼‍♀️

I haven't run into my primary care doctor in public. That would feel awkward.

My pediatrician in middle school/high school was a friend's mother, so I knew her before the exams started (which made the exams awkward as anything) and made it hard to avoid her after she became my doctor (what was I going to do, quit the baseball team since she came to games?) But I stopped hanging out at their house, that's for sure.