If someone says “I work in A&E”

[whyeyeeyeeyeeye]

Then do you presume

a) he’s a doctor and doesn’t want people to know so he doesn’t get bothered with child illness/fever questions etc

b) he does another role in A&E and wants to keep it vague for another reason

DH and I were chatting to a dad at a kids’ party at the weekend and we came away from the conversation with different views. I’m a - if I were a doctor in A&E no way would I want all my kid’s friends’ parents knowing.

Oh god this. Or being 'a medic'. Got a family full of them 🙄

Might be a HCA who works in A&E, or a porter? Or receptionist? Or security? Did it not occur to you to ask?

I never tell people what I really do! I tell people I work in a call centre for a national security firm 😂😂

Hmm, the question must have been posed as 'where do you work' rather than 'what do you do'?

In a setting where people are mingling, most would ask 'what do you do for a living?' Maybe it's a cultural thing? Here is Canada we always ask what do you do. I would say I am a nurse, and where I work would be secondary info given. Same as medical clerk, etc. Even if I was a plumber, I would say I was a plumber, I wouldn't say I worked for a specific company.

I’d assume B.
I’ve met lots of people who claimed to be in the military/work for the Police/work for the NHS and they’ve all been very low down, low paid jobs.

I haven’t met an educated professional who “dumbed it down”.

However, given that he said this at a child’s party, I’d be tempted to guess A on this occasion.

It's his business. Did he volunteer that he worked in A&E, for a reason, or was he asked? I would never ask someone I only vaguely know what they do for a living. If you get to know somebody well they will naturally tell you.

I think him saying he works in A&E is enough information, depending on the context.

I know a disproportionately large number of doctors (consultants with an handful of GPs thrown in) and I have never heard them describe themselves as anything other than doctors (most often consultants, and quite often their specialty). Based on this, I’d say the person is not a doctor.

Doctors I know also seem to spend a lot of time with other doctors and therefore generally don’t seem to assume everyone’s after a bit of ad hoc medical advice.

It would depend on the context. If just discussing jobs I would probably think a doctor or nurse who doesn't want to be pestered by all the parents every time one of their kids gets a cough. I wouldn't think doctor any more than I'd think nurse. But if in the context of discussing a medical issue and it was some sort of claim of authority on the subject then I'd assume someone with no medical qualifications in a non-clinical role.

I wouldn't presume either A or B, could be either. I hate boring chit chat conversations about people do for work, unless it has some direct relevance to what we are speaking about, who cares.

Perhaps he’s the A&E phone answerer.

I once met someone who said "I fly out of Heathrow". I assumed he was a pilot, but a few years later I met him again, purely by chance, on a flight. He was a flight attendant.

Where I live it would be arts and entertainment, in the acting or film industry.

I would clearly hate living in Canada or just have to isolate myself at home! It's bad enough in the UK, but weather conversations still dominate and are preferable.

I’d assume it was a non-medical/non patient-facing job. I’ve noticed how since the pandemic, people just love to say “I work for the NHS” like a badge of honour. The doctors, nurses, paramedics etc absolutely have my respect, admiration and gratitude. Someone who works 9-5 Mon-Fri in a finance department (or similar) that happens to be part of the NHS, really does not.

Lol

I would assume nurse or some other nurse related role.

A doctor doesn't 'work', they 'are'. Only people I've ever met who fully identify by their job.

All the porters I have met have said they are porters.

Everyone else has been more cryptic until I know them better.

Someone once told me they worked in the aviation industry. Turned out he was a flight attendant.

Yes i know people do it but no i can't understand why people would think someome wants to see a boil on a backside at a party or that people have so little intelligence that means 'i work in A&E' means a person is automatically a doctor

People who do this i wonder what level of schooling they have reached

Wouldn't presume anything. Whatever the role, it has to be a crazily challenging environment to work in.

My first thought would be a lower level job, maybe janitor or receptionist, and the person is hoping you think they do something more impressive.

This is exactly what I say when asked about my job. Just 'I work in A+E' and hope the conversation moves on. I'm an advanced clinical practitioner, used to be a nurse, not a doctor, but nobody really knows what it is and I'm sick of explaining the role when people ask. I hope the answer is vague enough that I don't have to look at someone's weird mole or rash or listen to their medical backstory on my day off.

@NeverDropYourMooncup 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 You definitely work for the NHS 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

I have an extremely specialist IT role, but I've yet to work out how to say 'I work in IT' without somebody asking me how to fix their knackered laptop.

I'm not a hardware engineer.

This is hilarious. …
in addition if you find a bicycle pump and helmet in the toilet its because the anaesthetist has been vaporised.

I would assume anything. If the conversation was about what work we do, then I probably would follow up with "oh, and what do you do?", because working in "A&E" isn't an actual answer.

So you're a mortuary technician ?