Do you find the term PMR offensive?

[IM2GI]

Hi gang,

It was explained to me in another thread that using the the term PMR rather than PM&R is offensive and disrespectful to your field.

Is this a universally held opinion? Why do you feel that way? I have written PMR many times and never meant it in a derogatory manor in the slightest. I see the term PMR used interchangeably throughout this subforum so am a bit confused.

Some of this posters comments:

It's PM&R, not PMR. It's just a pet peeve of mine, but a number of people have made this mistake here. Our specialty is a small one, and isn't that well known or understood. We're like the small little brother no one remembers. Particularly on our consult rotations, one of our biggest duties is to educate people on what PM&R does. Often that means explaining what PM&R even means (physical medicine & rehabilitation).

Whether all three of you were too lazy or some didn't know the true spelling, our specialty is often ignored/overlooked/misunderstood. When others write our initials (which is a vast abbreviation!) to PMR or PMNR, it suggests a lack of respect. You may not mean it that way, but that's how it is often viewed in our specialty.

I know it may seem silly and arbitrary to you, but it shows respect for your physician colleagues in PM&R.

Many people in my field do interpret it as a slight when you leave out the "&" or write "PMNR." It's just a little thing, but little things are easy to change.

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[cbest]

I used to get frustrated every once in a while about PMR and PMNR, but quickly learned not to give a crap about what other fields were doing or thinking. I'm confident in my knowledge base and abilities, a decent number of my patients seem to like what I bring to the table, and I enjoy going into work most days. People can call me whatever speciality they want as long as they keep sending me patients. PM&R as a field needs to keep spreading the word as much as possible though!


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[IM2GI]

I used to get frustrated every once in a while about PMR and PMNR, but quickly learned not to give a crap about what other fields were doing or thinking. I'm confident in my knowledge base and abilities, a decent number of my patients seem to like what I bring to the table, and I enjoy going into work most days. People can call me whatever speciality they want as long as they keep sending me patients. PM&R as a field needs to keep spreading the word as much as possible though!


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thanks for the reply!

Can I ask why even in the beginning PMR seemed like an insult? It is extremely common to leave out the "and" in acronyms. I seem to be oblivious to how anyone could consider that a slight.

 

[cbest]

Because our field isn't a rheumatologic disease


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[lobelsteve]

What's a physiatrist?

 

[j4pac]

Not...at...all.

The & sign is hard as **** to find on a smart phone.


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[622601]

I say PMR all the time. I don't see how that's offensive in the slightest.

 

[pmrmd]

Offensive and derogatory? Really?

Some snowflake needs to get a life.


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[Tromner]

Usually we just chuckle at PMNR. It's not ENNT or ObNGyn. lol

In europe its PRM which probably makes more sense.

I often say Rehab Doc to avoid the explanatory conversation but some times that back fires when I get questions about methadone.

 

[DOctorJay]

agree, not offensive. just don't start asking us how to pronounce physiatrist.

 

[Ragnar8]

Some people will find anything to get offended about. Someone needs to grow up.


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[IM2GI]

Usually we just chuckle at PMNR. It's not ENNT or ObNGyn. lol

In europe its PRM which probably makes more sense.

I often say Rehab Doc to avoid the explanatory conversation but some times that back fires when I get questions about methadone.

EN&T for sure is more professional, I like it.

 

[drusso]

The curse of the ampersand!

 

[Jitter Bug]

I hate typing out PM&R stupid ampersand slows me down. I guess it's just like someone mispronouncing your name. Gets old. But innocent mistake most of the time.

 

[neoevolution]

EN&T for sure is more professional, I like it.

One of our school's ENT faculty mentioned that he disliked being referred to as ENT because no other field is named after a list of things they operate on. But then he kept slipping between ENT and otolaryngology during his talk...

PMR seems like the expected abbreviation. Child and Adolescent Psych is called CAP without an ampersand, in addition to the aforementioned ENT and Ob/Gyn examples

 

[Dr. Ice]

At my prior employment I used to find the usage of PMR a little condescending in the context of which it was used. The medical staff was trained by the atmosphere to view our speciality as second class. There were countless times when I was told.."well you're or you guys are just PMR" as if it was too much effort and not even worth the ampersand because we were to them a "just a" specialty. I used to also find it annoying in an asc when we were referred to as "the pain" room or "who's working pain" and the other surgical specialists got "who's working Dr. so and so's room"

 

[canibuyavowel]

I used to get frustrated every once in a while about PMR and PMNR, but quickly learned not to give a crap about what other fields were doing or thinking. I'm confident in my knowledge base and abilities, a decent number of my patients seem to like what I bring to the table, and I enjoy going into work most days. People can call me whatever speciality they want as long as they keep sending me patients. PM&R as a field needs to keep spreading the word as much as possible though!


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This.

 

[scifiMD]

PMR is the purple journal nowadays, so I'd say most people are accepting and/or indifferent to that abbreviation

PMNR just makes me eye roll --> that when I say "we are PMF'nR" ( a la Guns 'N' F'n Roses for you young whippersnappers)

 

[j4pac]

PMR is the purple journal nowadays, so I'd say most people are accepting and/or indifferent to that abbreviation

PMNR just makes me eye roll --> that when I say "we are PMF'nR" ( a la Guns 'N' F'n Roses for you young whippersnappers)

I'm using that for now on.

 

[bronx43]

maybe PM&R can follow ENT and be named NeuroMSK. PRM sounds good, hoping our field will lead regenerative medicine research and one day become physical regenerative medicine (PRM)

What do you mean by regenerative medicine? I'm curious, because what I see now being referred to as regenerative medicine is little more than docs offering to do procedures with weak data for cash.
Are there big time bench or translational researchers in your field to advance this field?

 

[j4pac]

What do you mean by regenerative medicine? I'm curious, because what I see now being referred to as regenerative medicine is little more than docs offering to do procedures with weak data for cash.
Are there big time bench or translational researchers in your field to advance this field?

There are. But right now the term regenerative medicine is a misnomer. Theres some evidence for pain relief by very little for regeneration. Patient expectations are key.

 

[j4pac]

I’m beginning to realize that I’m offended by the term “offended”. there should be more random people in society pissing people off, just to desensitize the masses. Perhaps Southpark, Tosh, and Key and Peele should also be standard school curriculum. You know, providing a counter-weight balance to the “don’t be a dick” movement.

 

[Ligament]

Hi gang,

It was explained to me in another thread that using the the term PMR rather than PM&R is offensive and disrespectful to your field.

Is this a universally held opinion? Why do you feel that way? I have written PMR many times and never meant it in a derogatory manor in the slightest. I see the term PMR used interchangeably throughout this subforum so am a bit confused.

Some of this posters comments:

Whoever is "offended" by the omission of an ampersand is a total spineless human being. Ignore such snowflakes. This culture of being "offended" has got to go...