Syringe and Hinge? : Should Doctors Use Dating Apps?
We are successively shifting from an era of a scheduled marriage bureau meet to “swipe right; it’s a match” time. A smart phone with geo location access, internet connectivity, some images of you and a brief introduction makes you eligible to be extensively available on the market of all dating apps. The desirability of dating apps has been significantly rising ever since the pandemic struck us. The possibility of feeling connection over whatsoever distance through diverse ways has been intriguing the globe.
With over 323 million people using dating apps worldwide where does a syringe holder stand on Hinge and Tinder?
At first glance
There seems to be no requirement to segregate the medical profession from the modern dating app generation, and in fact, many doctors do prefer this way of finding a partner for themselves. After hours of slogging with colleagues who have been in the taxing environment like them, many medicos would probably prefer spending their social and romantic life with humans outside of their profession.
Dating apps have come to the rescue of those in hunt for heterogeneity of humans. Talking to an AI developer might bring up a sweet debate on whether they’re trying to replace medical professionals or not. Listening to a guitarist play a song for one might be all one needs for a pleasant evening, or maybe, mindless flirting with a stranger would clear some space for oneself after a long day. Many of us might prefer this content mix in our day to feel connected to different parts of our within. As a result of these diverse choices, one might even find their most compatible partner or, how they like calling it, a ‘soul mate’.
Time has proven to be a constraint for most medicos. The structure of dating apps creates a convenience to swipe at one’s own time and even to find connections as per gender, location, interests and religious preferences without much effort. Having oodles of options to choose from and then to pursue your preference feels like a privilege. Wouldn’t a doctor like to smile at compliments in between breaks and patient-free time instead of actively investing loads of time after work hours in search of a date?
Networking is a key ingredient for medicos to create a bankable assurance for their upcoming future. Not all connections established through this platform lead to a romantic bond or a date. Sometimes beautiful conversations create space for friendships on mutual interests and understanding. This sounds rosily good, but if you come to the crux of it, yes, in a way, you have started a new chain of network. Such connections can be integrated into social and professional lives. What’s the loss in adding to your connections?
The course of medical study takes up multiple years before medicos start working in the real world. Doctors in their thirties and older might find dating apps to be a simpler option to search for a partner or even a casual date for the night. As years pass by, it tends to be tough to actively engage in courting, but this way of contemporary world dating makes it worthwhile for all groups of people in any profession.
Au contraire
We are well versed with the general cons that come with the usage of dating apps – cat fishing, harassment and addictive time and energy consumption in empty-headed swiping. What are some distinct things that come into the picture when a doctor steps into the dating app world?
When we took our professional oath, and during the course, learned about the doctor-patient relationship, we decided to abide by some boundaries. What could happen when a doctor is publicly accessible on a vulnerable platform with untrustworthy profiles? What if one of such profile turns out to be your patient who gets access to parts of your life via conversations which otherwise would stay unturned in the professional dynamic? We need to have cautious measures taken to prevent such occurrences for all people, especially doctors.
“The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.” – Michael Altshuler
Doctors are pressed by time, and that makes many of us seek connections in our workplace itself. It’s undoubtedly commodious to be seeing someone who is well acquainted to the kind of work-life balance, ups and downs and time restraints your profession makes you battle with. Moreover, having the same workplace makes it more real, accessible and involuntarily creates a similar foundation to get going with. Same profession compatibility has been seen widely, and it applies to medicos, as well. For many swiping through so much filthy content to find oneself a date seems unnecessary and not productive from the precious free time one gets.
The years of study keep a doctor engaged, and many senior doctors would prefer the traditional way of finding a partner through family interlinks or marriage bureau connections to be more reliable. If any layback in authenticity occurs they would have an agency to hold accountable. Many of them would also prefer family intervention in this process to make the right decision for them rather than taking up complete responsibility based on a swipe and a basic profile.
You don’t need an architect’s design on a daily basis. You need a banker only when you’re dealing with some finance concern. You don’t need a cook until you’re starving or a foodie. You need marketing advice only when you’re selling your product but health is a potion that each human functions on. When you establish an association on a dating app, people are bound to ask you for medical advice on a regular basis. They don’t view your medical advice as something you’re sharing out of your earnings – it’s just like how casually relatives gain benefits from a doctor in the family. Relatives are your blood interlinks but the person on the dating app will unmatch you within seconds of the slightest unpleasant remark. What then? Is your hard earned medical knowledge worth to be let out free of cost and value in this way?
Any kind of love you come across in your life is going to be like a coin flip. We will never know the outcome but we can always have the choice of the path of our pursuit. After outweighing the opportunities and obstacles of the dating app stage, each of us will have our decision to make. There is no right and no wrong; the freedom of our being lies in our choice. Let the destination be a surprise, but which journey would you choose to create this experience for yourself?
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Will it Bumble or will it Crumble?
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