The doctor will see you now. No cap.
Because time stands still for no one, the eldest among Gen Z are now the ripe old age of 28…making them old enough to be doctors. And not in a Doogie Howser kind of way (talk about aging ourselves). In a legit, this is a perfectly normal thing to see kind of way. If you can believe it.
And if it’s one thing Gen Zers are known for—besides stealing millennial fashion—it’s that they feel no need to conform to any preconceived notion of what a professional sounds like. You won’t be getting any “warm regards” in their email signatures, and, apparently, you shouldn't expect the typical hospital jargon we all might have grown accustomed to.
That was certainly the case for a millennial named Mandi, who detailed her funny experience in a now mega-viral TikTok.
“So yesterday I had my first experience with a Gen Z doctor, and if you have not had one yet, brace yourself,” she joked in the clip.
Mandi recalled going to Urgent care after having yet another fainting spell (for reasons she did not specify) within the span of a few days. And, while her healthcare provider gave her sound advice, their delivery definitely caught her off guard.
Quoting them verbatim, Mandi said, 'Yo dawg! You passed out four times in the past 48 hours. You need to go to the emergency room by ambulance!'"
To make matters even more *chef’s kiss* when Mandi told her doctor that she couldn’t afford an ambulance, their solution was “just don’t pay it.”
Mandi’s story incited a whirlwind of comments from other folks who have had equally outrageous encounters with Gen Z medical providers.
“Told a Gen Z doctor I have anxiety, adhd, and autism and without even looking up at me she just said ‘we love a AAA battery.’”
Who knew we needed this in health care@sabocat/TikTok
I had a get an ultrasound and my Gen Z ultrasound tech was like ‘girl your uterus is cute.’ I felt so bonita.”
“I passed out from hemorrhagic shock and when I woke up, there was a Gen Z doctor in my face saying ‘hey welcome back, so that was super scary.’”
“My first Gen Z doctor I was telling her how I was anxious and she said she was team ‘live, laugh, Lexapro” herself.”
“I have a Gen Z doctor now. He went over my file and said, ‘holy sh*t girl…how are you still alive?”
“”My Gen Z doctor told me ‘I don’t know the general dosing plan for that, let's google it together’ i love her.”
Is there a Gen Z doctor in the house?!@sabocat/TikTok
“I had a Gen Z nurse tell me in the ICU that my pancreas has left the chat. Still laugh about that.”
“I had a Gen Z OBGYN and I told her I got my tubes cut and she said ‘yes Queen. No more kids.’”
It’s not just that the nonchalant language is a funny juxtaposition to typical doctor-speak. By and large, people have found this kind of openness incredibly warm and refreshing compared to the often sterile, even gaslighty way some healthcare providers of yesteryear have treated their patients.
As one person put it, “I’d rather have Gen Z doctors saying ‘yo dawg’ than Boomer doctors who are extremely rude.”
Obviously there are plenty of very kind doctors of all ages, as well as not-so-great ones. But it’s really interesting to see firsthand how younger generations bring in sweeping changes to the way we approach health—from being more transparent than ever about mental health to dropping the pomp and circumstance at the doctor’s office. And honestly, it’s refreshing.
As Mandi put it, “I for one welcome our Gen Z overlords.”
You’re not alone Mandi. You are not alone.