THE “SISTERHOOD” OF DOCTORS ! It goes without doubt that “sister” is one of the most hated words for a female doctor. Although sister means a female sibling in common English, in medical parlance a sister is synonymous to a nurse. Believe me, we have nothing against nurses. In fact, we are aware that a doctor or a hospital is non-functional without nurses. Well, why then this loathing? Let me explain. For most of the patients, a youngish female medical staff, clad in white, is ALWAYS a sister aka nurse. And a male clad in white, or remotely looking educated, is a doctor. This gender bias against the value of our hard-earned degrees infuriates us. Some patients or their relatives even look down on the “sisters”, being rude to females and respectful to males. As International Nurses Day just went by, I could not help but be reminded of some bittersweet memories. Now they seem silly and funny, but back then my blood boiled. My earliest experience was during my M