No Stupid Questions

In all the jobs I've ever worked, "downtime" is something that happens because we're all human and can't work at 100% all the time, but something that doesn't exist on paper.

Besides the union-won legal breaks like a 30 minute meal break and two 15 minute breaks, there is always something you could be doing that's work related.

But there are unspoken norms among workers like "even though we could be doing X, nothing that bad is likely to happen if we don't" and a constant push and pull been management and staff between working and downtime vs always working. Supervisors don't want to pressure their reportees to do busy work unless they have some incentive to do so, etc.

This is where the social dimension comes in which is so complicated. People that are generally liked can get away with taking downtime because they have a good reputation. Usually they keep that reputation by making sure the important work gets done, being reliable, caring about quality, being fun to work with, or whatever. But if somebody new or unpopular seems to be "slacking off," they don't have that reputation to protect them.

I am not that good at being well-liked by my colleagues, but I try. I care about most of them and try to get along so we all have an enjoyable day and keep things running.

From your post, I'm inferring that people looked down on you because you were reading at work when there was downtime, or they just didn't like you because you weren't like them, and that's immature. Maybe there is a social expectation to not read, but instead be social with your co-workers. I don't know if that's true. That sounds exhausting to me, but I've done things like that to try and fit in and make work friends. Maybe when people know you better, they won't mind if you excuse yourself and say, I'd like to catch up on reading these journal articles or whatever.

Sorry if any of this is obvious. It wasn't to me and I'm still trying to figure it out. Your current coworkers sound like jerks, but that doctor sounds great, and I hope you can find a good match of workplace soon.

At a new job, I use the downtime to scope out the workplace, then once comfortable use the downtime to study.

While I have no experience of healthcare, I know that office politics and culture can be a nightmare in any workplace. What I also know is that we are or own 'brands' and if we want to be good at anything we need to develop ourselves as we see fit. This is part of being professional. You choose to do it in work break hours where you have the time and maybe are less tied. Maybe it gives you access to people who can help when you need it. All this is good, but I think it's worth noting that you will miss out on some of the office culture (for better or worse). Professionalism is as much about what you know as well as your network, and people make snap judgements about others. You seem to have come off badly this time, these things happen, but are fixable one way of another. What if you (force yourself to) spend one break 'socialising' every now and again? You may be able to turn the conversion into something more worthwhile. You may find someone who will become a real asset.

I'm waaaaay along the spectrum and I too would rather learn than idly chat. The above is very hard for me to do, but I have reluctantly found that there are benefits. It's a bigger picture thing.

Be you and do your thing, but do it strategically. I suspect that your 'brand' is very saleable, so if it's not working where you are, you can always try elsewhere.