My lad has noted this often too - patients will turn to him (a 2nd year med school student now) over a female med school student - or even a female doctor, and sometimes a male, but of a different race. He redirects and stands up for folks, but even then they’ll stick to him as if somehow he has more knowledge. Neither of us get the mentality - esp after he tells the patients he’s just a med school student. They’ll still direct questions to him calling him, “doctor.”