:: BïtS 'N' PiëCÉS ::

sabato, novembre 27, 2004

:: Why do you want to do medicine? ::

This is a question that all intending to do medicine, all currently doing medicine, all HOs, MOs and even the veteran docs will have to answer or will ask themselves throughout the course of this long long career. It is vital to know clearly why YOU want to do medicine, because you really have to be very sure about it or you will definitely REGRET it at some point or other in the course of your studies or work. As a newly passed-out doctor, that is a House Officer (HO), many nights when you are fatigued, unable to think, unable to feel, your reasons for doing medicine would serve to give you the strength and motivation to go on.

I decided on this topic for a few reasons. One, I was really sick and tired of people asking me why I wanted to do medicine. It gets weary trying to explain this to everyone. Second, I wanted to pen down my thoughts so that I would have something to motivate me in the future, whenever I am feeling depressed or discouraged.

So... why do I want to study medicine?
I admit, I'm not a great or noble person who decided to study medicine so that I could 'save the world' or 'save people'. There I said it! muahahaha... Now perhaps my faculty will come hammer me on the head and shove me into the deepest abyss. Ok I said that because I'm a very precise person, in fact too precise that sometimes I irritate people with my love for detail. To me, it is impossible to save the world or save many people. I would be content to save whoever I'm able to (within the best of my abilities) and bring comfort to the rest. Now that I have been to the wards, I feel that there is a lot that is packed within a smile. A smile can keep me going (ie. clerk more patients) and a smile can make me feel that the long hours I had spent in the ward that day was worthwhile... Till now, I still remember what a doctor told us during the foundation course: To save a few, cure some and comfort all. It's important to be realistic in medicine if you do not want to be totally dashed by the death of a patient, because such things happen, no matter what we can do. It's just as important to remember to focus on the spiritual healing and emotional comfort rather than just aiming to cure the patient.
The second reason, just as important as the first, is the passion for medicine. For the knowledge that I am gaining and what I will be gaining. The joy I can derive from learning about something and then applying it into real life, is something that I can't really express in words. Medicine stimulates me to think, and challenges me to use what I know to help others, which gives me a great amount of satisfaction. In fact just learning new things gives me great pleasure. It's like learning a new language to me, it might not be particularly useful in my actual life or intended future, but it makes me happy.

Job stability is also quite important to me. Medicine does give a certain amount of job stability but this is inconsequential compared to my previous two points.

Prestige and money. Many people have doubted my intentions despite how I've reinterated that my interests in Medicine are people and knowledge. Everyone thinks that medicine is a money-generating profession. I don't deny that it does pay well, ultimately if you do specialise and open a private clinic. But apart from that, the sacrifices made for thie profession far outweighs that of many other careers. Nothing comes without a price. Obviously I wouldn't choose a career that would not be financially stable, after all, I do have a life to lead and bills to pay. But for others to claim that I chose this path for the sole purpose of financial gain, is the ultimate insult to me! As for prestige, yes, it does sound prestigious and it is prestigious, the medical community is rather 'tighly-knit' and often 'closed' to the general public. Yet, this also means that all the dirty, scrummy, disgusting stuff we have to see/hear/feel/smell are not always known to others.

I'm sure that some of you, those who've spent a couple of years in the workforce, will feel that I am extremly naive and idealistic. That all fresh graduates have come into the working society with such fairy tales and fluffy dreams in their heads only to realise that it is impossible to achieve, and eventually become jaded, bored and cynical people who will read other's blogs and snicker at their lack of maturity of thought. In fact, I've met quite a few people like this and I think it's really sad. They still have a significant amount of time ahead of them which is probably better put to achieving their dreams rather than dwelling in bitter thoughts and self-pity.

This is a useful site for all intending to pursue a medical career - the true words from deep within of current medical students and their opinion of the unwriten qualifications for medicine (ie. those left out of the NUS site): click me!

I would really like to hear what you all out there, medical students/doctors or not, have to say! Email me at cvianne@hotmail.com.

Dopey @ 2:01 AM | 0 comments

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