Dr Brian Carty at Hot Medical News puts it in perspective.
Where do you stand? Do you tell your kids to avoid medicine? Or do you just tell them just to avoid comprehensive care? Or do you tell them to do what ever the hell they want to do? I remember thinking as I grew up that high school was going to be so damn hard and when I graduated I remember thinking that college was going to be so damn hard and when I graduated I remember thinking that medical school was going to be so damn hard and when I graduated I remember thinking that residency was going to be so damn hard. And when I graduated I remember thinking I'm done, until I realized that it never ends. Now I'm thinking that recertification in 5 years is going to be so damn hard. It will never end. Ever. At least I know Mrs Happy will always love me. That's the easy part. 'Cause you know, what's not to love?
He also discusses a book of essays by nurses. One excerpt struck me as intriguing:
There is no such thing as smart enough to be a doctor. The one criteria required to become a doctor is to work hard enough to become one. I've never once seen an IQ test as a requirement for entrance into medical school. Ever.
Good stuff doc. Keep it up.
Where do you stand? Do you tell your kids to avoid medicine? Or do you just tell them just to avoid comprehensive care? Or do you tell them to do what ever the hell they want to do? I remember thinking as I grew up that high school was going to be so damn hard and when I graduated I remember thinking that college was going to be so damn hard and when I graduated I remember thinking that medical school was going to be so damn hard and when I graduated I remember thinking that residency was going to be so damn hard. And when I graduated I remember thinking I'm done, until I realized that it never ends. Now I'm thinking that recertification in 5 years is going to be so damn hard. It will never end. Ever. At least I know Mrs Happy will always love me. That's the easy part. 'Cause you know, what's not to love?
He also discusses a book of essays by nurses. One excerpt struck me as intriguing:
There is no such thing as smart enough to be a doctor. The one criteria required to become a doctor is to work hard enough to become one. I've never once seen an IQ test as a requirement for entrance into medical school. Ever.
Good stuff doc. Keep it up.
My kids won't be going to med school, at least not with any encouragement from me. They need to make money to support me in my old age because I don't think primary care is going to fill the 401K adequately.
ReplyDeleteWe have a very bright PA. She's also smart enough to be a doc (to get into med school), however, she was smarter than us and avoided med school and all that debt and lost years. She now makes only a bit less than a primary care physician and has no call.
I'm in a different profession (teacher), but received the same comments. At the time my stock reply was that someone had to do it and that I knew what I was getting myself into.
ReplyDeleteHA!
Yes, somebody does have to do it. If some of the parents of the kids I teach were to home-school their children, I would be afraid -- very afraid.
But my other point, that I knew what I was getting into? Nope, I couldn't even fathom it would become this bad. I knew about taking work home, not being paid well, etc. Besides the extent of all of the NCLB crap and figuring out just how many other certifications I would need beyond my basic certification, what I did not learn until I started is that a lot of precious time is wasted either documenting things or soothing ruffled feathers. I also learned that many of the parents believe that you do not know what you are talking about (even though you may have *majored* in the subject!) or that their precious babies are so unique and gifted that they deserve preferential treatment or that too many kids have SDs and baby-mommas instead of actual "parents".
My point to this long-winded response? While it is frustrating to have people constantly asking you if what you are choosing is what you "really want to do" people need that reality check. Sometimes we are so wrapped up in our world of idealism that we cannot see realistically until experience is shoved in our faces.
I am a surgeon who has been fortunate enough to get into a very sought-after subspecialty within an equally-desirable specialty. My work is enjoyable. But I would not go through what I have gone through for this again, having sacrificed what I have of other opportunities, and I would not ever recommend to someone leaving college that they follow the same path as me.
ReplyDeleteAnd I am a good doctor.
Our middle daughter wanted to be a pediatrician, which I subtly discouraged by telling her how much reading and studying she would have to do in med school (she doesn't have the world's greatest work ethic, despite constant prodding). What really changed her mind, tho, was learning she'd have to dissect a cadaver. That was the deal breaker.
ReplyDeleteNow she wants to be head football coach at Ohio State. Sigh. Whatever.
I'm just going to let them figure it out on their own from now on.
"There is no such thing as smart enough to be a doctor. The one criteria required to become a doctor is to work hard enough to become one. I've never once seen an IQ test as a requirement for entrance into medical school. Ever."
ReplyDeleteThere is definitely a minimum requirement of intelligence to become a doctor. This may be overshadowed by ability to work hard, but there are minimum intelligence requirements for every profession from manual labor to astronaut. If this were not true you could look at a bell curve of intelligence, point to any part of that curve and say yes, such a person could be a doctor simply if they work hard enough.
Yes, actually there is such a thing as "smart enough to be a doctor." I'm pretty sure everyone who has ever been in an ER for any worthwhile period of time has met at least several people who could never be doctors.
ReplyDeletePeople love to bitch. All the time. About everything. Ohmygawd, this is soooo hard. Fourth grade was really hard, man. I struggled to be at the top of my class, and I missed it by a hair.
The grass is always greener. I'm tired of endless complaining.
When I'm at work, and I see the young little LVN/RN students, looking so serious, I ask them if it's too late to change their major. For some reason, they always laugh. I don't know why.
ReplyDeleteHappy,
ReplyDeleteKnowing what you know now, would YOU do it again?
Marco
i think some people (those outside of medicine) don't necessarily realize the amount of hard work that one has to put in. does it require smarts. sure it does. but there is a ton of hard work behind the scenes... that the public may not ever see... nor understand... and perhaps not even appreciate.
ReplyDelete