dr_2020 Posted December 13, 2006 Report Share Posted December 13, 2006 What was the deciding factor that made you wish to pursue medicine as a career? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirsteen Posted December 13, 2006 Report Share Posted December 13, 2006 What was the deciding factor that made you wish to pursue medicine as a career? Hi there, On this end, it was multifactorial. There was not one principal factor, but a collection of them. Cheers, Kirsteen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haiku_guy Posted December 13, 2006 Report Share Posted December 13, 2006 I can remember the day I decided to apply. It was a physiology lab, and there was a dog, chest wide open. We got to put catheters into the aorta, vena cava, and ventricles to monitor pressure and volume, and then we occuluded the coronary arteries and watched the dog have a heart attack. No wonder people are so weak after having one, the heart goes grey and ashen after just a few seconds without oxygen, and pressure/output goes to zero shortly after. After we euthanized the dog, we dissected the heart. It was astonishing. Since then, I have gone to grad school and thought about the big "why" a lot more, (love science, hate running gels, need more "people" time) but that was the day I decided. I still remember that day it like it was yesterday... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted December 13, 2006 Report Share Posted December 13, 2006 I agree with Kirsteen - there were multiple reasons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bioboy2007 Posted December 14, 2006 Report Share Posted December 14, 2006 I can remember the day I decided to apply. It was a physiology lab, and there was a dog, chest wide open. We got to put catheters into the aorta, vena cava, and ventricles to monitor pressure and volume, and then we occuluded the coronary arteries and watched the dog have a heart attack. No wonder people are so weak after having one, the heart goes grey and ashen after just a few seconds without oxygen, and pressure/output goes to zero shortly after. After we euthanized the dog, we dissected the heart. It was astonishing. Since then, I have gone to grad school and thought about the big "why" a lot more, (love science, hate running gels, need more "people" time) but that was the day I decided. I still remember that day it like it was yesterday... That's a great story!! I love medicine because it has so many facets to it. There is so much diversity in the field and I like the fact that it can be so multidisciplinary. The idea of applying science to the lived experiences of people is also pretty interesting. Can't really say that one experience shaped my reason to apply to medical school and (hopefully) become a doctor, but I know my experiences, especially in the past few years, have helped me reinforce my decision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muchdutch Posted December 14, 2006 Report Share Posted December 14, 2006 I can remember the day I decided to apply. It was a physiology lab, and there was a dog, chest wide open. We got to put catheters into the aorta, vena cava, and ventricles to monitor pressure and volume, and then we occuluded the coronary arteries and watched the dog have a heart attack. No wonder people are so weak after having one, the heart goes grey and ashen after just a few seconds without oxygen, and pressure/output goes to zero shortly after. After we euthanized the dog, we dissected the heart. It was astonishing. Since then, I have gone to grad school and thought about the big "why" a lot more, (love science, hate running gels, need more "people" time) but that was the day I decided. I still remember that day it like it was yesterday... Cool! I wish they offered stuff like that at my school. For me, it was a health-related thing. My experience within the health-care system really cemented the decision. Specifically, it wasn't the good experiences I had, but the exposure to very, very bad physicians which was the real push (from my point of veiw as a patient). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_B Posted December 14, 2006 Report Share Posted December 14, 2006 The money and the presitge In all seriousness, for me it really boiled down to loving medicine. Sure I want to help people, but there are a million, less stressful ways of doing so. The money is good, but then considering the amount of education you need, relatively is not THAT good. Hours...well they suck. I like "doing stuff"....but I have also worked as a miner, and did a lot then too. Could go into sales if I wanted to work with people all day. So yeah, these were the type of things I thought about prior to applying. In the end, I just can't imagine my life doing anything else. The study and practice of medicine is what I love. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jochi1543 Posted December 14, 2006 Report Share Posted December 14, 2006 I ended up volunteering at a community clinic out of boredom and when I had an existential crisis ( ) a year or so later, I came to realize it was the one activity I enjoyed most, so that's when I decided to look into medicine and learn more about it, so I could see whether it'd make me happy. I had NEVER even considered medicine prior to that - I remember feeling queasy listening to the teacher talk about blood in a HS anatomy/physiology class. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happy2bme Posted December 16, 2006 Report Share Posted December 16, 2006 I was already in a paramedical field and wanted a greater scope of practice, and also I had suffered an injury that probably would have curtailed my current profession and wanted to make sure I could still work past age 40! I am in my first year at Calgary, and couldn't ask for a better class, or school for that matter!!!!!! Cheers, Happy2bme Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparkles Posted December 16, 2006 Report Share Posted December 16, 2006 I've wanted to be a doctor since the age of 5. There was a brief period in there that I wanted to be Cyndi Lauper......but after I got over that, I always wanted to be a doctor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beekeeper Posted December 16, 2006 Report Share Posted December 16, 2006 I think medicine has always been a strong option for me, however, I decided to pursue nursing after high school when I believed doing many MANY more years of school would be painful. I'm in my third year of the nursing program and still feel unsettled and unhappy with it. Due to these feelings, I can now say with a lot of confidence that medicine is what I truly want. It will allow me to be more autonomous, possess a broader scope of practice, etc. And the continued years of schooling aren't a negative factor anymore - turns out, I actually thoroughly enjoy being a student and engaging in life-long learning. There are a combination of many factors that direct me towards the fascinating field of health care, however, I suppose my unhappiness with nursing was really the icing on the cake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noncestvrai Posted December 17, 2006 Report Share Posted December 17, 2006 Money, fun, lifestyle, that's what I'm into. Too bad I'm in medicine. noncestvrai Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Soccer Guy Posted December 24, 2006 Report Share Posted December 24, 2006 The fact how frustrating it was for me to go and wait 10+ hours in the ER, or go to a specialist, wait 2 hours in his waiting room, finally get in and not even spend 2 mins. in there ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muchdutch Posted December 24, 2006 Report Share Posted December 24, 2006 The fact how frustrating it was for me to go and wait 10+ hours in the ER, or go to a specialist, wait 2 hours in his waiting room, finally get in and not even spend 2 mins. in there ... I think the only way to solve that problem is to become an administrator or a politician. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Soccer Guy Posted December 24, 2006 Report Share Posted December 24, 2006 I think the only way to solve that problem is to become an administrator or a politician.If I had to become a politician, I think I would rather kill my self. I cannot stand politicians and their jobs. But by becoming a doctor, I wont make a huge difference, but I can ensure that 20+ people (or whatever the case may be) will get the proper treatments, answers, etc each day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimmyMax Posted December 24, 2006 Report Share Posted December 24, 2006 Hey, What did you go to the ER for that you had to wait 10+ hours for??? It couldn't have been that urgent, in all honesty. Not to sound like a jerk, but ER priority is given to people with conditions that are immediately life-threatening while stuff like colds and sore throats, that you could (and should) be seeing your family doc for, tend to wait. Like I say to pretty much anyone who will listen, don't go to the ER unless you're dying. Otherwise, you might be doing an awful lot of waiting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Soccer Guy Posted December 24, 2006 Report Share Posted December 24, 2006 Hey, What did you go to the ER for that you had to wait 10+ hours for??? It couldn't have been that urgent, in all honesty. Not to sound like a jerk, but ER priority is given to people with conditions that are immediately life-threatening while stuff like colds and sore throats, that you could (and should) be seeing your family doc for, tend to wait. Like I say to pretty much anyone who will listen, don't go to the ER unless you're dying. Otherwise, you might be doing an awful lot of waiting! Well, how about an 8.6mm kidney stone that just started coming out and was pretty much ripping my ureter apart because of its sharp shape? I came in, saw the triage nurse, waited 2 hours for a bed, finally got a bed, waited 3 hours for a doctor to see me, than waited about an hour for CT, FINALLY got some pain medications which could barely help at all, and than waited another 5-6 hours for the specialist to show up, who took about an hour to prepare for a surgery! Or how about the time when I cut top of my index finger off on an electric saw? Stupidly enough I took a towel wrapped my index finger with it, found the missing piece on the floor and drove to an ER (I should’ve just called 911:confused: ). I saw the triage nurse, who sent me back into the waiting room where about two hours later I passed out because of a huge amount of blood loss. After that only the God knows how long I had to wait. I just know that I received my stitches 8 hours after the incident! Believe it or not, but this is how the system works here in Windsor! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimmyMax Posted December 25, 2006 Report Share Posted December 25, 2006 Hey, Believe it or not, but this is how the system works here in Windsor! Speaking from intimate experience, I can say that that sounds pretty much like par for the course for the ER in Windor! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoCa Posted December 28, 2006 Report Share Posted December 28, 2006 What was the deciding factor that made you wish to pursue medicine as a career? It's when I dissected that frog in sophomore biology. lol. Seriously, it has been a lifelong dream (ER has nothing to do with it). I actually did put it on hold for more than half a decade. It was probably my worst and best decision. The worst because I had no clue what to do with my life but it worked out in the long run for I realized that this is what I really want to do and nothing else will suffice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drcave Posted January 22, 2007 Report Share Posted January 22, 2007 When I hit rock bottom and realized there was nowhere to go but sideways. What better way to extend my misery then 4 years of medical school and X years of residency. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr_2020 Posted January 22, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2007 Dear all - I've really enjoyed reading everyones' responses, even chuckled at a few too (sparkles, The_B, noncestvrai, Roca, drcave) .. its ALL good. Since I was 7 years old I have wanted to become a doctor/physician but never thought I could do it. I buried my dream. In a nutshell, 30 years passed by ... and the turning point came for me while I was living in Toronto, Canada. I met some wonderful wonderful canadians in healthcare and I was working in a large pharmaceutical company at that time. There were two incredible physicians that inspired me to resurface my dream. So, do you reckon these things happen for a reason? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kuantum Posted January 22, 2007 Report Share Posted January 22, 2007 Honestly...I don't think I even considered medicine until right before I finished high school. I wanted to be a commercial pilot for a really really long time, then an engineer, then a doctor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drcave Posted January 23, 2007 Report Share Posted January 23, 2007 In grade 5, I wanted to be a linguist I also wanted to be a poet or an artist at various times. I'd still love to be a interstellar colonist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jochi1543 Posted January 23, 2007 Report Share Posted January 23, 2007 I've wanted to be a teacher and an archaelogist/historian. I still think I'd enjoy being a historian/archaelogist....but I like to pay my bills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Law Posted January 23, 2007 Report Share Posted January 23, 2007 When I was younger I thought I'd be a lawyer, but as I got older in high school, I began to realize I needed to do something in science. Then in my last year of high school, I had some family experiences that really got me thinking about appreciating medicine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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