After reading this board I'm very curious-

[Guest LestatZinnie]

Why are some people so DESPERATE to enter the medical profession? What's the primary motive? Let's be honest here......because if you really want to help people, interested in science, etc, there are plenty of other professions which fits the bill. I know a few friends personally who went the international route, even going as far as China, and they do it because they wanted the 'doctor' title (peer/family pressure) for their own satisfaction/ego, as well as the money. In fact, not many pre-meds/dents I meet are of the altruistic types. Not that there's anything wrong with that, because everybody enters medcine with different motivations/agendas/goals. I'm just curious as to what drives some to go so far, spend alot of $, and face the prospect of never working in Canada, or just working at a residency that no one likes in the States. At the end of the day, what makes it worthwhile for you? and don't tell me it's the fulfillment of your desire to help people

 

to be fair..i'll start first...i'm in dentistry because i like to work with my hands (dislike analysis/diagnostic type jobs), don't want to deal with emotional patient issues, like the fact that i'll have free time to spend with my family, and most importantly i can make an above average living...i also like to help patients (as long as they don't skip payment) and contribute to society (ya right)..OK YOUR TURN

 

p.s. sorry if the post sounds a bit cynical

[Guest Kirsteen]

Hey there LestatZinnie,

 

Sorry if I'm a little naive about dentistry, but I can tell you that I, as well as probably at least a few others out there, have a few small "emotional patient issues" when faced with one of those huge, metallic, side-loading dental needles approaching my face. Are you taught how to sensitively interact with patients who view you as the contemporary incarnate of Laurence Olivier in "Marathon Man" in dental school? :rolleyes

 

Cheers,

Kirsteen

[Guest LestatZinnie]

hi there

 

i dont blame you- ironically, even as a future dentist i avoid seeing one at all costs. my wisdom teeth were inflamed last year but i'm still scared as h##l to pull them off...and i have another minor ache that i'm putting off till it becomes more unbearable because of the fear. so i can totally understand the patients' point of view. however, i'm only in 1st yr so they havent taught us how to deal with patients yet. in addition, i think a lot of fear came from my experiences as a child, when anesthetics were less effective at the time. nowadays dentistry is 90% painless- but there's still that subconscious fear nagging from historic trauma. in the clinical years (3 and 4th) they do make the students inject needles on each other, just so we would know what it feels like on the other side of the chair (that's why you should be nice to your classmates).

 

hope this helps

[Guest Kirsteen]

Hi again,

 

They seriously require that you inject each other in the gums? Anaesthetic and all? I had trouble enough in grade 13 biology with someone approaching me wielding a lancet (so that we could discover our own blood types) nevermind this dentistry stuff.

 

Cheers,

Kirsteen

[Guest coastal79]

Why go abroad for the MD? Honestly, I can't see myself doing anything else. Since the only Canadian school I've applied to is UBC, and I've only applied there once, perhaps it is a little premature to be looking abroad already. However, I don't think I have a very good chance of getting in anywhere in Canada this year basically because the extracurricular side of my application sucks. Travelling is my passion, and I was flat out told by UBC that travelling for enjoyment is "well and good" but they "want to see people use their travel to do something" , which means for most people paying money to go volunteer somewhere, despite the fact that they may have no skills to offer....but I'm starting to go off on a tangent. I could probably get into the US, but don't want to go there, so I'm looking further afield.

 

Why can I only see myself as a doctor? The other careers I could see myself pursuing:

1)Travel Writer-too competitive. Talk about market saturation. I've written a few things while travelling, and then ripped them up because I couldn't stomach more people descending on the beautiful places of the world (Beachesque snob). I'm an Eng major, and can write, but I need a greater degree of financial certainty, and I like to stay in shape, neither of which go with this job.

2)Scuba diving instructor-I could do this for a year or two, but I need a job that challenges me mentally, I'm a nerd at heart and like intellectual challenges.

3)ESL teacher-did this last year in Korea, was excellent at it, enjoyed it most of the time, and could see myself doing it for up to ten years living in different parts of the world. But, again, it's not challenging, and I would be doing it solely to be living in foreign cultures, not really for the job itself.

 

There are a few other jobs, but the bottom line for me is that being a doctor is what I really really want to do. I want to work with people, I want the challenge, I want a job that constantly forces me to keep up on the latest developments, I want a job that has an impact on people's lives, I want the respect that comes with it (think whatever you want about that), I want the salary (which isn't spectacular considering the amount of time I'll spend in debt)-basically, I want a job that is more than a job.

 

All that said I'm not willing to go ANYWHERE to get an MD, but I have a reasonably strong MCAT score, and decent grades so I've never had to consider the possibilty of going to the Caribbean or something. Perhaps if the situation were different I would be willing to go anywhere, but that's just idle speculation.

 

cheers