what's your view

[Guest craftsman]

Have any of you , when you were interviewed ,who are already healthcare professionals ie; occupational therapists , dietitians , respiratory therapists, nurses , etc.. been asked " why do you want to be a doctor ? when you are already a health care provider ? "

 

What was your response ?

 

This might not seem like a difficult question but when you are already working in a clinical environment is much harder to answer.

 

thx all

 

the craftsman

[Guest UWOMED2005]

I think this has been answered in the "difficult interview questions" thread. . .

[Guest mn]

Hi Craftsman,

I worked in hospital for many years before applying to medicine although most wouldn't have associated my job with "health care professional". I was asked at both of my interviews this year, "why a doctor? why not a nurse or a dietician?". I suppose natural question for someone with more years behind them and a somewhat unusual background. This is what I told them:

Having been involved in the care of the sick already, I can be certain that is what I want to devote my life's work to, but...I found that I wanted more career and educational opportunities. I am the sort that needs to know how the human body works from the biochemistry on up to the community - rather than the more specific body of knowledge that my duties would be concerned with other occupations. As I could see the only profession that was present in every department of the hospital (except mine perhaps), posed a diagnosis and plotted a course of treatment was a doctor. Anything else would be more of what I was experiencing already - the right building, but the wrong job. Good luck, mn.

[Guest hmsdread]

For me, its the responsiblity and, the problem-solving/decision making of the profession. Nurses, physiotherapists, dieticians, etc., all have a degree of this, but the physician integrates all the available info, and comes up with a solution. I like being the leader, the person in charge, the one who bears the responsibility if things go great or badly.

 

Also, the number of paths you can take medicine is nice -clinician, researcher, educator, or a mix of any of those.

 

matso

[Guest UWOMED2005]

Good point - there is a lot of flexibility within medicine. . . perhaps more than the other health professions.

[Guest medicator007]

Having worked as a paramedic for 6 years, my interviewer asked me why I wouldn't want to stay on in this field as a career? The reality for me was that while paramedicine afforded me a great opportunity to render care to patients and practice some really interesting medical techniques. However what i was lacking was a comprehension for what the heck I was doing. We simply follow protocols (i.e acute onset chest pain, give 0.4 mg of nitro, 325 mg of ASA and titrate morphine)... we don't get to make decisions to treat the patient, only the condition.

 

So for me at least, a career in medicine vs. my current health care profession would be to give me the knowledge to make my own decisions. Plus to be honest the $$$ as a paramedic is anything but spectacular.

 

Cheers,

Medicator007

[Guest RAK2005]

I was a physio before medicine, and I was asked this question. I basically said that being in healthcare gave me an insight to what a doctor is truly involved in on a daily basis. I also used my PT degree to gain experience by shadowing physicians, going to the OR and working within the healthcare team. I also said that I wanted to be able to do more for my patients, and offer them the most options available for their illness/injuries... something a PT can't do directly.

 

My adcom liked it, but you never know how people will respond. Just make sure you know why exactly you want to change professions, and why you think medicine will give you what you want out of a job.

[Guest Beaver]

Rak2005

 

How many years did you do physio for?

 

For me a lot of questions from everywhere I interviewed circled around why not research. For all those with Masters and/or Phd's be ready for this. I remember one interviewer actually told me after a long debate that he strongly believed that research did more good for society in long run than doctors who in most cases only provided band aid solutions...... There was a long silence when I realized he wanted me to rebutt, so I did ,he didn't seem very impressed but at the end of the interview told me, the people he liked the most he challenged the most because they were worth his breath. I later found out that this faculty member was a MD/Phd from Harvard and was an authority in his field of research who actually did not practice at all (that explains alot)

 

Anways, just be ready for why medicine not research and bear in mind you may have a gung ho researcher sitting infront of you that will go against everything you say.

[Guest RAK2005]

Beaver,

 

I actually went straight from PT school into grad school to get some research experience and find time to try the infamous MCAT. I didn't practice in a clinic because I knew if I went into a private practice it would be tough to stop having an income, actually find time to write the MCAT and keep up my extra-currics. Oddly, it was the clinical rotations in my PT undergrad that made me really realize that I wouldn't be happy being a PT...so I tried my hand at research and gave serious thought to being an academic PT and teach/do my doctorate. After doing my MSc I knew it wasn't what I truly wanted either. Hence meds. That being said, I hope to hell I don't go through the same deal with medicine ! I took my sweet time trying to figure out if this was the career for me, and I believe it has enough of a mix b/w clinical/research and a decent lifestyle/income to satisfy me.

 

For some medicine was always the obvious choice, but I needed my own time to decide what was best.