When you enter medical school, you must have been asked the Golden Question:
"Why do you want to become a doctor?"
This question will be repeated, time and again, and will not cease even after you have attained the seemingly prestigious title of "Dr." in front of your name- which, by the way, I've never used outside the context of work.
Remember your initial reason? It may involve a tragedy in the past, or other emotional incidents. I am sorry for your loss.
But I- honestly- don't remember a good reason as to why I wanted to become a doctor.
Initially, I had the most noble of intentions- perhaps reasons interviewers are very familiar with. But over the course of years, and with countless introspection, I realized that my reasons, like many others in our culture especially, are pretty darn simple:
Preconditioned to think that it was A Great Occupation, and The Most Noble of Professions, as an overachiever in primary and high school people just told me stuff like, "Hey, if anyone can be a doctor, it would have to be you." This, and my parents and family's perpetual nudge in that direction ever since I can remember, led me (willingly) to a rather turbulent path that ended with my assignment as your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man er, Humble Officer.
Currently one of the most ridiculed positions nationally, and arguably the most criticized.
Gone are the days when being a doctor entitles you to special treatment. Your position does not command the respect it did, and neither does it make you better equipped to deal with others. Doctors nowadays do not perform as well as those 'back in the day', we are too reliant on technology and too lazy and entitled. Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.
At least, that's what a lot of people say.
But is it true, really?
Nope.
We still get special treatment- such as our insane starting salary, for this country's standards at least. And despite the increase in waiting time, we still have guaranteed jobs (hopefully that will continue to be true for all our juniors)! We take this fact for granted a lot. My advise to recent graduates, enjoy your prolonged holidays and do not be too antsy to start, if you can afford the privilege of waiting.
Your position still commands respect, if not with everyone then with a lot of people still. All those years in my medical school, at least, does equip me better to communicate with my patients and colleagues and superiors. And come on, with the help of technology we SHOULD be able to perform better than our predecessors in The Land before Time (meant with the utmost respect). What matters most is how we utilize the technology!
But laziness and entitlement? True as well. Too true, in fact.
How many posts have you seen about doctors, written by doctors, emphasizing on how being a doctor is extremely dreadful and that we should be appreciated? Not limited to doctors themselves; sometimes medical students write them and viral them, too. And as much as I am for freedom of expression, there is only so much viral posts I can see before I get agitated.
Yes, we play with blood, fecal matter, and other body fluids, but so do nurses and MAs.
We have ungodly working hours, well so do most other people trying to earn a decent living, some of whom have 9 to 5 jobs but have multiple jobs to support their families.
We don't have time for our family members. The same goes to anyone who works every day, 9 to 5, even with weekends off- there simply ISN'T enough time with your family as long as you're in your working years, unless you're one of those lucky people working from home or somewhat.
And every job is stressful. Many jobs involve human interactions, and there are less pleasant humans in any possible setting involving human interactions.
My point is, there is no need to repeatedly tell everyone how miserable your job is, because it doesn't command their respect all the more when you repeatedly whine about it. Every job can be miserable.
Again, I say that with the utmost respect.
This is not an easy job. At the start, no job is an easy one. But I can tell you why our job is harder than most: It's the fact that people's lives are directly entrusted upon us. Their demise would be entirely upon us. And no matter how many people are involved in their care, the doctor-in-charge is the one who will take most of the blame, as compared to the nurses, or MAs, or any other healthcare provider. There is no way around it.
And this is something everyone expecting to go into the profession should bear in mind.
Human lives cannot even begin to be equated to money or paperwork.
Yes, you may be able to tolerate long working hours. And yes, you may be able to handle insults and degrading remarks hurled towards you. You may be able to stand holding in your urine for over 12 hours, or function on an empty stomach for over that duration, and not sleep for 36 hours straight while still maintaining a pleasant expression and managing to remember your cases. You could even take the blood of, and successfully dispatch, over 20 patients within the span of 2 hours.
But can you do all that and trust yourself with the lives of others?
Can you defend yourself, your own integrity, when you are questioned on why a patient died while under your care?
Can you do this in a room filled with strangers, some of whom are trying to pin the blame on you?
[Ugh, I started a post talking about how this job is worse than others. Sorry.]
Now I, for one, am not one of those people who will discourage other people from becoming a doctor, nor am I one of those people who think our country has 'enough' doctors. But I can tell you what I feel from personal experience, and that is the fact that this isn't the most horrible job out there, nor is it the most rewarding career for someone who is academically brilliant. I think we are easily deceived by the fact that this job immediately gives you a title in front of your name- something that doesn't come with most jobs in the world.
We have deluded ourselves into thinking that this is the best job for our overachievers; only for the best of people. When in fact, this is a job that can be done with above-average intelligence (yes, you need to be slightly more intelligent) but most importantly by anyone hard-working and resilient enough to endure abnormal amounts of stress; anyone with the passion to care about others more than their own immediate needs.
Being a doctor is not as prestigious as it used to be, but with the changes in current demands you can bet that it's becoming harder. Your faults can be easily found and spread by various social media, making them more permanent. Doctors in the past got away with many mistakes- whether or not they divulge them is another thing entirely. Contrary to what some may say, doctors in the past DO make mistakes, too. They're just not able to go viral.
But with technology, it's also easier for us to seek help, and for others to know our side of the story. It's easier to disseminate information and to keep in touch with the latest and greatest. We are not bound to our hospital walls- we can go beyond it, and combat the misperceptions with a few taps of our fingers. Several people have been doing this to great success at the national level.
People are becoming more and more tech savvy, and believe it or not, more often than not, they DO see reason. It's just, empty cans are the loudest.
So, to quote a famous franchise: With great power comes great responsibility.
Remember that as you go forth in life.
Do not let your years of studies and that title in front of your name go to waste.
And keep praying to do the right thing!
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