Doesn’t sound like any anesthesiologist I’ve known. Routinely before surgery they visit with the patient, take a history (to avoid possible adverse reactions and complications), explain the anesthesia and answer any questions.
You don’t just say “Hi!” and stick on the mask.
I’m actually quite envious of my med school counterparts these days. We both have a shitton of school to get through (I’m doing a PhD, if you’d forgotten), but at least when you’re doing med school, there’s a definite light at the end of a tunnel. That is, you know exactly when you’ll be done, and you know that when you’re done, you WILL find a job somewhere. There are clear pathways from school to a career. These days in science, and particularly in science academia, there are no guarantees. Not so much a light at the end of the tunnel as a tunnel of indeterminate length, with occasional flashes from random fireflies that have gotten lost.
I am a doctor. I’m pretty happy now, but five years ago I was seriously looking at other options. Why?
–It’s painfully repetitive. You see about the same five things over and over and over. But you can’t let your guard down for a minute or one of those seemingly routine things turns out not to be so routine. Keeping up that kind of schedule and that kind of vigilance all day every day was absolutely exhausting to me.
–You pretty much have two choices when it comes to your practice arrangement. Most of us starting out will end up being employed by a larger organization, which will probably talk a big game about quality care but at the end of the day you’re nothing but a number on a spreadsheet. Your entire worth is based on how much revenue you generate. They want doctors who order too many tests and prescribe too many meds because that’s what makes patients happy, not to mention that they probably own the lab or the radiology equipment as well. (I thought this wouldn’t be the case in the university environment, and admittedly it’s not quite so bad, but it’s way worse than I expected.)
The other option is to hang your own shingle or put together your own group. It’s hard as hell to make money that way, though, and you have to deal with a whole new level of bullshit.
–I want to be a doctor for about 40 hours a week. Any more than that and I become moody and irritable and a worse doctor all around. I’m willing to schedule my clinics to be as convenient to my patients as possible, I never leave my patients without coverage, and I don’t expect to be paid the same as someone who works 70-hour weeks.
When I was in private practice a lot of people wanted to make me feel horrible about that–the old time lone wolves from another era, the new young workaholics, and most especially the aforementioned employers who obviously had a vested interest in getting every drop out of me. (Oddly enough, I’ve never gotten grief about it from a patient.) I was tired of explaining that being in clinic until 6 means that barring emergencies I expect to be wrapping things up at 6, and defending myself for wanting to go home and have dinner with my wife.
I wouldn’t have made it another five years in private practice. I found a niche for myself in academia where I have control over a lot of my own time, I have help with the mental heavy lifting, I have some variety in my days, and I’m not judged solely on my revenue generation. I still get paid plenty, though I could be making half again what I’m making back in private practice, and I do have to live in the sticks. It’s the best move I ever made.
I have a PhD in EtherPsychology. I’ve been published in Paradigma several times.
I can, in laymen’s terms, make you forget how to breathe.
Don’t tell me I’m not a Doctor.
I prefer EtherPsychology to EtherPhysiology for a number of reasons.
While the Public knows increasingly more about the physical body, the mind largely remains a mystery. People are much more willing to accept that a pill is some miracle drug when it comes to mental illness.
The Consensus has closed pretty tight around physical medicine. The area around the mind remains largely open.
Finally, my manual dexterity is terrible.
Can’t stand hurting people. My husband has to be the one to take bandaids off of our daughter.
I’m a Juris Doctor, so I guess I’m in on a technicality.
Contrary to the OP, I’ve never had any desire to be a doctor.
For me, it’s very simple. I was pre-med. I changed my mind when I got into journalism. I was good at all the math and science stuff. That all came naturally to me. When I look at my friends who became doctors, I thank my lucky stars that I didn’t go down that path. Not that I don’t think it’s a wonderful, rewarding profession–it’s just not for me. I simply do not have the discipline or ability to sacrifice so much of my life to become a physician. It’s a crazy profession, and I don’t understand how people get through it.
I had the marks to get into any of the medical faculties, but it didn’t interest me. There was less stress and more money as an actuary.
Christ, every bit of that sounds exactly like being a lawyer. I guess I had always thought that being a doctor was different somehow.
I’m not that smart
I’m too squeamish
I’d be paralysed by the responsibility of making life and death decisions
My work ethic would need dramatic improvement. I’m just not up for the long hours I understand doctors put in
I believe I’d struggle with the emotional distance needed to be an effective carer
I’ve sought career opportunities that minimise my need to see other people internally or naked, and don’t involve dealing with other people’s bodily fluids. So far that’s worked out ok.
Bless those who work in health care. We’d be lost without you.
Never fancied it myself.
Never considered it until I started nursing school when I was 30. Then I got asked it a lot - because I had good grades. The answer was always because I want a life. Doctors work a lot of hours, and it takes a young person’s stamina to get through med school and residency. I like going home at the end of my shift. I never get a call at 0200 for a prescription for stool softener.
Oh, and as for “I think the OR nurses like to yell at med students because they can’t yell back at the surgeons when the surgeons yell at them.”
Wow. Med students in the OR are the responsibility of the RN, to keep them safe and keep the sterile field sterile and the patient safe - so when they won’t listen, get cocky and bossy, they become a danger to the patient and themselves. I often try to keep the surgeon from ripping them apart when the clueless ones barge in, by cuing them in ahead of time. If that’s “yelling” then yes, I “yell.” Most of the surgeons I work with are respectful and skilled and dedicated, very few are the media stereotype screamers. It’s a high speed place, with a lot going on, a sluggish, self important med student who blames anyone but himself is a liability.
Ahem, yes, it was a bad week for med students, since you ask. But only one, the other three were very professional and most welcome.
I was never interested in being an M.D… The research seemed kind of interesting but I also knew there was a whole lotta boring stuff to go alongside the cool stuff. Plus, I knew from the get-go I wouldn’t have the patience to deal with patients.
I am a doctor–just not “the right kind” of doctor, according to my wife.
I was pre-med. Made the mistake of praying about it, and lost that drive to give up everything for the career. I say there are fewer dead people around because I switched (to youth worker, then ad guy, then illustrator, then art teacher).
I’m a lot happier, but I’d have a vintage car (instead of a “vintage” car) if I’d stuck with it…
I am. And today I watched a man die underneath my hands as I practically broke ribs to keep his heart pumping. It’s definitely not for everybody, and I don’t think intelligence has anything to do with it. It’s hard to weigh the nebulous theoretical prolonging of life by better blood pressure control vs the immediate death of a PE or a sudden myocardial infarction. It’s been a tough day.
I came close. I was aiming for research but a manager at a biotech company I interned at told me his biggest regret was not getting an MD/PhD so I tried for it and actually got into a few programs. However, I gave it a lot of thought and ended up just going the PhD route. I realized during my interviews that at most programs, “MD\PhD” means “MD\PhD”, and I still have my fantasies about helping loads of people via drug design. I’m now happily starting a PhD program at an absolutely fantastic school living in an exciting city with opportunities for both me and my long-time girlfriend (another factor in my decision). If I change my mind, there’s a med school which does a joint MD\PhD with my university and my MCAT scores are still valid for a couple more years 
Also, I’m not sure if I have the strength for this.
Too many years of study, dislike of bodily functions other than breathing, eating and sex. Lack of sleep, uncooperative patients, low pay, health insurance companies. Exposure to infectious diseases. I really appreciate doctors, but no f’in way.
The hours when you first start. At first it was because of the constantly changing bed schedule which would mean I’d never sleep, which would mean I’d feel horrible. Now it would be because I just can’t go 24 hours without sleep.
The other stuff is easy in comparison. Except maybe my inability to detach from people–but that’s something I never even considered when deciding if I could be a doctor.
This is a very strange question, as not many people actually ever get the chance to apply to a med school to become an MD.
In my case, I didn’t get a high enough score in my high school exams (at that time ‘HSC’). I got enough for the next rank down which was law school. So I did that instead. But I don’t think I’d have ever become a real doctor even if I’d scored high enough, because I really don’t like being around sick people.