Med school is hard enough just to get in to. And once you're there, you start to wonder why... I have my last physiology test tomorrow, and I am somewhat panicked. Hence, I am writing this post as a reminder to myself and a message to all of you as to why I am here, and why I pull my hair out over the glucocorticoids and mineralocorticoids of the zona glomerulosa and zona fasciculata in the adrenal cortex.
Yesterday we got to visit a hospital and see a patient. He was in bad shape. Diabetes, depression, neuropathy, sepsis... all sorts of complications. Plus his job had ditched him during the economic downturn, right before he had to have an amputation of his toes due to a bone infection. As my classmates and I were standing there with our white coats and our clipboards, trying to disguise our nervousness and greenness, it hit me:
Wow. We don't know this man, and yet because we wear the white coat he permits us to ask him all sorts of probing questions (any drug use? alcohol? how is your stool? past illnesses? vomiting or diarrhea? sexual history?). He lets us enter into some very private areas of his life to better treat him. He lets us poke, prod, medicate, amputate, hospitalize (Well, not us, but physicians in general. You get the idea).
A physician is in a place of great power when dealing with very sick people like that. It really hit me that this hefty, tattooed, Harley-riding man allowed physicians to /remove part of his body/ because he trusted them. Patients hope and expect that we will treat them well, and with care. That's a lot of responsibility, and that's also a great privilege.
I've always wanted to be a doctor. I think a love of science and academic challenge, plus natural curiosity and an inescapable interest in people (despite my somewhat introverted tendencies) led me to the field of medicine. This is SO cliche that my premed academic advisor insisted I never, ever, ever dare write it in my personal statement, but I'm going to say it here:
I'M BECOMING A DOCTOR BECAUSE I WANT TO HELP PEOPLE SO THERE.
Haha! I laughed at your last statement. I think that's about the reason I want to be a social worker. But I agree with your advisor :) Good thing you have a blog to get it out on.
ReplyDeleteI love you, Jenny! I am so proud of you and everything that you have done and will do in your life. You have beautiful dreams, a beautiful family, and a dazzling future! I know God has blessed you and will continue to bless you.
ReplyDeleteKeep hanging in there, friend!
HAHAHA that last bit is so, so true. I remember Dr. Reeder telling us specifically never to say that. In fact, in one of my interviews I made a joke out of saying just that.
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