Anthropology majors?

[confused1234]

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how well do you think this major is preparing you? what's it like?

 

[gdbaby]

how well do you think this major is preparing you? what's it like?

I have a PhD in anthropology with a focus in medical anthropology. I feel like anthropology provides me with an increased awareness of how different the illness experience can be for each individual. While I may not always accept peoples' reasons for compliance or non-compliance, I can certainly understand why those reasons exist--which I feel makes for a more compassionate physician, Furthermore, my med anth background gave me extensive "shadowing" as my research invovled women with eating disorders, so I spent much time in hospitals observing physician/patient interaction and attempting to understand womens' experiences in the hospital.

On of my best interviews came when a physician asked me what my anth degree will bring to medicine. I went on about how much of my research went into the medical decision-making processes of individuals: that in most cases, people are choosing a variety of healing options, consulting a variety of people as to their course of treatment (family, religious specialists, naturopaths, etc) and sometimes coming to a physician is the last resort in the decision-making process. Anthropology will give me the perspective and understanding that we as physicians are just one of many "healers" in a person's life.

They liked it.

PM me if you want more information on being an anth major or anything else. I hope you come over to the dark side.

 

[Punkinhead]

I was a anthropology and zoology major and loved it. Anthropology gives a perspective that takes into account the cultural influences surrounding any situation, behavior, action. I think it allows for more cultural competence, which is very important in helping patients from varying backgrounds. Plus, biological anthropology (my specialty) is just fascinating! Learning about such topics as the adaptive significance of left-handedness (or not) and things like the origin/significance of the female orgasm are just cool. So is senescence, behaviors like infanticide and suicide in the biological context and on and on. Plus anthro people are different from pre-meds in a refreshing way (and gives good topics to talk about at interviews). That's just my $0.02. Study what you find interesting and you will be happy, despite the major. Schools only care about the basic science pre-reqs anyway (or so they say)

 

[Flopotomist]

gdbaby - that post was beautiful. Just beautiful.

 

[gdbaby]

gdbaby - that post was beautiful. Just beautiful.

Thanks. That reminds me: anthropology makes people pretty.

 

[bootz]

I was an anthro major... I loved it. It definitely has given me the ability to appreciate different perspectives and the experiences that make each one of us unique....

 

[gdbaby]

What it definitely DOESN'T mean is that you are anti-biomedicine and pro-alternative therapies. You may be, but it isn't a prereq for getting your degree. Sometimes I think that people here I am an anthropologist who is now going to be a physician and they think 'oh great. she's going to give me some sort of "root" to make my health problem disappear.' I love biomedicine! But I can also appreciate that because of various reasons, cultural and otherwise, the biomedical system scares/angers a lot of people to the point where they will try ANYTHING before they go to a doctor. It is something to be aware of before we assume that someone just let a potentially dangerous ailment run its course through his body. They had probably been trying a bunch of remedies before they got to us. Being an anthropologist helps us better understand where patients are in their healing process.

Allright, whose changing majors? I think I get a little commission for every student I convert.

 

[LucidSplash]

I really do not have anything to add to this thread. I think gdbaby and others have said it all wonderfully. I'm an imposter - I only minored in anthropology, mainly because I discovered it too late in my college career to double major in anthropology and still complete my biochem degree in 4 years. But I took way more classes than required for the minor and I feel it has given me so much insight into cultural conflict and social resolutions (my favorite anthro prof's main area of study was psychological anthropology with a focus on deviance).

Except linguistics. I hated linguistic theory. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

 

[Vincir]

At my school, anthropology got split into its four disciplines so I was a cultural anthropology major. I would only end up echoeing the wonderful comments already made here, but I'll just say again that my major helped me have a different take on the world and human relations and I believe that this perspective will inform and improve my efforts not only in medicine but in life in general (sappy music plays).

I will say that I have had interviewers before who not only asked about the relevance of the major but who also seem to hold some pre-conceived notion about its irrelevance ... yeah, it's kind of laughable for someone to say what you did was not worthy when you know it was