Anybody have a "weird" reason that sparked their interest in medicine?

[Monkey.King]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Not really looking for traumas, always wanted to be Doctor since I was in grade school, or because I alwayd loved helping people all my life so being a doctor was thematically choice, ect, reasons that sparked your interest in medicine, but more of weird reasons or ones you wouldn't usually hear.

I consider mines to be weird. I was watching an anime where part of the plot line was the main characters journey to become a doctor and his wife to be a nurse. I thought it was a very nice and inspirational story. And I loved the setting of the hospital, and unlike most amines that feature hospitals, for the most part, what happened was realistic. It was this that sparked my interest in medicine and what made me research more about the profession of being a doctor and made me realize it's something I want to do for the rest of my life. Before that, I had absolutely no career aspirations and never would've thought I would enjoy helping people. And that led me here.

 

[Pagan FutureDoc]

I married into a family of doctors. Without exposure to them I doubt I'd ever decided to go to med schoo

 

[EaglesontheWarpath]

After a nice spill off of a bike, my mom took me over to my neighbor (who was a trauma surgeon) so he could check me out. He took one look at me, freaked out, and went running around the house yelling that I needed a CAT scan. He came back about two minutes later, feline in hand, and had the cat look me over. I was six.
This got me so interested in what an actual CT scan was and medicine in general.

 

[Hospitalized]

My first routine prostate check

 

[Imperius]

I like seeing cut-open human bodies...

 

[Moko]

After a nice spill off of a bike, my mom took me over to my neighbor (who was a trauma surgeon) so he could check me out. He took one look at me, freaked out, and went running around the house yelling that I needed a CAT scan. He came back about two minutes later, feline in hand, and had the cat look me over. I was six.
This got me so interested in what an actual CT scan was and medicine in general.

 

[eteshoe]

I like seeing cut-open human bodies...

Calm down Edward Scissorhands

 

[Lucca]

I was young and my godmother, a physician (geriatrician) in my home country, took care of destitute old people for free in her private practice. My mom volunteered there a lot and I tagged along cuz I was too young to be left home alone. I helped put together the free lunches for the patients while she saw them in her office. I just remember wanting to be like her. That was probably the "spark".

 

[The Knife & Gun Club]

My dad was a doctor so instead of coloring books he always gave me black and white copies of Netter's to color as a little kid.

...I was a strange child...

 

[NotASerialKiller]

A relative of mine is a doctor, and when I was young I saw that although he made a lot of money, he did it by working absurd hours and never seeing his family. Talking to him I could tell that he didn't give a crap about his patients, only about the money.

From that point on I knew that one day I would show him that I could make even more money than him and be the most callous, neglectful physician the world has ever seen. I believe that I'm well on my way.

 

[The Knife & Gun Club]

@NotASerialKiller I'm actually curious how well docs are paid in Canada and how many hours they're expected to work vs in the US

 

[Lucca]

A relative of mine is a doctor, and when I was young I saw that although he made a lot of money, he did it by working absurd hours and never seeing his family. Talking to him I could tell that he didn't give a crap about his patients, only about the money.

From that point on I knew that one day I would show him that I could make even more money than him and be the most callous, neglectful physician the world has ever seen. I believe that I'm well on my way.

What's callous in Canada, not apologizing when you bump into someone? People have killed each other for less in Texas

 

[NotASerialKiller]

People have killed each other for less in Texas

I'll have to take your word for it. What would a mild-mannered Canadian such as myself know about murdering someone horribly for seemingly no reason, after all?

 

[EaglesontheWarpath]

Calm down Edward Scissorhands

I like seeing cut-open human bodies...

 

[Monkey.King]

A relative of mine is a doctor, and when I was young I saw that although he made a lot of money, he did it by working absurd hours and never seeing his family. Talking to him I could tell that he didn't give a crap about his patients, only about the money.

From that point on I knew that one day I would show him that I could make even more money than him and be the most callous, neglectful physician the world has ever seen. I believe that I'm well on my way.

 

[The Buff OP]

Edit:
Eh, I'll just keep it for my PS.

 

[soporific]

Not really looking for traumas, always wanted to be Doctor since I was in grade school, or because I alwayd loved helping people all my life so being a doctor was thematically choice, ect, reasons that sparked your interest in medicine, but more of weird reasons or ones you wouldn't usually hear.

I consider mines to be weird. I was watching an anime where part of the plot line was the main characters journey to become a doctor and his wife to be a nurse. I thought it was a very nice and inspirational story. And I loved the setting of the hospital, and unlike most amines that feature hospitals, for the most part, what happened was realistic. It was this that sparked my interest in medicine and what made me research more about the profession of being a doctor and made me realize it's something I want to do for the rest of my life. Before that, I had absolutely no career aspirations and never would've thought I would enjoy helping people. And that led me here.

At one interview I was asked what was the moment I decided to be a doctor. It was my last interview out of eight so I was really tired and after a pause, I said, "OK, I'll just tell you."

I shared about a Korean drama where after about 20 hours the lead couple finally confessed their love to each other, shortly after which she was shot by an arrow and died... It was really sad and if she had had access to current medical care she would have been saved. It made me realize that all patients have their own stories and lives and futures ahead of them, even if we aren't privy to them.

The interviewer thought I was pretty weird but surprisingly I got in!! And it was one of my top choices. Hahaha.

 

[BeachBaby]

Seeing an RN take care of a town of 1200 all by herself
I'm not sure how weird that is but I couldn't believe how much one person could do

 

[drab]

I was pretty sick as a child, and my dad's a doc and my mom a nurse, so I grew up around medicine in many ways. I was a terrible student in grade school though, and had no intentions of going to college. Moved out at 17, worked full time and supported myself, was tired of the lack of direction and growth available, so 6 years after graduating high school I applied to community college. I had been thinking about going to school for a year or two before, and was interested in psychology, and after I lost a friend to suicide, was pretty set on studying psychology and training to be a clinical psychologist. By my junior year, I realized that talk therapy alone was not enough for some patients, and wanted more ability. I began looking into what it would take to be a psychiatrist and realized that's what I wanted: the ability to do therapy and have prescription rights. So now I'm finishing up my 5th year of undergrad with another 3 semesters to go to finish up all the med school pre-reqs. Not so weird, but unfortunate in my case. It's where I want to be though, and my early years of college helped me realize that I was capable of getting the grades to do so.

 

[Eleithyia]

Growing up, I swore up and down that I hated math & science, didn't want anything to do with it and wouldn't even entertain STEMM as an option. I was all set to do an English Lit major and become a book editor so I could make money reading books all day. I even had a job editing a manuscript for a local author (recently published, which is cool!).

Started college as an English major and it came really easily to me, so naturally I was bored out of my mind. That's when I realized that I didn't actually dislike math & science and I missed the challenge. I still wanted to do something people-related (incorporating humans, if not the humanities), and medicine was the best fit.

 

[Mad Jack]

I wandered into the wrong office in community college and got talked into becoming a respiratory therapist. Got hooked on the med bug by exposure, and, sure enough, eight years later I applied. Not only did I never have an interest in medicine, but I was terrified of infectious material and a total hypochondriac that was afraid of everything. Now I could be knee deep in blood and mucus and barely flinch. Still a hypochondriac tho, med school actually made that worse.

If only I'd have found the right office without stopping to ask, I'd probably be a scrub tech right now, and, given how I feel about the OR to this day, I probably would have run screaming from medicine since I'm more of a med guy than a surg guy and I'd never have gotten that med exposure.

 

[Ho0v-man]

I mugged a guy. He happened to be a doctor. I was shocked that he had so much money on him for just "walking around purposes" that now I've committed myself to the profession.

I wandered into the wrong office in community college and got talked into becoming a respiratory therapist. Got hooked on the med bug by exposure, and, sure enough, eight years later I applied. Not only did I never have an interest in medicine, but I was terrified of infectious material and a total hypochondriac that was afraid of everything. Now I could be knee deep in blood and mucus and barely flinch. Still a hypochondriac tho, med school actually made that worse.

If only I'd have found the right office without stopping to ask, I'd probably be a scrub tech right now, and, given how I feel about the OR to this day, I probably would have run screaming from medicine since I'm more of a med guy than a surg guy and I'd never have gotten that med exposure.

In all seriousness, this is my exact story if you swap out respiratory for radiology. Like...even the eight years thing and hating OR.

 

[Orthosurg1]

Mine's a little unique, at least I'd like to think so.

I grew up on a dairy farm. My generation is the 4th generation on my dad's side, all of my older cousin's have gone into, farming, etc. My mom's side is all dairy farmers as well. So, growing up, obviously I had chores to do on the farm. Besides milking every once in awhile, my main duty was taking care of the newborn dairy calves. This is a very vulnerable age, so occasionally we would have some problems with illnesses. Part of my duties were to vaccinate the calves, feed them multiple times daily, keep the barns clean, etc. Although difficult, the most rewarding part was being able to nurse a sick calf back to health. Realized I really liked the healing aspect, but I preferred people over animals, because, in my opinion, there are so many more limits to vet. medicine than there are to "human" medicine. Followed this up with experiences shadowing, hard science classes, CNA work, and ED scribing, and I haven't changed my mind yet!

Adding on to that, farming is a super service orientated field. When the doorbell is ringing at 3 am that the cows are out, you have to go answer it. The cows have to milked and the calves have to be fed, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, no matter if it's a holiday or if the weather is horrible. After growing up in that environment, I can't imagine being comfortable in a 9-5 job, it's just not "in my blood". I want to know that what I am doing is important enough that it requires me to go above and beyond, if that makes sense? My agricultural background is a huge reason why I'm planning to go into rural medicine. I like the problem-solving aspect of rural medicine, where you may not always have the same resources that you would in an urban location. Plus, it has the advantage of being a population/culture that I am very familiar/identify with.

So, long story short, that's my path to medicine!

 

[akwho]

I did a thought experiment at age 17.

Imagine you are placed in an unbreakable cube, deep in space, trillions of light years from humanity or any other living creature. You have eternal life, unlimited intelligence, knowledge, and resources. However whatever you create or discover cannot pass beyond the bounds of your cube. Does your existence mean anything?

I decided the answer was no, and the meaning of life was to have the largest magnitude positive impact on as many people as possible. Everything else in life besides helping people is just noise. Briefly thought about politics, but decided I would have a higher probability of helping people in medicine. I was sold after watching a cardiologist save some heart muscle when stenting a STEMI. Pursued medicine ever since and couldn't be happier.

 

[Mad Jack]

I did a thought experiment at age 17.

Imagine you are placed in an unbreakable cube, deep in space, trillions of light years from humanity or any other living creature. You have eternal life, unlimited intelligence, knowledge, and resources. However whatever you create or discover cannot pass beyond the bounds of your cube. Does your existence mean anything?

I decided the answer was no, and the meaning of life was to have the largest magnitude positive impact on as many people as possible. Everything else in life besides helping people is just noise. Briefly thought about politics, but decided I would have a higher probability of helping people in medicine. I was sold after watching a cardiologist save some heart muscle when stenting a STEMI. Pursued medicine ever since and couldn't be happier.

Everyone and everything you ever affect will one day be ash. Don't let medicine make you feel transcendent of that fact.

 

[akwho]

Everyone and everything you ever affect will one day be ash. Don't let medicine make you feel transcendent of that fact.

Ripple effect young grasshopper. You are only here to make this cynical comment because of the benevolent actions of those before you.

 

[Mad Jack]

Ripple effect young grasshopper. You are only here to make this cynical comment because of the benevolent actions of those before you.

And my presence here, and your presence here, is completely inconsequential. The earth itself will be swallowed by the sun, a fourth generation star, and everything that was ever done upon this world will be no more. Is that what you call relevance?

 

[akwho]

And my presence here, and your presence here, is completely inconsequential. The earth itself will be swallowed by the sun, a fourth generation star, and everything that was ever done upon this world will be no more. Is that what you call relevance?

You don't even believe that. The only true options for a fatalist are nihilism or suicide. Either way you wouldn't be on SDN.

I believe in a well-lived life with lots of children. Spread the wealth and the health. Leave the world a better place for those who follow after us. 😉

 

[Ho0v-man]

And my presence here, and your presence here, is completely inconsequential. The earth itself will be swallowed by the sun, a fourth generation star, and everything that was ever done upon this world will be no more. Is that what you call relevance?

Ripple effect young grasshopper. You are only here to make this cynical comment because of the benevolent actions of those before you.

Everyone and everything you ever affect will one day be ash. Don't let medicine make you feel transcendent of that fact.

I did a thought experiment at age 17.

Imagine you are placed in an unbreakable cube, deep in space, trillions of light years from humanity or any other living creature. You have eternal life, unlimited intelligence, knowledge, and resources. However whatever you create or discover cannot pass beyond the bounds of your cube. Does your existence mean anything?

This feels reminiscent of that part in Earthbound where Poo meditates on a mountain.

Either that or there's a carbon monoxide leak or something...

 

[Mad Jack]

You don't even believe that. The only true options for a fatalist are nihilism or suicide. Either way you wouldn't be on SDN.

I believe in a well-lived life with lots of children. Spread the wealth and the health. Leave the world a better place for those who follow after us. 😉

I actually am a Christian myself- I'm just stating that, objectively, life is pretty pointless unless you believe in some kind of higher power.

 

[Lucca]

I actually am a Christian myself- I'm just stating that, objectively, life is pretty pointless unless you believe in some kind of higher power.

Life is pointless/meaningless. Doesn't mean people don't experience meaning in their daily lives, even without higher powers. One must imagine Sisyphus happy.

 

[URHere]

I only ended up in medicine...because of dolphins.

Until about halfway through college, I wanted to work as a dolphin trainer (I'm from a blue collar family, I was a competitive swimmer, and I'd trained animals for my entire life. It made sense, I promise). When I was a sophomore in college, I visited a local aquarium and talked to the staff about what the requirements were for dolphin trainers. They told me that I would need a BS in Biology, so I went back to college and changed my major. Research was a requirement for my new major, so I got involved with a research lab. As luck would have it, my PI was an MD, and I kind of fell down the medical school wormhole from there.

A decade later, I still can't believe that my entire future hinged on aquatic mammals.

 

[AnnaSunH]

My journey started at the age of 4 when I saw my first dead body...tagged along with my physician mother when she went to pronounce someone dead. My interest in medicine has only gotten livelier since!


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[Lucca]

The myth of Sisyphus is completely and utterly used incorrectly all the time. The Gods had sentenced Sisyphus to punishment and suffering by a lifetime of rolling the boulder up the hill only to have it fall back down. Yet he never let this change his attitude, he enjoyed his task and never suffered, which angered the Gods to no end. Sisyphus was always happy. Another way to put it: “Life is painful, suffering is optional.” - Sylvia Boorstein

I was quoting Camus who made precisely this point in the Myth of Sisyphus.

Also, I don't remember Homer talking about what Sisyphus felt like or went through in the underworld other than the punishment? Is there a mention of him being happy doing his job and frustrating the gods? I thought that interpretation was novel to Camus

 

[The Knife & Gun Club]

Mine's a little unique, at least I'd like to think so.

I grew up on a dairy farm. My generation is the 4th generation on my dad's side, all of my older cousin's have gone into, farming, etc. My mom's side is all dairy farmers as well. So, growing up, obviously I had chores to do on the farm. Besides milking every once in awhile, my main duty was taking care of the newborn dairy calves. This is a very vulnerable age, so occasionally we would have some problems with illnesses. Part of my duties were to vaccinate the calves, feed them multiple times daily, keep the barns clean, etc. Although difficult, the most rewarding part was being able to nurse a sick calf back to health. Realized I really liked the healing aspect, but I preferred people over animals, because, in my opinion, there are so many more limits to vet. medicine than there are to "human" medicine. Followed this up with experiences shadowing, hard science classes, CNA work, and ED scribing, and I haven't changed my mind yet!

Adding on to that, farming is a super service orientated field. When the doorbell is ringing at 3 am that the cows are out, you have to go answer it. The cows have to milked and the calves have to be fed, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, no matter if it's a holiday or if the weather is horrible. After growing up in that environment, I can't imagine being comfortable in a 9-5 job, it's just not "in my blood". I want to know that what I am doing is important enough that it requires me to go above and beyond, if that makes sense? My agricultural background is a huge reason why I'm planning to go into rural medicine. I like the problem-solving aspect of rural medicine, where you may not always have the same resources that you would in an urban location. Plus, it has the advantage of being a population/culture that I am very familiar/identify with.

So, long story short, that's my path to medicine!

That's actually a really cool story never thought about that!

 

[Benedict]

I enjoy the beauty of women's bodies and wanted to be an expert on the subject. Also, to deliver life into this world with my bare hands fascinates me.

 

[Dr.JD.House]

Never had an interest in medicine until I watched the entire series of Scrubs between my junior and senior years of high school. After that, decided I'd be a doctor. Great story, I know, ha.

 

[Orthosurg1]

That's actually a really cool story never thought about that!

Thank you very much 🙂