Did your parents forced them into medicine?

[Chemdude]

It seems that a lot of people(more than I thought) choose the medical path because of their parents. I've also noticed that the majority of these people come from immigrant families.

Edit: Sorry for the stupid thread-title. typo.

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[BlueElmo]

My parents first "introduced" me to the idea of becoming a doctor. But after that, it has been all my choice.

 

[vin5cent0]

Quite the opposite for me. My mom pretends to support my decision, but I think she secretly agrees with my dad in that I'm too lazy to ever make it to or through medical school.

 

[Chemdude]

My parents first "introduced" me to the idea of becoming a doctor. But after that, it has been all my choice.

I actually wanted to become a pilot when I was younger. Then my parents started to tell me about how much doctors make. After three years of brainwashing, they succeeded in convincing me to go into medicine. My dream of becoming a pilot also died after september 11th. Nowadays, not many people want a Middle Easterner flying their plane...

 

[niranjan162]

I actually wanted to become a pilot when I was younger. Then my parents started to tell me about how much doctors make. After three years of brainwashing, they succeeded in convincing me to go into medicine. My dream of becoming a pilot also died after september 11th. Nowadays, not many people want a Middle Easterner flying their plane...

get the micheal jackson surgery and follow ur dreams!

my parents actually discourage me from medicine.

 

[Chemdude]

get the micheal jackson surgery and follow ur dreams!

my parents actually discourage me from medicine.

You mean I can be white if I wanted to?!!! It's medically possible now?

 

[dbrokut]

I come from immigrant family and since my family is very poor, they wanted me to just get any degree and a quick job to support them financially. I had quite a argument to convince my parents to let me go into medicine.

But yes, I do agree with OP and I'd just like to add that, most children of doctors do go into med school and you just can't ignore that. And since a lot of doctors in America are Asian Indian, you see a large proportion of Asian Indians in med schools and if you ask them, you'll almost always find their parents to be Asian Indians.

Sorry for stereotyping here but that's the truth.

 

[phonyreal98]

And since a lot of doctors in America are Asian Indian, you see a large proportion of Asian Indians in med schools and if you ask them, you'll almost always find their parents to be Asian Indians.

Sorry for stereotyping here but that's the truth.

Indian med students have Indian parents?😱 NO WAY!

 

[supergumbo]

Yeah, my parents kinda "forced" me into medical school. After I became a student, though, I really do want to become a doctor for underserved communities. Turns out my parents really did have my best interest at heart. Huh, figure that. And yeah, I'm from the Indian sub-continent.

 

[dbrokut]

Indian med students have Indian parents?😱 NO WAY!

Thanks! I didn't realize how ridiculously stupid I sounded there. I was like when I read your comments. 🙂

 

[xmsr3]

😀I remember the day my family came to America. My mother turned to me and said, "This is the land of oppertunity, where, if you study hard and get good grades you can become anything you want, as long as its a doctor. If you become anything else I will hunt you down and kill you. I will have a son I can be proud of, and if you don't go into medicine I will simply kill you, bury your body in the woods and tell everyone you enlisted in the army and were killed heroically."

When I say, "medical school or death" I am one of the few people who isn't being hyperbolic but rather making a statement of fact😀

 

[RogueUnicorn]

😀I remember the day my family came to America. My mother turned to me and said, "This is the land of oppertunity, where, if you study hard and get good grades you can become anything you want, as long as its a doctor. If you become anything else I will hunt you down and kill you. I will have a son I can be proud of, and if you don't go into medicine I will simply kill you, bury your body in the woods and tell everyone you enlisted in the army and were killed heroically."

When I say, "medical school or death" I am one of the few people who isn't being hyperbolic but rather making a statement of fact😀

you are seriously bizarre

 

[SirGecko]

you are seriously bizarre

👍 (xmsr3 is a crazy dude sometimes)

also:

[YOUTUBE]t67jwjux0Ao[/YOUTUBE]
It was gonna get posted eventually.

 

[Wheee]

my mom wants me to be a PA, PT, ARNP, anything except a doctor. she wants me to have time for my family and husband. I don't have a husband or kids and I'm not so convinced I want either of those. Plus I figure why stop at PA if I want to be a doctor?

My dad doesn't care. All he wants is for me to graduate college.

I'm white, and my parents are too 😛

 

[RogueUnicorn]

my mom wants me to be a PA, PT, ARNP, anything except a doctor. she wants me to have time for my family and husband. I don't have a husband or kids and I'm not so convinced I want either of those. Plus I figure why stop at PA if I want to be a doctor?

My dad doesn't care. All he wants is for me to graduate college.

I'm white, and my parents are too 😛

white people don't immigrate?

 

[OneMCATAway]

if anything my parents would rather i dont become a doctor cuz its detrimental to my health 😉

 

[dbrokut]

😀I remember the day my family came to America. My mother turned to me and said, "This is the land of oppertunity, where, if you study hard and get good grades you can become anything you want, as long as its a doctor. If you become anything else I will hunt you down and kill you. I will have a son I can be proud of, and if you don't go into medicine I will simply kill you, bury your body in the woods and tell everyone you enlisted in the army and were killed heroically."

When I say, "medical school or death" I am one of the few people who isn't being hyperbolic but rather making a statement of fact😀

Dude, I immigrated with my family too and trust me, if you wrote this BS in your PS, you have no chance of securing an admission in med school.

 

[Wheee]

white people don't immigrate?

nah, not since the potato famine🙄

 

[ParthVader]

I choose:

"I'm an immigrant and No but my parents partially influenced my decision"...

 

[Narmerguy]

I think you should have worded the poll differently. Many students may not necessarily feel "forced" (that's a pretty strong word and pretty hard to do) but may feel pressured.

 

[xmsr3]

Dude, I immigrated with my family too and trust me, if you wrote this BS in your PS, you have no chance of securing an admission in med school.[/QUOTE]

I apologize if the joke was in bad taste, but seriously people, it was a joke! That is why there were grinning emoticons at the beginning and end of it.

 

[Narmerguy]

Another interesting little tidbit that can be derived from this is that at least 40% of the respondents come from immigrant families (probably more seeing as the last option doesn't specify family background). (that is, as of right now. The poll could change over time)

I wonder what the percentage is for SDN as a whole.

 

[Chemdude]

I apologize if the joke was in bad taste, but seriously people, it was a joke! That is why there were grinning emoticons at the beginning and end of it.

lol. I knew you were joking...

 

[VoiceofReason]

pretty much everything my parents ever tried to force me to do i resisted. In high school i really did not want anything to do with school any more and barely graduated. Then somehow i got into a state university and by this time my parents had given up on trying to force me to do well academically. So i drifted through my first two years and literally woke up one day and decided to go into medicine based on my interest in biological science and its application to healing and improving quality of life.

^this was actually the gist of my personal statement



i think my father had no confidence in me and i think he was completely justified. To this day i actually get the sense that he still cant quite believe where i'm headed now in life.

 

[red10]

My parents were supportive but my dad made me talk to his dr. friends and see what they said (they mostly said "run away!"). I don't think either of them really care what I do as long as they think I'm enjoying myself and not doing less than I'm capable of.

 

[dbrokut]

Dude, I immigrated with my family too and trust me, if you wrote this BS in your PS, you have no chance of securing an admission in med school.[/QUOTE]

I apologize if the joke was in bad taste, but seriously people, it was a joke! That is why there were grinning emoticons at the beginning and end of it.

Uh oh. My bad.

 

[Chemdude]

Wow. I'm surprised. I was expecting more people to vote "yes"...

 

[Exalya]

My parents specifically discouraged me from medicine. My mother believes that women are inferior and make poor doctors, and my father seems to think of it as some cute little school thing I'm doing before I start making babies and quit working altogether.

Oh, family.

 

[niranjan162]

Wow. I'm surprised. I was expecting more people to vote "yes"...

I think anyone whose "wanted to be a doctor since they were a little kid" had parental pressure/encouragement...or really boring imaginations.

 

[evelknieveljaja]

didnt decide i wanted to do medicine until soph of college. will be first family member as doc...parents wanted me to go business route..and im not an immigrant whatever that has to do with the topic

 

[SirGecko]

I think anyone whose "wanted to be a doctor since they were a little kid" had parental pressure/encouragement...or really boring imaginations.

You don't have to have a boring imagination to want to be a doctor. Plenty of kids think doctors are cool. That said when I was a little kid I wanted to be an astronaut. Actually I still want to be an astronaut!

 

[circulus vitios]

I'm from a blue-collar, caucasian family. I told my parents I'm thinking about becoming a doctor and now they go around bragging about it. But like I said, I'm thinking about it. Assuming I even get an acceptance there's still 50/50 chance I'll change my mind and try to get a job in finance. Oh well, I don't feel guilty about it - they're the ones bragging about it.

 

[SFANJUM]

.

 

[Kimaris]

My parents wanted to to go towards pharmcy but I'm leaning towards either MD or CRNA.

 

[futureboy]

Wow. I'm surprised. I was expecting more people to vote "yes"...

People don't want to admit that they're being forced to do something. As an earlier poster said, "parents pressured you into medicine" would be a better choice of words for the poll, and would probably give a different result.

 

[Trexate]

I think anyone whose "wanted to be a doctor since they were a little kid" had parental pressure/encouragement...or really boring imaginations.

Or you had cancer and looked up to them...

Generalization fail.

 

[Narmerguy]

Or you had cancer and looked up to them...

Generalization fail.

Anecdotes

 

[RavensGal]

Both my parents are accountants and were surprised when I wanted to go into medicine, especially since I've been able to do basic accounting since I was 7 and would sit in on my moms college classes that she taught. (granted I would sit there and color). My parents are supportive of it but they don't think I can get in. My mom basically starts off every sentence with "well when you don't get in to med school you can (insert any other job) instead.

 

[oaklandguy]

My parents always told me I had to become a Doctor. It doesn't help when all of your relatives are Doctors, and the ones who are Dentists and Lawyers are looked down upon. But when I tell them they forced me into it they deny it. My parents are immigrants, but I don't think that plays a huge part because my parents are the type that think the only way for someone to do well is if you pressure them and try to bring them down. Like now my mom is telling me I can't become a Doctor as her form of encouragement. Ugh, gotta love the parents.

 

[Bac Si]

my great great great grandmother had a vision of one of her grandchild name Phong would become a doctor and they passed the story down from generation to generation until someone had a child name Phong. It was a prophecy.

 

[randombetch]

Wow, you're 8 times more likely to be forced into medicine if you come from an immigrant family in this sample.

Also in this sample, someone forced into medicine has an 87% likelihood of coming from an immigrant family.

 

[FlowRate]

My dad let me go around the hospital with him when we were stationed in San Diego. I was always interested in it but we didn't really consider doctor a choice until we started thinking about what I should do in high school (when I no longer wanted a job where I could shoot bad guys for a living!)

 

[280224]

Yes. My parents are immigrants.

My whole life my mom pressured me to become a doctor. I felt obligated to become one too because I wanted to do something that would be worthy of all the sacrifices my mom had to make for me. She has had a hard life with little happiness. I wanted to make her happy for once.

 

[randombetch]

Yes. My parents are immigrants.

My whole life my mom pressured me to become a doctor. I felt obligated to become one too because I wanted to do something that would be worthy of all the sacrifices my mom had to make for me. She has had a hard life with little happiness. I wanted to make her happy for once.

I feel the same way (parents are also immigrants), but my parents never tried to get me into a specific field. Seriously, all they wanted was for me to go to college and get a non-manual job because that alone would make me better off than they were.

 

[Goobers]

My mom was not born in the US. She vehemently tried to dissuade me from medicine. She wanted me to become a patent attorney and make bank.

 

[deleted74029]

My dad was a big baseball buff, made it to my state on a baseball scholarship and even had a couple of tryouts with pro teams but never made it. He was pretty adamant about me being a baseball player growing up, he even made me left handed when I was young by forcing me to eat with my left hand (left handers are very sought out in baseball). It made me want to be a baseball player too, even though deep down I really didn't enjoy the sport that much. I was quite good until I turned about 15, when I realized I was much better at football than baseball. I was cut from the baseball team shortly thereafter, so that was that.

I don't wanna give the impression that he was one of the dead beat dads that forced their kids to play sports when they didnt want to, cause he was anything but. I was much more nervous about bringing home bad grades than I was about playing bad in a game.

Made the decision to be a doctor my senior year of high school, my cousins a heart surgeon and bought a huge house and I was like "yep thats what I want to be." Of course, my motivations have changed since then and I am still very much determined to make it to medical school.

 

[bannie22]

i like the typo... sounds like a mistake a parent-who-forces-their-child-into-medicine would make

 

[aggie08]

It's funny that most people's parents were strongly for or strongly against them going into medicine, not many were just up for whatever.

Mine were, for the most part. Mom and Dad were proud, but both kind of like do what you want....Step-Mom told me I should probably "aim lower" and try to do something else, because she didn't think I could get in.

 

[boaz]

"Force" might be too strong of a word. It might be skewing the statistics. "Push" would have been better.

 

[just one]

white people don't immigrate?

That's right, only the US has white people! Seriously😕