i stutter, should I still be a doctor?

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IdoDrugs

I stutter when I speak. It is a condition that I can't really help all that much. My stuttering is not like it was when I was say in first grade. I am able to speak say 3-4 sentences without stuttering. Very rarely it is so bad that daily I have to carry a notepad with me to write things down in order to communicate.

I am seriously concerned this may indirectly lead to interviewers rejecting me and I know patients won't like it either.

Does anyone know of any stuttering physicians or stutters in medical school? Any thoughts, stories. What specialties might be good for a stutter? As of now I am not very interested in family practice. I find endocrinology very interesting...thats a tought...

I will not apply to medical school until after I graduate.

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I wouldn't worry too much about it. Your stutter is something you can work on. Besides that, I don't know how many doctors I've seen that can barely speak english. It's just something else for you to overcome, and yes it may be problematic at times, but you can work through it.
 
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Guy in my class has a stuttering problem. You can tell he has worked on it and if he speaks out in class or something he has to speak slowly or he'll start stuttering. It can be done.
 
This is a Pre-Allopathic/Pre-med issue. Allopathic medical students can reply to thread in Pre-Allo.
 
Didn't Demosthenes, the most famous of ancient orators, start with a stutter? I think you just need to work on it and address it directly in your interviews while focussing on what you have done to overcome the problem. It could be worked to your advantage.
 
it was horrible when i was in elementary school. i hated also being bullied because i was in the "special ed" group. o well. i recieved speech therapy and still do sometimes (intensive during summers in high school) and it has gotten alot better.

I have learned that stress will also affect it. Naturally, I may start to stutter more around mid terms/finals.

Its good to know it is still possible.

As I work on it, it is getting better. Certain speech excerises are very helpful

Thanks
 
^^^Yes, seconding the link posted by lilnoelle as both helpful and insightful.

But you know, IdoDrugs, your stuttering problem might ease if you lay off the hard stuff :laugh:
 
So long as you ****! don't ****! have COCK! full BALLSACK! *twitch* blown COMMIE MOTHER***ER! Tourrete's BASTARD! syndrome *****! you *twitch* should *twitch* be DICKHEAD! fine.
 
i really do not do drugs. :D

i just work in a pharmacy (just during breaks now) and i find them interesting.
 
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It might be a problem if you're running for President of USA, but as a doctor, I don't think it'll a be a problem.
 
Fellow stutterer here. I was also a lot worse when I was younger but I still struggle. My brother also stutters and both of us are starting med school in the fall. Speech therapy has helped me a lot. I had a lot of interviews when I was applying and my advice to you is to casually mention your stutter to the interviewer. It will show you are comfortable with your condition and make the interviewer more comfortable. It will also keep the interviewer from thinking that you are too nervous. They WILL NOT hold stuttering against you and it can only add to personality by showing you can overcome obstacles.
 
Bill Walton (for those of you who follow the NBA) had a huge stuttering problem....now he does commentary for ESPN and doesn't shutup
 
I'd think you'd be fine. We had a nephrologist come lecture who stuttered throughout the entire lecture. My only advice is don't lecture.

that's random, i also know a nephrologist who stutters...he was very successful as a med student and is currently in a great practice. op i think you should be fine
 
and if it does get worse, you still have fields like radiology, trauma surgery, pathology that require little communication that still save lives

all three pay well too and are good fields that aren't above and beyond any students' potential
 
i can't believe nobody used this one yet:



c-c-c-c-c-c-certainly
 
and if it does get worse, you still have fields like radiology, trauma surgery, pathology that require little communication that still save lives

all three pay well too and are good fields that aren't above and beyond any students' potential
I think you'd be surprised how much speaking is involved in all of those fields- especially pathology and radiology where dictation is a big part of your job.
 
One of my interviewers was a stutterer. He communicated just fine,and I think he's also a lecturer. I think his stutter inspired him to go into neuro.
 
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