Interview Q: "Why medicine and not other heath care professions?"

[eg77]

I'm interested to hear what the best answer to this Q would be: "Why medicine and not other heath care professions?"

It's hard to not downplay other professions.

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[Law2Doc]

I'm interested to hear what the best answer to this Q would be: "Why medicine and not other heath care professions?"

It's hard to not downplay other professions.

Well, you probably considered other possibilities when deciding what you wanted to do with your life, so, assuming you were telling your family/friends, and not in an interview, why a doctor?

Wrong answers are "to help people" (as all health positions do this), money, prestige, and anything that demeans other health positions. Pretty much any other answer will work. Things like autonomy, an interest in research, and excitement about specific roles (surgeon, diagnostician) are probably valid.

 

[jebus]

Why would you bring up other professions (or denigrate them)? You could easily answer this question simply by giving a detailed answer about what a doctor does (maybe you can include how you decided to pursue this profession, what your clinical experience taught you about it and reinforced your desire to pursue it, etc.) while providing a modicum of contrast to a nurse or social worker or basic researcher or.... You're going to a medical school interview. You're expected to know what a physician does, not what other professions do.
Just concentrate on the task at hand (a medical school interview and why you want to become a doctor and why you're well qualified to pursue medicine) and you'll do fine.

 

[Rafa]

I'd slightly disagree with the 'to help people' thing. You can say that, but if you do, use it as a segue into your answer. IE, I want to help people *with science*...*with the education and hands-on experience medicine provides*, etc. The core of your desire to be a doctor should kind of involve a desire to help people. You just don't want that to come across as your only answer.

But yeah - apart from that, just stay away from "prestige", "money", "power", and things of that nature, and think about why you'd really like to spend four years in med school and several years in residency. Thinking about your final specialty is a good way to come up with an answer (ideally, before you have an interview).

 

[eg77]

Why would you bring up other professions (or denigrate them)? You could easily answer this question simply by giving a detailed answer about what a doctor does (maybe you can include how you decided to pursue this profession, what your clinical experience taught you about it and reinforced your desire to pursue it, etc.) while providing a modicum of contrast to a nurse or social worker or basic researcher or.... You're going to a medical school interview. You're expected to know what a physician does, not what other professions do.
Just concentrate on the task at hand (a medical school interview and why you want to become a doctor and why you're well qualified to pursue medicine) and you'll do fine.

Thanls for the reply. However, the problem with the Q is not the why medicine part...but it's the "why not other health care profession" part. I have several reasons for the why med: intlectually challenging, constanty changing, lifetime learning, doctor-patient realtionship, job security, interest in the body and biological mechanisms, challenging, etc. However, a lo of these can be said about nursing or physio for example.
What are your thoughts?

 

[DoctaJay]

Tell the truth without bashing other professions. I would tell them that I want to be at the pinnacle of the decision making process when it comes to taking care of a patient. Even though that probably means being the hospital administrator, it would suit that question well. I also like the variety of cases you are exposed to in medicine, the hands on patient contact, the pay, the challange, the opportunity for ministry, etc.

 

[Law2Doc]

Even though that probably means being the hospital administrator,

actually, it might mean working at an insurance company...

 

[eg77]

I think the best way to tackle this Q is to focus on the concept of how there truly is no other profession that will provide all of the factors that make medicine attratctive.

I also think that I should try to avoid comparison on one certain profession unless they specifically ask about nursing for example.

 

[eg77]

Bump

 

[NapeSpikes]

I think the best way to tackle this Q is to focus on the concept of how there truly is no other profession that will provide all of the factors that make medicine attratctive.

I also think that I should try to avoid comparison on one certain profession unless they specifically ask about nursing for example.

Did you just answer your own question and then bumped the thread??