Save lives vs. Nip/tuck

[Kraazy]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

Just out of curiosity, how many people here would like to go into cosmetic medicine, or any kind of medicine that doesn't strictly speaking "save lives"? If so , would you make your intentions known in your application/interview?

I just feel like everybody says they want to be a doctor to "save lives," but realistically, there must be plenty of people who want to specialize in cosmetic surgeries, or dispensing valium to celebrities. Do you think there is stigma associated with not wanting to be the next Paul Farmer?

 

[DropkickMurphy]

This is about to get ugly. Buckle up folks.

 

[mrs.smith]

I think it would probably hurt your app to say it the way you phrased it above.

 

[AnEyeLikeMars]

Just out of curiosity, how many people here would like to go into cosmetic medicine, or any kind of medicine that doesn't strictly speaking "save lives"? If so , would you make your intentions known in your application/interview?

I just feel like everybody says they want to be a doctor to "save lives," but realistically, there must be plenty of people who want to specialize in cosmetic surgeries, or dispensing valium to celebrities. Do you think there is stigma associated with not wanting to be the next Paul Farmer?

Not all medicine is about saving lives. A good deal of medicine is about improving lives, for example:

Plastic surgery (and don't just assume this is a vanity thing, also think about reconstructive surgery and burn surgery)

Psychiatry

Sports medicine

Opthalmology

Some of ENT

PM&R

Pain subspecialties

the list goes on...

 

[cubbbie]

Yeah, you can do a lot with plastics or even derm that is not exclusively catering to wealthy people with skewed notions of beauty and value.

One of my favorite interviewers was an orthopedic surgeon, which is also a specialty that often falls under the "luxury medicine" category. But he worked almost exclusively in underserved communities and entered into that specialty because he saw how empowering it was for (especially poor) people to regain their mobility after injury or chronic problems. I had never thought of orthopedics in that way, and plastics can be the same (nerve grafts, skin grafts, etc).

But yes, if you do plan on entering into medicine solely to profit off of vanity, I would not make it known in the application process. I don't think there's anything necessarily wrong with that, though. I don't see how a physician who enters the field intending on doing nothing but rhinoplasties and botox injections is any different from someone who goes to school to become and orthodontist.

 

[etf]

i think the problem is that a lot of people view medicine as a "calling" rather than just another job. i consider it a job. i'm hoping to go into one of the more "life-saving" specialities, but wouldn't feel "bad" about "ending up" in plastics or derm.

 

[Kraazy]

Not all medicine is about saving lives. A good deal of medicine is about improving lives.

I totally agree. I couldn't find a delicate way to phrase my question but my point is that even though it should be legitimate for someone to wnat to go into the least altruistic brand of medicine (e.g. devote themsleves exclusively to doing boob jobs for porn stars), it's seen as dishonest or selfish or somehow just not what an aspiring doctor should want to do.

 

[SpartyFan]

One of me cornea speacialists (yes I see more than one) told me that he doesn't consider himself a doctor. He says the ER and family practice docs are the real doctors. They are the ones that deal with "real" sickness. I couldn't disagree with him more.

 

[Vano]

At this point I'm not interested in cosmetic medicine. I wouldn't necessarily equate wanting to go into cosmetic medicine to just being in medicine for the money, maybe it's just the kind of medicine you like and you're good at. Also, I suspect most people on this thread are pre-meds, your aspirations now won't necessarily last through med.school, maybe you'll "fall in love" with another specialty or your stats simply won't allow you to get into cosmetic medicine. What then?

 

[jojo_1981]

I wonder if every specialty has a dramatized TV show to publicize it like Nip/Tuck does for Plastics? Let's see if we can make a list. I'll start:

Nip/Tuck --- Plastics

ER --- EM (and some Surgery?)

Grey's --- Surgery and some Neuro

House --- IM

What is Scrubs?

 

[DropkickMurphy]

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZrdUfhG9a8[/YOUTUBE]

 

[Samosas]

I wonder if every specialty has a dramatized TV show to publicize it like Nip/Tuck does for Plastics? Let's see if we can make a list. I'll start:

Nip/Tuck --- Plastics

ER --- EM (and some Surgery?)

Grey's --- Surgery and some Neuro

House --- IM

What is Scrubs?

Scrubs is a lil bit of everything.

 

[Funky]

Scrubs is a lil bit of everything.

i would say scrubs is IM + Surgery