Themes in Medicine? A little insight please.

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Adaggiote

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Since This is for medical students post, I thought it would be of better judgment to post here. I have recently read a book called 'What it means to be Human" and gained a little insight on medicine. Essentially, what I obtained from my readings is the dominating theme of 'reaching and conecting with our humanity'. My ultimate question to you is: What are the underlying themes of medicine you have experienced or had insight sbout during your medical ventures. If you cannot answer this question, then I beg you to please recommend a novel or form of literature that will produce inspiration and insight.

Thanks.

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Since This is for medical students post, I thought it would be of better judgment to post here. I have recently read a book called 'What it means to be Human" and gained a little insight on medicine. Essentially, what I obtained from my readings is the dominating theme of 'reaching and conecting with our humanity'. My ultimate question to you is: What are the underlying themes of medicine you have experienced or had insight sbout during your medical ventures. If you cannot answer this question, then I beg you to please recommend a novel or form of literature that will produce inspiration and insight.

Thanks.

As a medical student, would it make more sense for my reply to go in the pre-allo forum?

The answer to your question on themes in medicine I have experienced: remember enough of the material to pass the test.
 
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Aww. C'mon guys. Please help me out.
 
Since This is for medical students post, I thought it would be of better judgment to post here. I have recently read a book called 'What it means to be Human" and gained a little insight on medicine. Essentially, what I obtained from my readings is the dominating theme of 'reaching and conecting with our humanity'. My ultimate question to you is: What are the underlying themes of medicine you have experienced or had insight sbout during your medical ventures. If you cannot answer this question, then I beg you to please recommend a novel or form of literature that will produce inspiration and insight.

Thanks.

I don't get why you're so desperate for inspiration. Oh yeah, and modeling your writing style after Jane Austen's = barf.
 
Your post reads like a college essay.

The themes I have encounter so far:

1. Boredom
2. Despair
3. Alcoholism


The funny thing is the first reply is the closest to the truth.

If I were you I'd explore why a career that ostensibly at least some people go into out of misguided altruism, has such little respect from the average American anymore. For more on this topic head down to your local ER and interview a doctor.
 
You will find that most people who post on SDN are the 270 (99th percentile) scorers on the step, people who went into medicine because of their capacity to memorize detail who had nothing better to do than become a doctor.

The people who wish to aid the weak, cure the sick, and change the world are found in the bush, not on the internet. That being said, asking for "themes" seems a little short-sided. What you may be asking for is inspiration.

Inspiration is derived from the individual. Consider for a moment that there are people persuing an MD/MPH with the intention of traveling the globe to give health care to the people who need it the most. While Indian citizens desperately attempt to get into some god awful community program in the united states with the dreams of entering hematology oncology, there are American doctors who travel to India (with about a 100,000 to 1 patient to doctor ratio) simply to try to prevent disease that simply does not exist in the UNited States. See Atul Gwande's "Better" or "Courage."

Maybe saving the world isnt for you. Personally, I see the jade and the bad attitude being derived not from our lives, but from those we look up to. Whether you are the bottom of the class, or presume to believe you are smarter than your teachers, you cannot escape human nature. Human's want to fit in, they want to be part of the group. Needless to say, if students see their residents and attendings angry at the malingerer, the bounce back, or the noncompliant, then the student inherently behaves in a similar manner. While health care shifts for the better in terms of education and patient outcomes, the older physicians boast their feats, their 120 hour work days, and all the knowledge they accumulated. For those who practiced in the 60s, 70s, and even the 80s, medical school was easy. You had Digoxin and Penicillin. No one had even considered what HIV might be. Now there are 37 medications for HAART. We, as the next generation, have to juggle thousands of new diseases, treatments, and differentials. See Conrad Fischer's "Routine Miracles" for inspiration.

Is medical school hard? Yeah. Does it raise your blood pressure or force you to question whether you made the right decision or not? Absolutely. I promise you, when its over, its totally worth it. If you joined medicine for the money or because you had no idea what else to do, you are going to be in for a real tough ride. I wish you luck in curing your soul, and hope that you will find inspiration in the people, the words, or the books you encounter.

The List (in no order):
(1) House of God
(2) Courage
(3) Better
(4) Routine Miracles

Themes:
(1) Hope
(2) Joy
(3) Satisfaction
(4) Pride
 
The List (in no order):
(1) House of God
(2) Courage
(3) Better
(4) Routine Miracles

Themes:
(1) Hope
(2) Joy
(3) Satisfaction
(4) Pride

Umm, yeah...I'd avoid self-indulgent, feel-good, warm blanket, hot coco kind of books. Those are for invertebrates. This is what you should read:

The List (in order):
1) Being and Nothingness
2) Nausea
3) On the Genealogy of Morals
4) You Can Be a Stock Market Genius (get money, get paid!)
 
Umm, yeah...I'd avoid self-indulgent, feel-good, warm blanket, hot coco kind of books. Those are for invertebrates. This is what you should read:]

Apparently, you missed the major sections of my post and jumped to the conclusions at the end of the section. Rather than processing meaning and detail, you simply react to simple stimuli. Who is the invertebrate?

The OP is looking for inspiration and motivation. This thread only perpetuates the belief that SDN is full of sour med students that only wish to vent their frustrations or deliberate their success on Step exams while people, looking for legitimate help, receive nothing useful.

If you want to be cynical, burned out, or jaded, take it some where else. It only perpetuated cynicism, burn out, and jading. It may be hard to be the one who changes, it may be hard to be the one who inspires, but others will be better for it.
 
Umm, yeah...I'd avoid self-indulgent, feel-good, warm blanket, hot coco kind of books. Those are for invertebrates. This is what you should read:)

Apparently, you missed the major sections of my post and jumped to the conclusions at the end of the section. Rather than processing meaning and detail, you simply react to simple stimuli. Who is the invertebrate?

The OP is looking for inspiration and motivation. This thread only perpetuates the belief that SDN is full of sour med students that only wish to vent their frustrations or deliberate their success on Step exams while people, looking for legitimate help, receive nothing useful.

If you want to be cynical, burned out, or jaded, take it some where else. It only perpetuated cynicism, burn out, and jading. It may be hard to be the one who changes, it may be hard to be the one who inspires, but others will be better for it.
 
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Apparently, you missed the major sections of my post and jumped to the conclusions at the end of the section. Rather than processing meaning and detail, you simply react to simple stimuli. Who is the invertebrate?

The OP is looking for inspiration and motivation. This thread only perpetuates the belief that SDN is full of sour med students that only wish to vent their frustrations or deliberate their success on Step exams while people, looking for legitimate help, receive nothing useful.

If you want to be cynical, burned out, or jaded, take it some where else. It only perpetuated cynicism, burn out, and jading. It may be hard to be the one who changes, it may be hard to be the one who inspires, but others will be better for it.

I think the baby needs his diaper changed...
 
The OP is looking for inspiration and motivation.

Tell me...how do you look for inspiration and/or motivation while ignoring the ugly, dark themes that come with the territory? All it serves to do is build up a fantasy world for the OP to plunge head-first into, only to inevitably deal with the fun realization that what they "thought medicine would be" is a far cry from what it is.

Would you rather a temporary feel-good look into the good things that happen in medicine only to become disillusioned and jaded later when the bad comes crashing down on you? Or, would you rather weigh the goods against the bads and make an informed decision for yourself?
 
The OP is looking for inspiration and motivation.

Sounds more like the OP is hoping someone will tell him/her that medicine is exactly like a tv show. :rolleyes:

Tell me...how do you look for inspiration and/or motivation while ignoring the ugly, dark themes that come with the territory? All it serves to do is build up a fantasy world for the OP to plunge head-first into, only to inevitably deal with the fun realization that what they "thought medicine would be" is a far cry from what it is.

Would you rather a temporary feel-good look into the good things that happen in medicine only to become disillusioned and jaded later when the bad comes crashing down on you? Or, would you rather weigh the goods against the bads and make an informed decision for yourself?

:thumbup:
 
Well, I see what is going on now. I can 'infer' from some of your replies that a lot of you are being extremely cynical of medicine as a whole. I want to be further inspired rather than being cliche and take things to a whole new level. Some of you said that medicine is like an iceberg (i.e. 9/10ths below water) and does not seem 'as itself' on the surface. It kind of makes me question the future of medicine now.....
 
Well, I see what is going on now. I can 'infer' from some of your replies that a lot of you are being extremely cynical of medicine as a whole. I want to be further inspired rather than being cliche and take things to a whole new level. Some of you said that medicine is like an iceberg (i.e. 9/10ths below water) and does not seem 'as itself' on the surface. It kind of makes me question the future of medicine now.....

The thing about medicine is you don't really know what you're getting into until you're knee deep - not only because what you think you know changes, but because what you want 7-12 years down the road changes. That's not to say that it definitely will or will not be the right choice for you, just that psyching yourself up to pull the trigger on medicine is perhaps silly.

Also, forget reading about medicine. The only thing more pretentious than a doctor is a doctor who writes books about being a doctor. You can't see 20/20 with those goggles, if you catch my drift.
 
Well what about interviews and being an insightful doctor??
 
Well what about interviews and being an insightful doctor??

What about them? Interviews are the last place you should be learning about medicine. "Insightful doctor" is such a vague, loaded, and borderline mythological idea that you should probably clarify what exactly that phrase means to you.
 
What about them? Interviews are the last place you should be learning about medicine. "Insightful doctor" is such a vague, loaded, and borderline mythological idea that you should probably clarify what exactly that phrase means to you.

But isn't that what one finds insightful? Adcoms want to make sure you know what is in your head and what you are getting yourself into before they make their final decision.
 
But isn't that what one finds insightful? Adcoms want to make sure you know what is in your head and what you are getting yourself into before they make their final decision.

You can't find out what you are getting yourself into by reading cliched books about stuff other people did, which is what many premed recommended books are.

You have to seek out experiences for yourself and actually WITNESS medicine. It's hard I know, but you learn so much more that way.

Sitting around reading a book is not going to give you insight into medicine.
 
You can't find out what you are getting yourself into by reading cliched books about stuff other people did, which is what many premed recommended books are.

You have to seek out experiences for yourself and actually WITNESS medicine. It's hard I know, but you learn so much more that way.

Sitting around reading a book is not going to give you insight into medicine.

UHHHH...Thanks!!!:)
 
But isn't that what one finds insightful? Adcoms want to make sure you know what is in your head and what you are getting yourself into before they make their final decision.

uhh... well a third of my interviewers did not have an MD, and about half of my interviewers probably never see patients. FYI, i applied MD only... so i dont really know how insightful it is. they wanna know u as a person, not something you read from those "books" or whatever.
 
ahhhh....I see hwat is going on.....

The interview is just a place to blow smoke so you get what you want????
 
fatigue
disgust
stench
relief
sensation of ignorance
chicks
money
power
chicks
 
More like a mock interview.
You shouldn't be blowing smoke, because odds are that you're not very good at it, and your interviewer will see through it. You should put a positive spin on things, because that's simply expected. If you can't/don't, it speaks poorly to your understanding of interview and application processes in general, and I would assume that nuance is lost on you.

I almost never wear a suit, but I wore one to all of my interviews. It's not blowing smoke - it's adapting to the expectations of the situation.
 
You shouldn't be blowing smoke, because odds are that you're not very good at it, and your interviewer will see through it. You should put a positive spin on things, because that's simply expected. If you can't/don't, it speaks poorly to your understanding of interview and application processes in general, and I would assume that nuance is lost on you.

I almost never wear a suit, but I wore one to all of my interviews. It's not blowing smoke - it's adapting to the expectations of the situation.

Nice :thumbup:
 
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