What Made You Want to Become a Doctor? Share Your Story!

Discover Your Odds of Getting into Medical School
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subtlewonder

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my dad was a doctor

haha jk
 
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Because they let us touch naked people and we get to eat the leftovers.
 
I was always sick as a kid, but the hospital fascinated me despite all of the needle pricks. Plus I want a career that involves helping people! Plus, I find the basic medical science disciplines fascinating and I love trying to find ways of applying them to real life situations!
 
Because of the chicks man, the chicks and beamers!
 
Originally posted by TTSD
Because of the chicks man, the chicks and beamers!
Click to expand...

Beamers? Anybody can get a beamer for 500/mo. Bring up your values - A Benz, a house by the Atlantic Ocean with a $100,000 boat parked on your dock...:D
 
That's bimmers. Beemers are motorcycles, and I don't even have a clue what a beamer is.
 
When I was little I realized that every time I went to the doctor I came away in pain. People kept telling me that doctors were actually there to help people. I wanted to help people but I also wanted to cause distress and trauma. Thus my future career was decided.
 
Originally posted by OnMyWayThere
Beamers? Anybody can get a beamer for 500/mo. Bring up your values - A Benz, a house by the Atlantic Ocean with a $100,000 boat parked on your dock...:D
Click to expand...

Well.. classy ****** ARE expensive you know :-\
 
You can't even imagine the kind of fun you can have with a corpse alone in a refrigerated room :laugh:
 
the age old "my dad is a doctor" and I'm a huge fan of mysteries . . . making my insanely successfull and extemely annoying cousins call me "doctor -----" is going to be a very nice added bonus!
 
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coke & hookers ain't cheap...
 
This response is essentially a much, much cruder version of my personal statement...

-I love the basic medical sciences.

-I used to be a hardcore Republican and believer of Ayn Rand's philosophy

-By gaining exposure to the poor, I rejected Ayn Rand's philosophy. I saw that by virtue of my birth, I have been given a lot of advantages that other people don't have. Therefore, I feel a strong obligation to serve those who are less advantaged.

-Medicine for me, then is the best way that I can do all of this - channeling my love for the sciences into a profession that is both intellectually and morally rewarding.
 
Porsche GT2, house in the hamptons, luxury apartment on Park Ave, Trophy wife with DD implants
 
Originally posted by Andrew_Doan
This was from two years ago, but I feel the same way, if not stronger now! ;)

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?s=&postid=450395#post450395

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=49604
Click to expand...

Andrew, I really like what you had to say on that first link. Thanks for sharing that. Although I, along with others, joke around and say money, bla bla... it's not the truth - I left a 6 figure income to pursue my dream and possibly make less. I am glad to have to look forward to colleagues like yourself once I am done because on SDN, I find some really odd people that really make me think if I really want to work with these people in the future... like someone who brought some stupid DO vs. MD thread (WoRRIED thread) back to life and when I told him it's annoying to see dead threads come back, get some immature, childish response.

Anyway, good post man and glad you could share your experience. Hope to work with people like yourself in the near future. I gotta go study some MCAT now to get there! :thumbup:
 
For a long time I have been excited for medical school and for everything that I will learn. I love learning about human biology and pathology--the material is very interesting to me. I think the human body is so amazing and I would love to thoroughly understand how it works. I think it will be so awesome when my friends and family call me up to ask me advice on health care matters.

I also love working closely with people in healing relationships--what could be more rewarding?
 
I was a pro bmx'er and I thought that's what I wanted to do for a living. I worked at a nearby hospital as a pharmacy technician, and one day while I was filling the pyxis machine in the O.R. I knew right then what I wanted to do for a living. Anesthesia fascinates me, I think it will be awesome to comfort someone in probably one of the scariest moments of their life. Also, having to think on your toes every minute, and trying to save someone that has crashed will be exciting, and keep the adrenaline flowing; I need a job like that. I wouldn't even consider it a job though, because it would be something I know I would love to do.
 
Originally posted by TTSD
Because of the chicks man, the chicks and beamers!
Click to expand...

i like to shorten it to: "fo tha bitchez and tha benjamins."
 
I got interested in becoming a doc by being an EMT. I absolutely LOVED it - but was frustrated because I didn't know much medically, and felt that I could be helping so much more. I gradually realized that in order to truly have a good knowledge base and be able to manage patients myself and make my own decisions, I need to become a physician. I really love medicine because it fits so well with the other things I'm passionate about -traveling and backpacking/climbing. As a physician, I can work as an expedition doc, and I can work with organizations like Doctors Without Borders, which is essentially what I plan to do for a long time. So, after many years of memorizing.... Nepal, Zimbabwe, Croatia... yes!!!
 
Originally posted by TheFlash
That's an awesome story Dr. D. Do you know if the young man's eye ever completely healed?
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The cornea service performed a corneal epithelial debridement a week later. After several months, the vision improved to 20/20 in both eyes. It was amazing that he did so well.

Thanks for your kind thoughts! :)
 
Originally posted by bigbaubdi
This response is essentially a much, much cruder version of my personal statement...

-I love the basic medical sciences.

-I used to be a hardcore Republican and believer of Ayn Rand's philosophy

-By gaining exposure to the poor, I rejected Ayn Rand's philosophy. I saw that by virtue of my birth, I have been given a lot of advantages that other people don't have. Therefore, I feel a strong obligation to serve those who are less advantaged.

-Medicine for me, then is the best way that I can do all of this - channeling my love for the sciences into a profession that is both intellectually and morally rewarding.
Click to expand...

Dude, Ayn Rand is the most boring author I have ever attempted to read with the possible exception of Noam Chomsky. Definitly Cliff Notes material if you are forced to read either one. I think I'd rather have lemon juice squeezed into my paper-cuts then read either of them.

I don't know if you have been accepted to medical school so ths advice might be moot but generally you shouldn't put on your personal statement that you used to be a Republican but converted to socialism or whatever after you hung out with poor people.

First of all, many physicians are Republicans (most of them?) and while they will probably try to be fair it might be hard for them to maintain their objectivity while evaluating your attack on thier political beliefs.

Second, many, many Republicans and especially conservative Christian fundamentalists do a lot more charity work then you imagine among the poor. Every Baptist church I know of has a mission presence in some third world hell-hole or another and while they of course try to to "convert the heathens" they also provide medical and material support to their missions. You may not think that preaching the Gospel qualifies as valid charity work (and let's not argue about it) but the Christian physician reading your statement might think it does.

The difference is that most Christians don't brag about their service but tend to the poor with a little bit of humility. I know a guy, a huge supporter of President Bush, who, with his wife, takes his three weeks vacation every year to a mission in Kazakstan where they basically clean the toilets and do other useful but glamourless work in an orphanage sponsored by their church. Certainly not as "sexy" as manning the phone in an AIDS crisis hotline or passing out clean needles to junkies or any of the other high profile, self-aggrandizing and ultimately useless activities typical of liberal "charity."

Plus, it is generally a bad idea to inject "graphic" political content into your personal statement. Again, you might be able to pull it off but the children at home should be cautioned not to try it. Why risk insulting somebody who you have never met?
 
well, i was planning on getting a degree in biomedical engineering and doing research for a pharmaceutical company or if i was lucky becoming a professor or something along those lines.

the reason i chose biomedical engineering is that i love biology and think the human body is absolutely amazing as someone else said. so i wanted to learn all about it and have a job that involved it.

but then i got my first job doing research, and i didn't like it. i am a super social person and research means you are stuck in a lab with 5 other nerdy scientists. it was intellectually stimulating, but it was still kind of boring in a way cause i didn't get to meet new people.

so that's when i came up with the doctor idea. you get to learn all this really cool stuff and see and help many different people. and you get to do it in a direct way. and it's super prestigious, which i like, cause i wanna live up to my potential and i'll admit, have people be impressed by what i do, especially since i look like i'm just some dumb blonde. people think i have an IQ of 70 or something i'm sure, so when i tell them what i'm studying and what i plan on doing i like to see that look on their faces.

also, i can't think of anything else i would possibly like doing anymore. so doctor it is... assuming i get accepted and all that. :)
 
I think the variety of opportunities in medicine is a big selling point for many. Don't really want to deal with a lot of patients? Go into surgical pathology and maybe do a bone marrow biopsy every once in a while. The rest of your time you won't be worrying about talking to patients. And if you like that sort of thing then you could do FP and talk to 40 patients in one day. Heck, even within specialties you can go into an area which suits your personality and technical skills best. Do radiology and spend almost all of your time reading scans, or decide to do an IR fellowship and spend a good portion of time doing procedures.

If you can't find something in medicine you like, then you may not like doing anything.
 
Originally posted by quideam
I got interested in becoming a doc by being an EMT. I absolutely LOVED it - but was frustrated because I didn't know much medically, and felt that I could be helping so much more. I gradually realized that in order to truly have a good knowledge base and be able to manage patients myself and make my own decisions, I need to become a physician. I really love medicine because it fits so well with the other things I'm passionate about -traveling and backpacking/climbing. As a physician, I can work as an expedition doc, and I can work with organizations like Doctors Without Borders, which is essentially what I plan to do for a long time. So, after many years of memorizing.... Nepal, Zimbabwe, Croatia... yes!!!
Click to expand...


do you also go to an ivy league school? :laugh:
 
- got laid off as an engineer after the bubble crashed
- x gf was premed
 
I've been to see tons of different orthopedic surgeons for injuries from gymnastics and they never seemed to care about what I had to say. I want to be a doctor so I can actually listen to the patient and care for them that way before medically treating them.
 
1- Hated my job and was laid off.
2- Originally wanted to be a vet, but figured out that my interests were better suited for human medicine (after taking some pre-reqs).
3- Really like science
4- Want to do something meaningful with my life
 
So that people could come to me with their problems and I could solve them.

I thought about being a psychologist but that just sucks to not be able to help people when they have problems with their bodies as well as their minds so why not become a doctor instead? You can do the whole sha-bang for them.

Something that worries me: Nothing fascinates me about the human body. I don't find poop excretion or the way the body sweats or the number of neural synapses in the brain or metabolizing drugs or producing urine to be anything wonderful or fascinating or beautiful (I hope this doesn't mean I'll have a much harder time getting through med school than other students. Any current medical students here with experience to answer this worry???) Like, I study it all the same but without too much fascination or feeling of enlightenment or advancement. The human body doesn't touch me in particular emotionally or make me feel in awe like it does for other people.

But, I do think the human body is somewhat interesting and is a mystery as is the rest of the world. But not something I die for to study in itself. I would like to have the knowledge to be able to work to solve people's medical problems. If I didn't have to learn it to know how to solve medical problems, I wouldn't take the extra step to learn it. (Current medical students, is this enough to get me through or should I reconsider becoming a doctor?)
 
in no particular order:

1. make a lot of money
2. my mother/father/uncle/grandfather/cousin/dog/brother was a doctor, so i should be one too or i will disappoint him/her.
3. want to wear the white coat, it makes me feel pretty and powerful.
4. want to get lots of respect and look down my nose at everyone
5. i want to "help people"
6. i was a huge fan of science. huge fan...HUGE!
 
My father has a rare genetic disorder known as alpha-1 antitrypsin defeciency. He had a liver transplant when I was eight years old. He's had all sorts of other medical problems. They're currently evaluating him as an inpatient for primary schlerosing cholangitis. It's difficult to balance that with his one remaining kidney's (the other one had a big ol renal cell carcinoma) poor function (creatanine 3 and rising!).

Anyways, my mother is a schizophrenic. She's had periods of depression and schizophrenia ever since I was born. Hence, I'm an only child.

Why am I medical student? I want to solve complex medical problems so that other little kids can have their parents when they're growing up. Medical research has the potential to save so many more lives than one practicioner could ever save. Sure, my parents' difficulties left us all in the poor house and I moved out when I was 16 and got my GED, but at least I had them.
 
I am really interested in the brain and in brain disorders. That was one factor that influenced me to go into medicine. Additionally, raising my dog, Pepper, was another factor. Although pets are different from humans, the lessons I learned from caring for my dog up until he died made me want to go into the profession. When Pepper was alive, I was always concerned about his health and would just spend time, petting him and making sure he was okay.
 
I realized optometry sucks :laugh:
 
My story stems from a sporting injury. I played football in highschool, and as a sophomore, people were already beginning to talk about me playing at a Division I school in college. I had the size, strength, and the motivation. Then I tore my rotator cuff mid sophomore season. Of course, I wanted to get the shoulder fixed and be back on the field as soon as possible
The first surgeon that I went to see was a complete dingus. When I told him I wanted to play in college, he told me that it was a "foolish dream"; because of the injury, I would never play football again. He belittled me and my goals and told me there was nothing I could do, and surgery would only partially repair the shoulder.
Needless to say, I was devastated. But I would not accept that answer. I went to another doctor for a second opinion; this guy ended up becoming my inspiration and role-model. He was very reassuring, he worked with me every way possible to help fix my shoulder, and after surgery and physical therapy, I was back on the football field the next year, almost like I never had a problem at all.
I learned the incredible value of a compassionate physician through this experience. And while I didnt end up playing college football (for other reasons), I appreciate to this day the sensitivity and dedication this doctor showed to me. I want to provide that same type of quality care and compassion to future patients of my own, and possibly change a few lives through my efforts.
 
Sorry, double post. ;)
 
My dad is a 2x liver and 1x kidney transplant patient. Infected with Hep C. His medicine cabinet looks like a small pharmacy.

I have also witnessed first hand what difference a "good" doctor can make over a "bad" doctor.
Although when he was first diagnosed, it was called hep nonA/nonB, no doctor was able to figure out what was wrong with him. Finally he went and donated blood and was sent a letter telling him never to donate blood again because he was infected with hepatitis.

My mommy is a nurse, which is good, because she watches his labs carefully.

Needless to say, medicine has always been an active part of my family, and interests me to no end.
 
I just wanted a reason to join SDN. :D
 
I primarily want to help people. That story is rather touching Dr. D... it's one of the reasons I want to be a doctor.

I have relatives who have also been doctors.

I would love to have a job where I am on call 24/7 which is why I am going into radiology. Money is also extremely good. :D I have heard in some places $250K wages.
 
amnesia said:
I would love to have a job where I am on call 24/7 which is why I am going into radiology. Money is also extremely good. :D I have heard in some places $250K wages.
Click to expand...
You must be quite the exception. Being on call 24/7??? Talking about a fast burnout. I would think twice if I were you. just remember, every awesome thing will become dreadfull and routine if you don't have a great lifestyle outside the hospital. Having the ER doc call you at 3 in the morning to read a CT is not my idea of a good lifestyle outside the hospital...
 
Rugger81 said:
in no particular order:

1. make a lot of money
2. my mother/father/uncle/grandfather/cousin/dog/brother was a doctor, so i should be one too or i will disappoint him/her.
3. want to wear the white coat, it makes me feel pretty and powerful.
4. want to get lots of respect and look down my nose at everyone
5. i want to "help people"
6. i was a huge fan of science. huge fan...HUGE!
Click to expand...

yea. that pretty much covers most pre-meds. sad.
 
What else was I supposed to do with a bio degree?
Really I started out wanting to help other people, as a kid I got a kick out of Halloween not because I liked to trick or treat but because I enjoyed giving out candy. Mind you, I was feeling all warm and fuzzy about this at age 7. By the time I was in college, it was a toss up between Psych and pre-med, bio seemed more challenging and I never back down from a good challenge. My MCAT sucked, so I got a job doing something that I had no experience in and basked in the glow of stock options and a novel career in equities research. But one morning I was jogging and passed a bag lady who assailed me with a number of rather vulgar yet extremely preceptive comments about my socioeconomic and personal background. And all I could think about was how I could make a difference in her life. Wanting to make a difference plus a bio degree in my mind equaled becoming a doctor.
 
!dr_nick! said:
My dad is a 2x liver and 1x kidney transplant patient. Infected with Hep C. His medicine cabinet looks like a small pharmacy.

I have also witnessed first hand what difference a "good" doctor can make over a "bad" doctor.
Although when he was first diagnosed, it was called hep nonA/nonB, no doctor was able to figure out what was wrong with him. Finally he went and donated blood and was sent a letter telling him never to donate blood again because he was infected with hepatitis.

My mommy is a nurse, which is good, because she watches his labs carefully.

Needless to say, medicine has always been an active part of my family, and interests me to no end.
Click to expand...


Same here, my dad also had hepatitis C, and we were in for quite a scare. Pretty strange because he is a huge health nut...

Anyways..

1) Want to make a difference by helping people
2) It is an inexplicable calling -- my duty to mankind
3) Intellectual stimulation, science has always fascinated me, I read chemistry books in elementary school :laugh:, too poor to afford a chemistry set
4) Got sick like crazy as a kid, my parents spent a ton of money on me, and pediatricians left an impression on me
 
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