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How scary is it being a doctor and knowing that you can't save everyone?

I'm just really curious because I want to be a pediatric oncologist.

medicine medical emergency-medicine
Thank you comment icon You have to know that above all is God’s well. And all of your knowledge is so minimal in God’s knowledge. Medicine and science have their limits in the condition of any patient. So you have your limits which will be standing in front of any hopeless case. What makes our conscience satisfied is we are doing our best to the patient Walid Emara
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Amna’s Answer

Hi Emma

You just have go do your best for patients and yourself , do everything you can do to save lives do not give up on any patient until everything you can do is done , and yes it's a sad thing that there is a lot of lives even after doing your best you will not be able to save them unfortunately because their time has come , and you will learn to cope with this sad truth to be able to save other lives and always have hope , remember be a safe doctor and do your best . Thank you for your question .
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Suzanne’s Answer

Emma, how great that you are thinking ahead and wondering about the realities of being a doctor. It can be scary and sad. It is true that not everyone can be saved whether in an emergency setting or when dealing with a life-threatening disease like cancer. We try to always do our best to have the knowledge and skill set we need to care for our patients, seeking help whenever that is appropriate. Ideally, in our training we do learn some techniques for how to discuss impending death with patients and families and we get to watch how other, more experienced doctors do this. Many times there are good, encouraging outcomes to celebrate with our patients and their families and friends...but not always. In my opinion, it is important to have support systems in place for doctors and other healthcare workers who see (and take to heart) much sadness and loss during the course of their careers. It is possible to create these systems and to feel like, overall, the inevitable sadness and fear which comes with such an intense career is made up for by all the joy and satisfaction. It is important, as you are doing, to bring these topics up for conversation. Thank you for doing so.
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Saliha’s Answer

Don't be intimidated, it's truly a magnificent and rewarding experience to be able to save someone's life. By dedicating yourself to studying and becoming a doctor, you'll find joy and deep satisfaction in helping others survive. This noble act will ignite a passion within you and become a cherished part of your everyday life. You'll beam with pride every single day, knowing the difference you're making.
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Diane’s Answer

Hi Emma,

It is important to remember that doctors aren't God. Most important to me, is to make sure that through training, staying up to date and being there for my patient and the family, I avoid mistakes that would cause a death. We all make mistakes sometime, hopefully not so significant a mistake as to cause death or significant injury.

That said, you would likely also choose your specialty with the personal knowledge of how you would face the death of your patient - a trauma surgeon sees more death than a general surgeon, an oncologist (cancer doctor) would see more death than a pediatrician.

I hope that the fact you might lose a patient doesn't dissuade you from pursuing a career in medicine. There is nothing more rewarding than helping others to maintain their health so they may enjoy life.
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