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People in the Medical field or Veterinarians, how did you do it?
Was it hard? How did you push through? And what is the hardest thing about the job?
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3 answers
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Brett’s Answer
Hi Jazzy,
I've been a physician for 34 years. Was it difficult to get there - yes - as are most things in life worth achieving.
How did I push through? Fortunately, in order to be a physician, it's a pretty straight career path - you have to go through medical school. There's lots of choices along the way, but I knew that in order to achieve my goal, this was the only way to do it.
Hardest part of the job? I suppose it is knowing that for significant percentage of my evenings, knowing that I can get called back to work for an emergency. But I have learned to adjust, and know that if I get called back in the middle of the night, somebody really needs me!
Hope that helps!
Brett Schlifstein, M.D.
Anesthesia Director
ECU Health Roanoke-Chowan Hospital
I've been a physician for 34 years. Was it difficult to get there - yes - as are most things in life worth achieving.
How did I push through? Fortunately, in order to be a physician, it's a pretty straight career path - you have to go through medical school. There's lots of choices along the way, but I knew that in order to achieve my goal, this was the only way to do it.
Hardest part of the job? I suppose it is knowing that for significant percentage of my evenings, knowing that I can get called back to work for an emergency. But I have learned to adjust, and know that if I get called back in the middle of the night, somebody really needs me!
Hope that helps!
Brett Schlifstein, M.D.
Anesthesia Director
ECU Health Roanoke-Chowan Hospital
Updated
Paul’s Answer
Jazzy, I am a retired orthopaedic surgeon. I decided I wanted to be a doctor when I was very young, and for reasons that I don't clearly recall. I did, however, have several friends whose fathers were doctors, and I knew and liked them. I firmly decided to persue orthopaedics when I was a freshman in college and needed to have an operation on my knee. The surgeon who did it was a friend of my father, and he spent some time talking to me about what he did. Add to that the fact that I grew up with a fascination for tools, and it all seemed natural to me at the time, and I have never looked back. If you are interested in medicine as a career it would be very useful for you to find a doctor who would spend some time with you talking about what he or she does. Volunteering at a hospital or clinic would be one way to get to meet such a person.
Being sucessful in the medical field requires comittment and dedication. First, you need to go to college an study chemistry, physics, biology, and math. You need to get good grades, and it is helpful if you can also find time for a useful extracurricular activity as well.
Next, you need to apply to and be accepted at a medical school. Having earned good grades is essential for this, but having a background in volunteer work or some other discipline is a great help.
Somewhere along the way through either college or medical school you will need to decide what specialty you want to persue. In medical school you will have a chance to get some actual experience in your specialty of choice to see if you really like it. Once you have selected a specialty you will need to apply for and be selected for a residency in that field. Residency is essentially on the job training, and will take another four years or more.
Being a doctor requires self discipline and a comittment to putting the interest of your patients ahead of your own when necessary. In some specialties you will be expected to work some nights and weekends, being on call to respond to emergencies as needed. Your reward for doing this is two-fold. The most important part is the satisfaction of seeing a person get well and healthy as a result of what you have done for them. Along with this, you can expect to earn a good salary, but you will also need to be aware that college and medical school can be expensive, and you will need financial aide from your family or some other source. Once you become a resident you will receive a salary, but you won't make serious money until you have finished all of your training.
The nature of your experiences in the medical field will depend on time and circumstance. My own career forced me to spend two years in the Air Force during the Viet Nam war before I got to finish my orthopaedic training. Once I did get back to my residency in orthopaedics I had the great good fortune to be among the first group of orthopaedists who were able to learn how to do hip replacements and then knee replacements. I practiced for many years at a clinic that took care of large numbers of farmers who milked cows, and, as a consequence, developed arthritis in their hips and knees. Helping them to be able to continue to work gave me tremendous satisfaction.
To sum things up, I would say that the best guidance you could hope to find as you work to make the decisions you need to make would be to try hard to find doctors or nurses who would be willing to talk to you for a while, and perhaps introduce you to others who could would also talk with you. If you and your family do not know anyone who works in medicine you might start by asking your family doctor if you have one, or a school nurse. Your teachersat school may also have delt with this issue before, and they may be able to guide you to meet someone helpful.
Paul S. Treuhaft, MD, MA
Being sucessful in the medical field requires comittment and dedication. First, you need to go to college an study chemistry, physics, biology, and math. You need to get good grades, and it is helpful if you can also find time for a useful extracurricular activity as well.
Next, you need to apply to and be accepted at a medical school. Having earned good grades is essential for this, but having a background in volunteer work or some other discipline is a great help.
Somewhere along the way through either college or medical school you will need to decide what specialty you want to persue. In medical school you will have a chance to get some actual experience in your specialty of choice to see if you really like it. Once you have selected a specialty you will need to apply for and be selected for a residency in that field. Residency is essentially on the job training, and will take another four years or more.
Being a doctor requires self discipline and a comittment to putting the interest of your patients ahead of your own when necessary. In some specialties you will be expected to work some nights and weekends, being on call to respond to emergencies as needed. Your reward for doing this is two-fold. The most important part is the satisfaction of seeing a person get well and healthy as a result of what you have done for them. Along with this, you can expect to earn a good salary, but you will also need to be aware that college and medical school can be expensive, and you will need financial aide from your family or some other source. Once you become a resident you will receive a salary, but you won't make serious money until you have finished all of your training.
The nature of your experiences in the medical field will depend on time and circumstance. My own career forced me to spend two years in the Air Force during the Viet Nam war before I got to finish my orthopaedic training. Once I did get back to my residency in orthopaedics I had the great good fortune to be among the first group of orthopaedists who were able to learn how to do hip replacements and then knee replacements. I practiced for many years at a clinic that took care of large numbers of farmers who milked cows, and, as a consequence, developed arthritis in their hips and knees. Helping them to be able to continue to work gave me tremendous satisfaction.
To sum things up, I would say that the best guidance you could hope to find as you work to make the decisions you need to make would be to try hard to find doctors or nurses who would be willing to talk to you for a while, and perhaps introduce you to others who could would also talk with you. If you and your family do not know anyone who works in medicine you might start by asking your family doctor if you have one, or a school nurse. Your teachersat school may also have delt with this issue before, and they may be able to guide you to meet someone helpful.
Paul S. Treuhaft, MD, MA
Thank you for the advice.
Jazzy
Updated
Kathleen’s Answer
Hi, Jazzy!
I am a retired clinical laboratory scientist. I worked over 40 years in hospital and clinic labs, as a technical consultant for labs, and in the regulatory inspection aspect of laboratory medicine. I loved science and puzzles as a youth, and I grew up on a small lake in Michigan where summer days were filled with observing wildlife and nature. In high school the experiments we did in science classes drew me toward a field where I could use science to help solve puzzles of diagnosis and treatment to help others. After high school I earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Medical Technology, served a 13 month internship in all areas of the lab and began a rewarding career. We moved a few times and I never had trouble finding a job. That field needs workers now, too. Best to you in your adventure of life!
Kathie
I am a retired clinical laboratory scientist. I worked over 40 years in hospital and clinic labs, as a technical consultant for labs, and in the regulatory inspection aspect of laboratory medicine. I loved science and puzzles as a youth, and I grew up on a small lake in Michigan where summer days were filled with observing wildlife and nature. In high school the experiments we did in science classes drew me toward a field where I could use science to help solve puzzles of diagnosis and treatment to help others. After high school I earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Medical Technology, served a 13 month internship in all areas of the lab and began a rewarding career. We moved a few times and I never had trouble finding a job. That field needs workers now, too. Best to you in your adventure of life!
Kathie
Thank you so much!
Jazzy