That’s Right, a Mentor! Did you think “Mother”? That’s what I was trying to make a play on. Well, it’s almost as big you guys. I got the news today… I’m going to be a “mentor” to a girl in college that is interested in going to medical school!
I am going to mentor the hell out of this girl. I have the responsibility to give her a peek into the window of a career in medicine, and a life in medicine. So now comes the question: How do I “mentor”? I hope she doesn’t ask too many medical questions. Between you and me, I am TERRIFIED when “civilians” ask me medical questions. For some reason these are always the hardest (The other day I nearly blew a fuse trying to explain “antihistamine” versus “decongestant”, and got really frazzled when someone kept asking what to give their child for a runny nose)!
Well as far as deciding to go to medical school, I’m going to tell her the truth. I never wanted to be a doctor. I wanted to be something “cool”. I was good at science and studying and stuff. Seriously you should see me take some notes with multi-colored pens, I can make a WICKED chart, and my flashcards pretty much rock. Really it was the path of least resistance that led me to medical school. I honestly sort of defaulted into it. Fortunately it turns out being a doctor is pretty cool. I work with amazing people, and I meet delightful patients every day each with a new story. My work is tremendously interesting, varied, intense, AND I get to basically wear pajamas every day. And I don’t have to look cute (just clean). If I had to pick out outfits and look pretty? Ugh. I would die of stress. Give me someone coding and bleeding any day.
I work really hard, and I miss a lot of fun stuff on work nights, but my life is great! I found the coolest guy in the world to marry me and deal with my craziness through thick and thin (unlike the guy who said he could never be “Doctor and Mister”). My guy thinks blood is gross, and he thinks it’s cute when I talk doctor. Residency is rough, but now that I’m out, I have a life! I have girlfriends, I love shopping, I get quality Netflix streaming time, I am up on celebrity gossip to my hearts content, and I sometimes have Nicki Minaj stuck in my head in the OR. Basically I am living the dream.
I think I can sell it, right? What else do I need to tell a young lady considering a medical career? What would she (or anyone) want to know about being a doctor?
i'm a current college senior, and amid the complete and total crapfest that is the med school interview circuit, i was beginning to question my path...until i read the last 2.5 paragraphs of this post. thanks. you rock.
ReplyDeleteI have been playing with the idea of going to law school, and now that i read this i realize that maybe i should just go for it. im terrified of not having a life, and becoming super boring, and getting bedsores from sitting in front of a computer for the next 50 years...but hey, you're in a really intense career and seem to have a life. thanks for the optimism!
ReplyDeleteI think thats so great! I am a 2nd year University student-- initially I was in the business program, but finally, I've decided to pursue my lifelong dream of becoming a doctor and am deciding to switch into Kinesiology or Health Sciences! I would love to have you as a mentor and pick your brain about the entire mental, physical process of becoming and being a doctor! I think that you bring such a different, young and fresh perspective to science, doctory and medicine in general.
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