[booraad]

Or work in the caring professions - are you a genuinely compassionate person? Would your friends and family describe you as being so?

[missaphrodite]

I think so, yes
I'd want to be a doctor or a nurse but I'm far too squeamish so I'm going to try and be a psychologist instead. So maybe I'm a bit selfish too lol.

Edit: My motivation is that my psychologist turned my life around, and she's basically my inspiration.

[ToastyCoke]

My mum was a nurse, and now works for alzheimer's scotland - she definitely is.

[blonde-beth]

yes definately. i think to be a doctor (like i want to do) you need to be.

[YoSuis]

Compassion all the way

[Mango24]

Yes, also non-judgemental

[Myiesha_90]

I'd say they do ... and strangers too 'cause I've been working with the Samaritans since I turned 18, I think you need those qualities for that and I've suceeded in that definitely. I wanted to be a Sam even before I decided on medicine.

But with my family... although I'm probably not, they say I'm the most caring person and willing to listen on most instances, I think there are times when I think I can get a bit selfish and throw an angsty tantrum with my mum when I think she's being unreasonable... But that's just normal isn't... We're not adults yet and we're never going to be perfect...

Just because we're going to be in healthcare and are perfectly capable of being empathetic towards a person we dont know, and like being that way professionally, at home we can't be expected to be selfless. That would be pretty annoying for my brother (having a completely perfect sister) and I'd never get anything done for myself... We wouldn't have an output for our emotional problems... I dont think what the people close to us think of us should matter as long as we know that we'd want to be caring for people genuinely in our jobs ourselves... what you are at home and what you are around people can be different...

[brokenangel]

(Original post by Myiesha_90)
Just because we're going to be in healthcare and are perfectly capable of being empathetic towards a person we dont know, and like being that way professionally, at home we can't be expected to be selfless. That would be pretty annoying for my brother (having a completely perfect sister) and I'd never get anything done for myself... We wouldn't have an output for our emotional problems... I dont think what the people close to us think of us should matter as long as we know that we'd want to be caring for people genuinely in our jobs ourselves... what you are at home and what you are around people can be different...

Perfectly said I can be empathetic to anyone with the most minor complaint however when its my own faimily they got told stright away if they are being drama queen.

[starsdream2]

I want to be a surgeon, work in a kickass hospital for a while learning everything I need to know and then operate on poorer people at a subsidised rate for those surgical procedures you have to pay for etc.

[Entangled]

I'm not sure that I would say that I'm naturally compassionate, however that part of my personality and skill-set has developed through wokring with the public (both in ward work experience and my part-time job).

I'm not set against people from the start though, and I try to use that neutral feeling in a positive way. If I don't know somebody, it tends to be the right line to start off as pleasant, and then to see where everything leads from there (what makes the person tick, etc).

So, in answer to the question: I'm compassionate enough, but I've worked hard to bring that out.

EDIT - I'm also judgemental, because you can't get anywhere unless you have an element of that.