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Does medicine take over your life?

Recently I've been coming across things everywhere that are hammering home the fact that medicine is more of a lifestyle choice than a career, so I wanted to ask some of you lot what you really think about it.

Is it really like that? Do you think doctors can ever completely switch off from their jobs, or does it take over all aspects of your life? It must be difficult to see people suffering every day and sometimes/often not being able to do much to help. I've heard that a way of coping with this is to distance yourself emotionally - but would this affect your ability to have normal relationships with other people?

I know this is very steretypical and you can't generalise, and I know that many of you as med students don't know what you'll feel like as a doctor in 10 or 20 years time, but I'm just looking for some honest opinions. Thanks :smile:

Reply 1

AEH

Well, I've been doing clinical medicine for two days, just to stamp some authority on this (Just in case anyone didn't notice, I was being sarcastic). I think the best way to describe it is a lifestyle choice. I've been placed on a medical firm who expressly instruct me to work every hour there is and when I'm not there my brain is just goo. I'm ridiculously tired, have further note reading to do and have to process emotionally some of the stuff I've seen today. Still love it and wouldn't do anything else though.

Reply 2

kookoo_koochoo

I think it depends on what line you go into. My dad's an opthalmologist, so as much as it would seem that he doesn't need to take work home with him, sometimes it does get to him emotionally. Apart from the massive amount of paper work he has to do, he gets some cases that are sad, for example, car crash victims, and there have been instances when people have gone to him concerning eye pain and he's ended up finding they had a brain tumour.

I don't think distancing yourself emotionally hinders your work as a doctor either. Personally, I think it may even make you a better doctor, not letting your own personal emotions get in the way of what you do. Doctor's have to be impartial and open minded, not everything they say goes lol. And if you were to get hung up on every patient, then I don't think one could survive in such a profession.. having said that being completely void of emotion isn't the way to go either. Having emotions for your patients will help keep the passion in the job, which so many people lose after ten years.

I think no matter what sort of doctor you are, it in a way will take over your life, but it also depends on the type of person you are. It's not as if my dad has no free time, he plays golf A LOT, and he works privately and for the NHS. Meh, I guess it depends...although today he came home at half nine from the private practice.

Reply 3

person 34

Yeah tbh.

Reply 4

graemematt

It depends on the situation. Junior doctors generally will have to devote the vast majority of their lives to the profession, but senior consultants generally work 9-5, although of course they are also involved in clinical trials, teaching, meetings, research...and of course clinics/ward rounds.

My dad's a consultant physician, and he used to segregate his work life from his home life quite well due to taking care of the family as much as he could. Since my mum died though, and with my brother and I away off to university, he's sort of devoted a lot more of his time to research and teaching (he's heavily involved in a supervising a research MSc, for example) just to keep himself occupied.

So really, it does depend on your circumstances.

Reply 5

Renal

You will have to devote an enormous amount of your time to medicine and to doing things to further your career.

That does not mean that medicine necessarily does, or should, take over your life. Everyone needs to retain a little bit of the real world - whether that's playing football every other Wednesday or getting battered on a Thursday night.

Reply 6

Saffie

yes. Even when you're in the preclinical years, it's a large chunk of your life, you have to actively involve yourself in other stuff. & Then you wonder if you even like what you're doing or whether it's just to further your medicine career. :rolleyes:

(-Most of the clubs and soc's at BL seem to be sports or "further education", hardly any are just for fun.. except like the 'ethnic' socs like the pakistani soc, and I don't meet such requirements.)

Personally I feel like I have some responsibility off duty, either to be studying constantly or if someone's having a heart attack/ panic attack in a shop or something, I feel as though I should probably do something. (yes I know, I'm SO nice, go me)

But even if I see someone limping, I feel as though I should know why they're limping and stuff. There's not really any getting away from it. Maybe when you specialise you can just think about your speciality all the time and it'll be less time consuming! :s-smilie:

Hmm, good reason not to be a GP..

AEH, where are you on placement? Might not be applying there..!

Reply 7

bright star

you sound like you have the perfect attitude to be a gp!!! so curious about everything!!

Reply 8

Renal

Saffie

(-Most of the clubs and soc's at BL seem to be sports or "further education", hardly any are just for fun.. except like the 'ethnic' socs like the pakistani soc, and I don't meet such requirements.)