re: #753 LudwigVanQuixote

I could never do the job that my brother and sister do day in and day out. I am pretty certain that I could have gotten into medical school had I wanted it, but I knew I never did. I always loved physics more and I do not have the right temperament.

They see all forms of tragedy and pathos. They are compassionate people, but they have a certain detachment that allows them to continue to function in the face of it all.

My sister works with victims of child abuse. She has a triple certification in pediatrics and child psychiatry and psychiatry. I will not repeat the stories she has told me here. I can only say that I could not do her job for five minutes without breaking down.

Police and medical folks see humanity at its utter worst (and sometimes best) every day.

When I was an undergrad, I got to follow a doctor around for a day since I had completed a premed requirement (the university informed that I had done this, I had no intention of being an MD but after taking orgo, I had all the credits). However the opportunity was too interesting to miss. So of course I chose the ER.

I saw a woman who had been beaten so badly that her eye was hanging out. Her face looked like a misshapen lump of clay. She had shot her husband in self defense with a shotgun. There was not a lot left of his belly. He didn’t make it. She lost the eye.

I have the greatest respect for doctors and nurses.

Never ever disrespect someone for the job they do. They are working hard and in turn taking care, so that you will never know. This applies to the janitors too.