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.

I know how you feel, Ludwig. Medicine is not for everyone. And you’re right: You bring intense passion into your work. It helps make you better and it gives an intense desire to be the best, but its not a good thing for a doctor. You don’t have the same sense of detachment. Neither do I.