tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831474386182810748.post4388196163919811188..comments2023-11-03T07:10:31.874-05:00Comments on Creating the Godcomplex: Perfectly SaidMedStudentGod (MSG)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02670042423377931696noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831474386182810748.post-69269888247629131792008-02-07T15:40:00.000-06:002008-02-07T15:40:00.000-06:00Funny you should post that comment, it really stru...Funny you should post that comment, it really struck me as well... I think she summed up what I was trying to say very, very well. Keep up the good work, MSG :-)Zachttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01374965150055295651noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831474386182810748.post-59315230599620768322008-02-05T05:01:00.000-06:002008-02-05T05:01:00.000-06:00I think the trend towards sacrificing your persona...I think the trend towards sacrificing your personal life for your professional life is slowly shifting, even in medicine (and even in surgery).<BR/><BR/>In med school, we had quite a few speakers talk to us about balance. We were encouraged to talk to counsellors if we were getting overwhelmed. When a close friend and classmate died, my school let me miss all of my clinical activities and then write the exam when I was ready. I remember being on elective and running into clinic late because the previous clinic hadn't finished on time. My supervisor asked me point blank: "Did you eat lunch?" I told him no, and he basically got someone to go out and buy me lunch and lectured me: "You're just starting medicine. Do not skip lunch. You can't be a good doctor if you don't take care of yourself."<BR/><BR/>In residency, nobody was applauded for coming in to work sick. They were sent home because they were a danger to patients. And our contract now has a 24-hour time limit on our call duties, with no more than 1:4 in-house call.<BR/><BR/>Maybe I should just post this on my own blog.Lianahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13354145408658237195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831474386182810748.post-68264910526034467472008-02-04T13:44:00.000-06:002008-02-04T13:44:00.000-06:00It is the nature of surgical training (amongst oth...It is the nature of surgical training (amongst others) that does, in fact, hold those in high respect for whom their work is everything. I've seen surgeons talk reverently about a colleague who works all the time and, once, didn't see the house his wife bought until a week later. To me that's absurd, but the training surgeons, OB/GYNs, etc. receive ingrains a feeling that they are less of a doctor for trying to find balance outside of the hospital. Balance is a hard thing to find in medicine, but one-sidedness towards your job, no matter how great it is, does not lend itself towards a responsible individual.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831474386182810748.post-87004415281433204412008-02-04T11:19:00.000-06:002008-02-04T11:19:00.000-06:00"It's no longer worthy of fanfare to abandon your ..."It's no longer worthy of fanfare to abandon your other role."<BR/><BR/>I'm stating the obvious but is fanfare alone enough to motivate specialisation in surgery? Surely the majority of surgeons aren't fuelled by such petty incentives. There are plenty of easier ways to bask in worship if that's what's topping one's agenda.<BR/><BR/>I agree that many fail to understand the need to succeed in both their personal and professional lives and I'll freely admit I'm one of them. In the inexperienced and overwhelmed eyes of a highschool graduate, the two are mutually exclusive.<BR/><BR/>Balance seems near impossible in a profession which (to some degree) enables and encourages OCPDs in its practitioners.The Caffeine Ladyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17662215834511548631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831474386182810748.post-71503072150456684752008-02-04T11:11:00.000-06:002008-02-04T11:11:00.000-06:00I agree medicine is a job...an awesome job! I cou...I agree medicine is a job...an awesome job! I couldn't imagine doing anything else-I love my work, the patients are interesting and challenging and at the end of the day I get to go home with the feeling that what I do matters to someone. <BR/><BR/>At the end of the day I also have the privilege of going home to spend time with my family who I love and I get to provide them with the comforts that I think they deserve.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831474386182810748.post-65746188122461085832008-02-04T07:03:00.000-06:002008-02-04T07:03:00.000-06:00mel, I honestly believe that medicine would be in ...mel, I honestly believe that medicine would be in a much better place if everyone harboured the same mentality.<BR/><BR/>Like MSG, I view medicine as a job. I find it very fulfilling and I endeavor to do it well, but I think you can accomplish that without sacrificing everything else. In fact, I would venture to say that most people cannot do medicine well without balance in their lives. If you're too busy working to eat and sleep well, to spend time with your loved ones or to pursue other interests, you'll burn out pretty damn quick.<BR/><BR/>When all is said and done, I doubt I'm going to be lying on my deathbed thinking "Dammit, I wish I'd done more dictations."Lianahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13354145408658237195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831474386182810748.post-80402142160723989712008-02-04T06:23:00.000-06:002008-02-04T06:23:00.000-06:00It is definitely something that a lot of people do...It is definitely something that a lot of people don't understand - the desire to succeed at both your professional and family lives. There are careers in medicine that allow you to do both of those and there are careers that require you to give 100% to the job. <BR/><BR/>To me, medicine is just a job. It's not a calling, a devine right, or the end all be all of a life. It's just a job and I refuse to have my life characterized only by a couple letters following my name and a lifetime spent in the hospital.<BR/><BR/>I applaud those who will sacrifice their personal lives, but once you have a family...have children, it's no longer worthy of fanfare to abandon your other role.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831474386182810748.post-86235130718320033632008-02-04T04:00:00.000-06:002008-02-04T04:00:00.000-06:00Personally, I've never been in a situation where I...Personally, I've never been in a situation where I've had to weigh my academic or professional integrity against a personal relationship. Nonetheless, I doubt that the decision as to where my commitment lies would be a difficult one-- particularly as fewer concessions exist for women physicians attempting this balancing act between their profession and their biological compulsion to have kids... <BR/><BR/>Traditional gender roles still play a major part in marriage and relationships (loathe though I am to admit) and limiting one's professional life for family reasons is a concession that I'm unwilling to make as there's such a wild discrepency between male/female parenting roles.<BR/><BR/>Then again, I've yet to so much as start my medical degree so this is all uninformed speculation on my part, hah. On a related note, I found this a really interesting read.<BR/><BR/>http://www.racgp.org.au/gphealth/doctorstroubledmarriageThe Caffeine Ladyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17662215834511548631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831474386182810748.post-17658914231881550802008-02-04T03:58:00.000-06:002008-02-04T03:58:00.000-06:00This comment has been removed by the author.The Caffeine Ladyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17662215834511548631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831474386182810748.post-67934898984407571352008-02-03T23:45:00.000-06:002008-02-03T23:45:00.000-06:00Give it time Mel...you'll understand soon enough. ...Give it time Mel...you'll understand soon enough. <BR/><BR/>Medicine in the current US system will consume your life, and if you're not careful everyone's lives around you. We happily make the sacrifices of money and time to the persuit of serving other people as physicians. It's when you get to the point losing your relationships with family, loved ones and yourself because of the status quo expectations of your profession that really twists the knife and makes the choices tough. <BR/><BR/>Our current educational model is based on something designed in the 1800's by a bunch of single white male nerds who never considered the value of family above their professional calling. They're called residents because the training physicians actually lived in the hospital caring for the sick. When you try to fit a young, well-rounded family man into that mold something always ends up cracking.Bostonian in NYhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16806067349785623843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831474386182810748.post-6189859938915021442008-02-03T22:57:00.000-06:002008-02-03T22:57:00.000-06:00"To me, it’s just not worth it." I can't help but ..."To me, it’s just not worth it." <BR/><BR/>I can't help but wonder where medicine would be if everybody harboured the same mentality.The Caffeine Ladyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17662215834511548631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831474386182810748.post-28068735977734258882008-02-03T15:09:00.000-06:002008-02-03T15:09:00.000-06:00I have similar concerns, but not the wife & kids t...I have similar concerns, but not the wife & kids to drive it home like you. My PI's ex-wife is an OB/Gyn and it directly contributed to the downfall of their marriage.Bostonian in NYhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16806067349785623843noreply@blogger.com