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My family and fiancée have always been supportive of my choices, but recently they've been seriously pressuring me about specialties to consider - and to not consider.
I started medical school wanting to do psych or path. My fiancée thought I'd grow out of it, and said she'd support me, but recently has told me in no uncertain terms that she will not be married to a psychiatrist or a pathologist. It's not about the money (shes been dropping "hints" that wants me in FM) - it's about the stigma. Psychiatrists are "pill pushers" who "aren't real doctors anyway" and "why would you bust your ass in medical school just to tread depression?" Also, pathologists are "creepy as f**k." She says that these aren't HER opinions, rather that this is "the world we live in." She also says that "psychiatry and pathology are important fields but I just wouldn't be attracted to you anymore." I hate to say it, but she might have a point.
My mom and dad agree with her - even though my mom is a child psychiatrist. My mother said that psychiatry is an "unfitting" profession for a male doctor and that she would be "a little embarrassed." My dad thinks psychiatry is a really important and vital field... but not for his son. Both my mom and dad think pathology is "for scientists, not for doctors." Neither of them or my fiancée wanted me to go to medical school, but they said "if you're going to medical school, you're going to be a real doctor." Incidentally, none of them see a difference between an MD and a DO, so as a DO I guess small blessings.
What do you do when you love a field, but you also love your family, your fiancée, and take their opinions seriously? The politically correct answer is always gonna be "screw their opinions and follow your dreams," but unfortunately I live in reality, and the opinions of people I love are important to me.
I started medical school wanting to do psych or path. My fiancée thought I'd grow out of it, and said she'd support me, but recently has told me in no uncertain terms that she will not be married to a psychiatrist or a pathologist. It's not about the money (shes been dropping "hints" that wants me in FM) - it's about the stigma. Psychiatrists are "pill pushers" who "aren't real doctors anyway" and "why would you bust your ass in medical school just to tread depression?" Also, pathologists are "creepy as f**k." She says that these aren't HER opinions, rather that this is "the world we live in." She also says that "psychiatry and pathology are important fields but I just wouldn't be attracted to you anymore." I hate to say it, but she might have a point.
My mom and dad agree with her - even though my mom is a child psychiatrist. My mother said that psychiatry is an "unfitting" profession for a male doctor and that she would be "a little embarrassed." My dad thinks psychiatry is a really important and vital field... but not for his son. Both my mom and dad think pathology is "for scientists, not for doctors." Neither of them or my fiancée wanted me to go to medical school, but they said "if you're going to medical school, you're going to be a real doctor." Incidentally, none of them see a difference between an MD and a DO, so as a DO I guess small blessings.
What do you do when you love a field, but you also love your family, your fiancée, and take their opinions seriously? The politically correct answer is always gonna be "screw their opinions and follow your dreams," but unfortunately I live in reality, and the opinions of people I love are important to me.