Of Indian Minds and Obsession with Medicine

[*TRINITY*]

Indians wherever they may go r obsessed with becoming doctor. What is there in Indian psyche that makes Medicine an irresistible career option?

I dont know why i'm in medicine. though i had a freedom to choose whatever i wanted to do, i chose medicine from all the myriad career options available to me- why i dont know? I didnt give it much of thought during my first and second year in medical college but now in third year this question is really haunting me all the time. It is not that i hate medicine but i cant say i totally love it. I have always done reasonably well so far in my studies, i even have got distinctions in few subjects. But it fails me when i ask myself why am i here?
when i look around i find myself not totally alone, there are several of them like me.

do u have an answer?

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[nokia]

well.....may b if u search for the answer u`ll get it !

I too thought a lot abt it specially after my fuirst year in medical college . I got the answers for myself ..

-- was never good in maths ...though i liked it ...so the only option left was biology ( in science stream )

--want to ba scientist ....so only science stream was possible .

---How i became a doc ? well ..my friend sat for PMT , All- India etc .. so did i //though i got through it only after a gap of 1 year more .

---parental pressure ? can`t say....parents being teachers hoped taht i wud too choose a more secure kind of a job ....

----now , well frankly i don`t like to get the education i`m reecieving here in medical college ...i want to do research work in neuro ..buyt damn i`ll have to read all bull**** like ent , optho , OBG !!!!!

 

[shardul]

i wanted 2 b coz-

_ I hate to sleep b4 exams
- I regularly flunked my maths test while in school
- nobody can decipher my handwriting, even the most expert chemist
- coz i'm a sadistic necrophile
- coz my dad has boatload of money!

 

[Energon]

So that all our parents can go to social events and say:

"My son/daughter is in medical"

 

[Grim Reaper]

[/QUOTE] It is not that i hate medicine but i cant say i totally love it.[/QUOTE]

too true. clinics just doesn't interest me.... in high school there used 2 b a zest 4 studies.. but now its just floating along just doing the bare minimum 2 pass..... ..........life seems dreary ...don't have any aswers 4 u, can just provide company on ur search....

 

[DrGarfield]

I was in 2nd standard when I wished to be a doctor. Just like that!

Yes, when i was in 11th, I started to hate MAths too.

May be Indians like their kids to become doctor, because it was the ONLY profession till not too long back with which one can earn a load of money and social status both at a time- withoug being morally corrupt- i mean- Ideally!

 

[$!n!$+er]

i wanted 2 b coz-

- coz i'm a sadistic necrophile

Hmmmm... interesting!

 

[punjabiMD]

so in a conversation with another desi friend of mine yesterday, we came up with an interesting question. Why is that desis have such an obsession with medicine as a career, yet they will go to no ends to ignore their own health (think of all the relatives that you know who have ignored things such as chronic cough, loss of vision, weight loss, etc. only to finally muster the courage to see a doctor and find out that they have some end-stage disease?!?!)

ANY IDEAS?!

 

[dr_siba21]

Indians wherever they may go r obsessed with becoming doctor. What is there in Indian psyche that makes Medicine an irresistible career option?

I dont know why i'm in medicine. though i had a freedom to choose whatever i wanted to do, i chose medicine from all the myriad career options available to me- why i dont know? I didnt give it much of thought during my first and second year in medical college but now in third year this question is really haunting me all the time. It is not that i hate medicine but i cant say i totally love it. I have always done reasonably well so far in my studies, i even have got distinctions in few subjects. But it fails me when i ask myself why am i here?
when i look around i find myself not totally alone, there are several of them like me.

do u have an answer?

you are fear of medicine . u think u cannot bear the load of harrison's medicine to finish in one year . u have thought u will make this career a enjoying one . but forget it . u ve to suffer like we all...




LIFE IS NOTHING BUT SWEET POISON INTAKE FLAVOURED WITH PAIN

 

[samdwi]

Indians wherever they may go r obsessed with becoming doctor. What is there in Indian psyche that makes Medicine an irresistible career option?

I dont know why i'm in medicine. though i had a freedom to choose whatever i wanted to do, i chose medicine from all the myriad career options available to me- why i dont know? I didnt give it much of thought during my first and second year in medical college but now in third year this question is really haunting me all the time. It is not that i hate medicine but i cant say i totally love it. I have always done reasonably well so far in my studies, i even have got distinctions in few subjects. But it fails me when i ask myself why am i here?
when i look around i find myself not totally alone, there are several of them like me.

do u have an answer?

There is something about the Indian psyche which craves science and intellectual stimulation - its in the blood. Even though you may hate biology, physics and mathematics, your brain, by virtue of its several thousand years of scientific/mathematical/logical ancestry, tends towards logic and reason more so than other ethnic groups. Thats why Indians churn out physicians, engineers, scientists and mathematicians by the hundreds-of-thousands every year. Even though many of us may not LIKE being a doctor or scientist, I believe we are innately good at it.

 

[Sanman]

You know, I have thought a lot about this question before. It is hard to tell why we all pursue careers in the sciences. It could be overt parental pressure, however I believe that there is something else going on. At least in my case part of the reason I was drawn to the medical field was due to the fact that my family and friends were all in the medical field in some way. Certainly there were a few who were not, but not that many. And in growing up in such an environment, you look at role models near you, perhaps the wealthy uncle or aunt who is a doctor. And you want to emulate that success. Another reason being that growing up in that type of environment makes one comfortable in math and science, much in the same way one would feel comfortable in taking over the family business. The other reason I have noticed for parents wanting their children to go into medicine is because that is where their connections lie and it is easiest for them to ensure that their child does well career-wise

 

[*TRINITY*]

--want to ba scientist ....so only science stream was possible.

u can do it even now, and even if dont succeed u've something to fall back on. A doctor can never be unemployed

 

[*TRINITY*]

i wanted 2 b coz-

_ I hate to sleep b4 exams
- I regularly flunked my maths test while in school
- nobody can decipher my handwriting, even the most expert chemist
- coz i'm a sadistic necrophile
- coz my dad has boatload of money!

oh dude!!!!!!! dont be so sarcastic!

 

[*TRINITY*]

because it was the ONLY profession till not too long back with which one can earn a load of money and social status both at a time- withoug being morally corrupt- i mean- Ideally!

yeah so true! but things r fast changing if not have already gone too far.... is it really possible to make honest and decent earning out of medicine these days?

 

[*TRINITY*]

you are fear of medicine . u think u cannot bear the load of harrison's medicine to finish in one year . u have thought u will make this career a enjoying one . but forget it . u ve to suffer like we all...




LIFE IS NOTHING BUT SWEET POISON INTAKE FLAVOURED WITH PAIN

well doctor siba i'm not afraid of reading harrison's! every tom dick and harry who goes to medical college in india reads harrison, i may not be able to finish it but thats not important, there r many other ways to pass medicine exam! U always have API, Davidson, CMDT or Cecil if dont want to read harrison. Even books like golwalla and PJ mehta and kundu would be enough to see u through.
but one thing is sure I'm not enjoying going through medical school. its certainly gloomier than what i'd expected!

 

[*TRINITY*]

There is something about the Indian psyche which craves science and intellectual stimulation - its in the blood. Even though you may hate biology, physics and mathematics, your brain, by virtue of its several thousand years of scientific/mathematical/logical ancestry, tends towards logic and reason more so than other ethnic groups. Thats why Indians churn out physicians, engineers, scientists and mathematicians by the hundreds-of-thousands every year. Even though many of us may not LIKE being a doctor or scientist, I believe we are innately good at it.

hmmmm.... u've got a good point but, somehow u dont sound fully convincing... there is more to it. i cant precisely tell u what it is but what u have said is not entire truth.

 

[*TRINITY*]

You know, I have thought a lot about this question before. It is hard to tell why we all pursue careers in the sciences. It could be overt parental pressure, however I believe that there is something else going on. At least in my case part of the reason I was drawn to the medical field was due to the fact that my family and friends were all in the medical field in some way. Certainly there were a few who were not, but not that many. And in growing up in such an environment, you look at role models near you, perhaps the wealthy uncle or aunt who is a doctor. And you want to emulate that success. Another reason being that growing up in that type of environment makes one comfortable in math and science, much in the same way one would feel comfortable in taking over the family business. The other reason I have noticed for parents wanting their children to go into medicine is because that is where their connections lie and it is easiest for them to ensure that their child does well career-wise

yeah quite true. I've no family background of medicine but parents of couple of my family friends were in Medicine. i somehow admired their lifestyle and intellectuality and secretly wished that my parents were also into medicine. perhaps that hidden desire played some part in my being in medicine now.l interestingly both of my friends whoes parents were in medicine r into professions entirely different from medicine!

 

[shardul]

Hmmmm... interesting!

hey how wuz ur prelims?

 

[harvoh126]

Its in our blood. Also being cheap is in our blood too.

 

[Mr.Patel]

Umm good question.... We Indians (Im Indian...see the "Mr. Patel"- Yes another Patel) should ask all our parents and see if they even have an idiea why they want thier sons/daughters to be doctors.

 

[ASDIC]

well many ppl think that indians are really after the money...however I think they are after the power.

 

[psrai85]

So that all our parents can go to social events and say:

"My son/daughter is in medical"

Second that..lol.

In our culture i think if u say ur doctor or engineer, ur thought of more highly, rather than somone who's not one, eventhough they might have worked twice as hard and make lot more money. So, i guess indians grow up with that mind set.
But i guess its changing now..

 

[Mr.Patel]

In our culture i think if u say ur doctor or engineer, ur thought of more highly, rather than somone who's not one, eventhough they might have worked twice as hard and make lot more money. So, i guess indians grow up with that mind set.
But i guess its changing now..

I guess it is changing a litttle, but I dont think it will change that much. Might take over 50 years to get rid of that obsession.

 

[uhoh!]

i think if u say ur doctor or engineer, ur thought of more highly, rather than somone who's not one, eventhough they might have worked twice as hard and make lot more money.

i take exception to the statements that:
1. people in other professions work harder than me. Not at my stage in life they didn't. na-uh. you can't seriously say any of them did 24 hour shifts back-to-back for 4 weeks straight like we had to do during our internship in india...and that too as undergrads. doubt their "work" as undergrads came anywhere close to the intensity of our work, or the vastness of the syllabus we need to know as if someone's life depended on it.. in our case, it ACTUALLY does!! doubt any of them had to emotionally go through the stuff Med Students deal with day in and day out for all the pre-clinical and clinical years. but this is assuming one goes through Med School in India with conscientiously, and not with a bunch of cheat-sheets.
2. they make a lot more money money is not equal to success. hope this is not the reason you entered medicine, cause money won't be flowing for you the same way it flows for the corporate money-spinner-types. so, they make more money for the 15 years they work really hard before burning out. big deal. we, on the other hand get to work till a grand old age, make a good amount of $$(not Warren Buffet, but not starvin' Marvin either), and help people lead better lives as part of our job, into the bargain. how can this ever be compared in monetary terms alone is beyond me.

i am not sure in which year of Med School you are in. however, age has given me the insight to understand that if we are looked up to, we have earned that honour. knowledge is power, and we know **** loads more than most other undergrads in almost any field, or should atleast. on the other hand, we have the responsibility to know how to treat patients once we are in that position. our (supposed)knowledge is worthy enough to command respect..however, it is our responsibility to have learnt our subjects well. if you don't, start studying more, and waste less time on SDN!! i couldn't be more proud to be a doctor. i have EARNED the DR. before my name, and not have it handed to me cause i look pretty. i suggest anyone going into medicine be proud of what they are doing, or get out while you have a chance.

damn right, i deserve to be thought of more highly! i have worked like crazy for 2-3 years in school to get into med school, and then 5 1/2 years in Med School to learn what no other profession can know. i have sacrificed weekends, holidays(all i got is a total of 3 weeks a year!!), and innumerable hours of sleep to spend time and work at my medical knowledge. people better respect me for that. their life depends on me.

 

[uhoh!]

What is there in Indian psyche that makes Medicine an irresistible career option?

Medicine combines almost every field imaginable. not just Biology, the physics of Respiratory physiology, bio-Chemistry, the historical, cultural, geographical, socio-economic aspects of health and disease..its all so beautifully integerated.

the Western world views Industries as their index of development. the ancient Indian psyche, however, views Knowledge as the ultimate source of power. our civilizations have left us a legacy of knowledge, not industrial development. even to this day, while China is a world leader in manufacturing goods, India is looking to emerge as a world leader in Brain power (what else is outsourcing?). knowledge is what we as a culture respect (everyone in India respects president Abdul Kalam, and not for his dashing good looks. similarly PM Manmohan Singh). this is part of the indian ethos. i don't know if you read Asimov, but we are like the Second Foundation, while the West is like the First.

with that preamble, i wanted to say that Medicine is the profession wherein the practitioners know more in terms of sheer facts than almost any other profession. secondly, not only do we know bucket loads, our job places us in a position to treat disease, and fight pain and suffering. Why shouldn't that be respected and looked up to?

 

[DOCTORSAIB]

There is something about the Indian psyche which craves science and intellectual stimulation - its in the blood. Even though you may hate biology, physics and mathematics, your brain, by virtue of its several thousand years of scientific/mathematical/logical ancestry, tends towards logic and reason more so than other ethnic groups. Thats why Indians churn out physicians, engineers, scientists and mathematicians by the hundreds-of-thousands every year. Even though many of us may not LIKE being a doctor or scientist, I believe we are innately good at it.

One could argue that most ethnicities want their children to become doctors (Arab, Persian, Asian, etc), not just Indians. You see truckloads of Indians in medicine b/c there are truckloads of Indians out there. Billion+ just in India and God knows how many abroad. Just a thought.

 

[saffronrain]

Indians wherever they may go r obsessed with becoming doctor. What is there in Indian psyche that makes Medicine an irresistible career option?

I dont know why i'm in medicine. though i had a freedom to choose whatever i wanted to do, i chose medicine from all the myriad career options available to me- why i dont know? I didnt give it much of thought during my first and second year in medical college but now in third year this question is really haunting me all the time. It is not that i hate medicine but i cant say i totally love it. I have always done reasonably well so far in my studies, i even have got distinctions in few subjects. But it fails me when i ask myself why am i here?
when i look around i find myself not totally alone, there are several of them like me.

do u have an answer?

WOW. It's been a while since I've been here! Do I see new people? Anyway, to answer your question (a good one at that)... I think we're surrounded by a society that subconsciously pushes each of us to become someone/something successful. In an Indian's mind, "successful" can be defined as either doctor, lawyer, or engineer.
Hm... if you are questioning why you're at this point in your career, maybe Medicine isn't for you. I don't want to seem discouraging, but when you're at Med school interviews they'll ask you why you want to do this and will expect an answer that's not very cliche.... unless it's different in India? Not too sure.. Anyway... I think it's all subconscious............yeah.

 

[$!n!$+er]

hey Trinity where have u disappeared? come on i think ur practs r over.