All those in medical professions... dr/nurse/paramedic/etc.

Style_Baby

Style_Baby

O.G.
Nov 2, 2006
718
71
#1
How many of you enjoy what you do for a living? How did you come to choose it as a career?

I'm contemplating going back to school and I'd love to get your responses... I don't doubt that there are days when everyone hates their job, but on the whole, what do you think of your job?

I'm an assistant for a large academic publishing company and the work is pretty decent (sometimes tedious, sometimes exciting) but there are times when I think about going back to school. I took some basic EMT training and greatly enjoyed the immediate practicality of the work (there wasn't a question of "when will I need to use this?") but I know that there are dark sides to every profession.

Sooooo, in short, what would you say to someone in my position?

Thanks!

~sb
 
#2
My DH was a paramedic when he was in dental school. He LOVED it, still talks about it today -35 years later. He never finished dental school, has worked in the music industry since early 70's. Said if he could do it again he'd still be working as a paramedic.
 
#3
You can also look into school for respiratory therapy..Its a great profession and I adored it when I used to work(pre-marriage to PHH!) Good money too!

Phh is a doctor and loves what he does....
 
#4
hubs is an EMT working on his paramedic cert. most days he loves it. some days he gets very burnt out and tired (especially this year with school on top of everything). the schedule is killer but he still reccomends it to people, as long as they have good stress coping skills.

i looked into being a radiology or sonography tech (same program, different certs). a little less stressful, still high paying and very rewarding.
 
#5
I'm not there yet, but I ultimately want to do clerical work in a hospital. (Ideally Toronto Sick Kids.) I love writing and I love customer service.

Later on this month I start medical terminology courses.
 
#6
I've been a Registered Nurse for almost 4 years now. I work in cardiology. Pros (of my specific area): 4 days off a week, challenging, make a difference, good salary. Cons: Long hours, dealing with nasty people (rarely), and sometimes feeling like you're in a thankless profession. Also, most people are not aware of what nurses really do or are responsible for. Nurses are very intelligent people and have to have a huge knowledge base in order to properly care for patients. Because of this I feel the nursing profession is underrated.
 
#8
In August I will start medical school, but before that I did a whole lot of work that made me realize what i wanted to do. This is long, but I just want to share my story with you.

When I started high school I knew I wanted to be a doctor but I had no relatives in the medical field so I was unaware of what it consisted of. I began volunteering once a month at a Level I Trauma Center and realized that there were so many people in need at any given time. I also saw that my ability to speak both English and Spanish were greatly needed, there were times when the Spanish interpreters were unavailable and in an emergency, the staff had to count on a high schooler to interpret for them. I was used to doing this for my grandmother since I was about 3-4 years old so I knew medical terminology and could translate that.

When I was about 15 I was volunteering every weekend in the ER and then began splitting my time between the ER and the ambulance company. I also became an EMT (with parental permission) around 16 or 17. With this experience I learned so much about life, death, and reality. Watching people die, be born, and be saved has changed me. I learned that if I was a doctor I could come back to my community and provide them with a service that they greatly needed. It's like I have seen so much and have learned what can be fixed to make it better.

Applying to college I chose Brown because it had an 8 year combined BA (or BS) and MD program. Got accepted to that and am half way done. I also have a year of research (currently in the works of being published) under my belt and hopeflly during this summer I can do more.

Although my plans have changed a bit, I am thinking of a career in plastic surgery and do a lot of pro-bono reconstructive work. My point it, since high school I have developed a desire and a determination to help those in need and that is why I chose a career in medicine.
 
#9
Thank you to Everyone!

batgirl- It's amazing that you've known what you want to do for so long. I'm definitely going to look into some hard core volunteer experience before committing to anything. I think it's tremendous that you want to give back to your community and your patients are lucky to have someone that cares like you. Thanks for sharing your story.

tickle- good luck! (I just googled LVN...)

angelica- I've heard many other people echo your sentiments about those specific pros and cons. My aunt's a nurse and personally, I feel like she works harder than many drs I've seen!

vegas- What great memories! I have friends that are EMTs and they enjoy it, too.

caitlin- Good luck to you :smile:

ilzabet- That sounds like a lot for your hubby. It seems like those specific skills you looked into (radiology and sonography) to tend to offer greater financial compensation.

Jill- Thanks!

~sb
 
#10
Style_Baby, I suggest that you go to a hopsital (preferably where they have residency programs for doctors straight out of med school-its basicaly a teaching hospital so they will be more apt to teaching you things) and try to volunteer in the departments that interest you for at least a week. Then once you found out what you like based on those individuals weeks, volunteer more in that area. I think I did ICU, Internal Medicine, ER, and some Surgery.
 
#11
I'm a paramedic (although i dont work anymore :sad: ).
I think there's no better job.
I have a million stories of odd things i've seen. And a million heartbreaking stories. I just love it.
 
#12
I've been a Registered Nurse for almost 21 years. I went into Nursing School at 17...was out by 20. I was always the young one....now I'm considered one of the oldest.

I hope to retire by the time I'm 50...then I want a slower paced job...like the greeter at WalMart...:yes:
 
#13
I've been an RN for almost 20 years...never wanted to be a nurse but after I dropped out of art school my mom kept saying, "Go to nursing school, go to nursing school!" because she'd always wanted to be one. So I said what the hey, took the NCLEX and to my utter amazement, passed...and here I am!

Overall I love nursing. It is in many ways a thankless profession---lots of times the only way I know I do a good job is because I feel like I do a good job, not because anyone tells me. If you need a lot of praise and positive feedback then this might not be the career for you. Nor is it glamourous! But somehow I can't imagine doing anything else.....
 
#15
I'm a doctor, currently a resident in Neurology. Absolutely love it. Yes there are days when you think you want to quit, but the rewards and challenges are indescribable. Plus the people you meet- colleagues, patients and their families- it's something really special that you don't see in any other field.
 
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