Why are you a doctor ? – General Practice Zone

Question: Why are you a doctor ?
- Keywords:
  doctor
Asked by Ellie x to Ali, Rob, Phil, Kit, Deborah, Charnelle, Adrian on 4 Nov 2017. This question was also asked by ruby.
- Ali Blatcher answered on 4 Nov 2017:
  
  Hi Ellie,
  
  A really good question! I ask it to myself sometimes!
  
  I chose to do Medicine when I was studying my A levels, in biology, chemistry, French and Spanish. I was very good at science and thought I would enjoy a high respected job dealing with people and dealing something that matters- life and death.
  
  Don’t be afraid to say you want to be a doctor because you want to help people. It is the main reason people go into the job and a lot of us are altruists- (look that word up!)- very unselfish people that put others before ourselves.
  
  I didn’t have any personal stories when I went to medical school, but later on I found out that my dad suffered from depression throughout my childhood, so I believe now that part of me wanted to reach out to help him, and I projected this onto other people. I have now had depression myself and am particularly interested in mental health because of this. Personal experiences do certainly shape your view of Medicine.
  
  Hope that helps Ellie!
  Ali
- Philip Williams answered on 7 Nov 2017:
  
  Short answer: because my mum suggested it!
  
  Longer answer: I was always good at science and I really liked spending time with people. I originally wanted to be an archeologist but my history teachers at school made it sooooooo boring! Which is weird because I really really love history! So I gave up on that idea. Then one day my mum asked me what I wanted to do when I finished school. I said I didn’t know, and she said “well, you like people and science, so why not medicine?” She had hit the nail on the head, and the more I thought about it, the more I loved the idea! I don’t think I’ve ever considered a different career since that day. What I did discover once I was at university, is that I also love teaching and research. So I now combine my job as a GP with teaching medical students and I also help with various studies into how to make medicines work even better for patients! Being a GP is such a varied job!
- Deborah Draycott answered on 7 Nov 2017:
  
  I’m not, I’m a Nurse. Whilst a lot of what we do overlaps and our training is very similar in lots of areas it is a very different role. I was often asked why I didn’t study medicine to become a doctor – I think I thought nursing was more ‘hands on’ at a patients bedside. Whilst I have a lot of respect for my medical colleagues I much prefer the job I do.
- Robert Cullum answered on 8 Nov 2017:
  
  What a great question!
  
  For me, I was good at, and enjoyed science, but I also wanted to work with people and to help them. I looked at a number of different options, but the thing that particularly appealed to me about becoming a doctor is the way you use scientific fact in a creative way to help people. No two patients are the same and it’s not simply a case of applying rules to solve problems – each individual poses their own challenge to us which makes each hour, let alone each day completely different and unique. That’s the kind of challenge that gets me out of bed in the morning!
- Adrian Taylor answered on 8 Nov 2017:
  
  I’m not, I make sure the Drs have the right team around them and tools in place to make their jobs smoother

Question: Why are you a doctor ?

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