There’s a reason most people don’t go into medicine. They can’t handle
this stuff. We can IF we have a way to process our feelings in real time
before we start plotting our suicides.
Read full story about the secrets, lies and solutions to the increasing rate of Physician suicides.http://adf.ly/uQ1D5
"Why do we do what we do? To save lives. Why did you go to
medical school? Seriously. Why spend your 20s studying while all your
friends are at parties? To make a difference — to save lives. What is
your calling?
GOOD READS is a series of articles intended for sharing pleasure. Feel free to comment and share your views.
I have never been a barbie fan. Partly because of my conservative upbringing and mainly due to the unacceptable, under-dressed barbie fashion image. Barbie dolls were for rich spoiled girls who had nothing better to do except fuss over boys, clothes, hair and makeup. So my reaction to 'Doctor barbie' at a toy store was overwhelming and I couldn't suppress my amusement when my daughter pointed to the doll with the stethoscope and white coat and exclaimed..'Mama!'
Researchers argue that Barbie dolls conveys iconic
messages helping to shape the idea in little girls’ minds that looking
attractive is all-important. They point to studies supporting the notion that girls who play with barbie dolls are more fashion-centered and less professionally oriented. certain
professions are suitable only for men. This notion is subsequently
reinforced by movies, television shows, advertisements, and the like, as
well as old fashioned friends and relatives.
Barbie has gone from a fashion doll to a real-life barbie this year; she
used to be just a toy, but now has gone from a hunk of plastic to a controversial iconic figure.
Here is a selection of quotes from the internet about the world’s favourite fashion doll as a doctor.
In the study, an experiment to see how Barbie might influence career
choices, girls aged 4 through 7 were randomly assigned to play with
one of three toys: fashion Barbie, Dr. Barbie–with lab coat and
stethoscope, or the more ambiguously-gendered, handbag-carrying Mrs.
Potato Head.
After just a few minutes of play time, the girls were asked if they
thought they could do any of a list of five traditionally -male-
dominated, and five traditionally-female-dominated jobs when they grew
up. They were also asked if boys could do those jobs.
The girls who played with Mrs. Potato Head believed they could do any
of the jobs the boys could do. The girls who played with Barbie– it
didn’t matter if it was fashion Barbie or career Barbie– reported that
they could do fewer jobs than boys could do.
I know what you may be thinking: “But Dr. Barbie has a lab coat and a
stethoscope and everything!” And as a Barbie addict who grew up aspiring
to be a surgeon, I share your confusion. But the study’s authors
suggest that it’s the doll’s sexualized body—not her accessories—that is
affecting young girls and giving them restrictive cues. Does this mean
all females should wear burlap sacks if they want to be doctors or
engineers? I certainly hope not. But if your little one favors
tiny-waisted, full-busted toys, it might not hurt to throw a shapeless,
plastic spud into the collection.
it was a different story for those who played with either Barbie.
They “reported fewer careers as future possibilities for themselves than
they reported were possible for boys.” In other words, those who played
with a Barbie doll “saw fewer future opportunities for themselves.”
“This was true whether the Barbie was dressed as either a fashion
model or as a doctor,” Sherman and Zurbriggen add. “It appears that the
doll itself trumps the role suggested by the costuming.”
While noting they were surprised by the Doctor Barbie findings, they
point out that “adding a doctor coat and a stethoscope” may not have
been sufficient “to override the sexualized clues embedded in the
outfit.” A Doctor Barbie in plain medical scrubs may have had a
different effect. So, presumably, might the realistically proportioned
Barbie-like doll which, coincidentally, has just been unveiled by its inventor.
Back story:Things start looking up for Barbie when
she’s miraculously accepted to med school (apparently University of
Phoenix online college has one of those) and becomes Plastic Surgeon
Barbie in 1973. Worse yet: Deep in her heart, Barbie knows that fixing others’ imperfections won’t heal her own.
This week, parents–and anyone else with an iota of common sense–expressed outrage over the discovery of the Barbie Plastic Surgery App,
whose name was soon changed to Barbara for legal reasons. As for
ethical changes? Not so much. The app, rated for kids 9+ (just the age
they should be fretting about their thighs) describes "Barbara" as an
unfortunate girl with so much extra weight that no diet can help her.
Kids are then instructed to go to clinic for liposuction to "make her
slim and beautiful" after which they get to slice up her face
graphically.
I only wish I were kidding.
While there's a ton of buzz about this app which has since been
pulled, we looked into the developer, Corina Rodriguez, and it seems she
(it?) has a whole bunch of soulless, ethically-devoid,
WTF-is-she-thinking children's apps on the app store. They are all free,
and not surprisingly, packed with pop-up ads with every click.
(Update - Jan. 13, 2014: The game has been renamed “Plastic Surgery Barbara” and is available in the iTunes store).
This girl is very beautiful, but she has big problems with her teeth!
Let's eliminate this problem which prevents her from living a normal
life!
Age rating: 4+
Leg & Foot Surgery & Doctor & Hospital Office for Barbie Barbie got hit by a car this morning and according to her
doctor's x-rays she has a broken leg…help Barbie's doctor take the best
decision in her case, choosing from the three possible cures the one
which seems more appropriate. Age rating: 9+
And Barbie... say, if it's cold in there, you
can just borrow my lab coat; it's super warm because I lined it with
these... ta-daaa! [opens his coat...]
Mon Apr 15 2013 Random thoughts on “Cold War”: Why does the Doctor carry a Barbie doll around with him?
And why is he this happy to get it back? Is this one of those things
that no one else is supposed to be able to handle knowing about the
Doctor?
Peering
down the binoculars of an Olympus microscope, and setting the stage for
yet another Giemsa-stained slide, you may have wondered, "Do I have
what it takes to be a successful haematologist... someday? Or will I
just rust behind this microscope till my eyesight begins to blur?".This article attempts to reveal what it takes to become one.
If the
sight of blood makes you squeamish, haematology probably isn’t the
career for you. Haematology is all about blood, but not in a creepy
horror movie kind of way. Haematologists aren’t vampires (at least we
don’t think so); rather they are highly skilled specialists in their
field.
Haematologists usually work in specialist departments of
hospitals carrying out tests on blood samples and analyzing results to
find solutions to your health-related problems. It’s a bit like
detective work; they look at the shape, size, function and number of
blood cells to help diagnose illnesses.
As a resident doctor in a haematology lab we are mostly
involved in interpreting a full blood count. Menial as this may seem
after some time, this is the Indeed, the first step in the direction to
take for a deeper general view of the specialty at large, as it allows a
good visual to cling on to when dealing with a haematological puzzle.
It is a back to the basics for everyone when viewing slides- like a trip
back in time, right back to the stem cell. In this task, the core
skills of the chapter come to the fore: in response to an anaemia, we
should be able to explore the possibilities of iron deficiency, vitamin
deficiency, and hemolysis. On seeing a thrombocytopenia or abnormal
clotting profile, we should be able to make a clinical assessment and
perform further appropriate tests with a view to suggesting differential
diagnoses. Abnormal white blood cells, or their precursors may trigger a
request for a bone marrow aspirate. Diagnosis in these areas is
performed by doctors at senior levels via means such as bone marrow
aspiration and cytogenetics, and after consultation with other
experienced colleagues. Going solo may not be a good idea. There is a
lot more to haematology, however, than a blood count.
Haematologists
aren’t just involved in the diagnostic process; they are also involved
in the treatment and care of patients with diseases of the blood cells
and bone marrow. That means that they aren’t just confined to the
laboratory, but also treat certain patients one-on-one and work with
doctors and nurses. As a junior doctor, there will be regular practical
challenges such as prescribing and altering anticoagulation therapy,
overseeing the safe delivery of a blood transfusion and managing acute
situations such as aplastic crises. The way forward is to be able to
master these basics and start to see the bigger picture. This means
developing a feel for the more subtle symptoms and signs of
haematological disease and becoming proactive in the face of abnormal
blood results.
That's what makes haematology so challenging and
alluring. I'd have hated being pinned down in some lab behind a
microscope, dishing out remarks on smear slides, if it hadn't been for
the clinical part of it all. This literally makes haematology come alive
and makes me feel like the doctor I am, rather than some medical
technicians.
No offense really, but then in this part of the world people are so gullible, they'll believe anyone in white coat is a doctor!
Microscopy
can be pretty boring, tiring and exhausting at times. But once you
develop the right reflexes, it is like driving a car. The make defines
the cruise. And you can do it while chatting with friends or over a cup
of coffee; both of which are generally not encouraged though. There is
always the element of surprise, which in my view makes it more like
fishing. You can let your mind ramble but you have to be on the look-out
for that one suspicious cell that could change the diagnosis and
henceforth the lives of both the patient and the pathologist concerned.
It's
true that a microscope is a pathologist's true friend, but it is always
the mind behind the lens that is priceless. The image is God's
art-work.
Being a Mom of three toddlers, and
living in a joint family system, I have come to realize that you dream
big only when you are 22.
When you have no family responsibilities and you are not tied down by
complicated relationships that demand your time and attention, you
should live your dreams and explore new horizons. The experiences you
gain and the raw exposure to situations helps strengthen
your outlook of life and make you a better person at work and at home.
From a medical point of view that translates into doing clinical
rotations in a diverse variety of disciplines to help build your
clinical experience. Years later even if you become some world renowned
doctor in your field of specialization, your basic knowledge
of medical subjects and hands-on training in different disciplines,
shall help you not only in your chosen speciality, but make you a
popular all-rounder! Female patients generally like to discuss
complicated gynaecolgical and obstetrical issues with female
doctors even if they are just hematologists or dermatologists. That not
only saves time and money in underdeveloped countries like ours but
also helps address a lot of health issues that would otherwise go
unnoticed. In today's world of fast streaming internet
facilities, anyone can read up about the complicated details of
diseases you diagnose, but to diagnose them you need skills that don't
come from just reading books or articles. Besides it helps build your
self esteem and confidence when patients question
you on health related problems.
Another friendly advice to myself at 22, when I was bubbling with fresh
knowledge and a passion to excel, would have been to start preparing for
my USMLE or PACES foreign licensing exams, even if I didn't have the
intention or resources to go abroad then. Destiny
can place us in the most unusual of circumstances and being prepared in
advance for a change of events can prove very helpful. Besides even
after your post graduation, if you contemplate about working in the US
or UK even for a short period on locum without
permanently settling there, a few STEPS or PACES exam can come in
handy. Its better than being stuck in your career ladder at some point
with no prospect of promotion due to lack of professional experience or
plain saturation of career opportunities. A foreign
qualification can put you ahead in your career by a mile, enough to out
class your adversaries and keep up with new infusion of talent and
advancements in medicine. Although nothing is impossible, but preparing
for MRCP or USMLE, after post graduation can
be quite a daunting task. To go back to basic medical subjects and read
what had already been revised can be quite a drain on time and money.
If I had prepared for these exams while I was preparing for my graduate
exams I would have been perhaps more focused
in my study approach and yielded better results in both!
Now though I enjoy this God-gifted motherhood (after six years of trying to conceive), and spend the better part
of the day changing diapers, cleaning up after-meal messes, and singing
nursery rhymes with my precious babies, before settling in to study for
my post graduate exams in the late hours
of the night when they are asleep, I am aware of people who have made
it through and are enjoying the fruits of success. Having taken a break
from my professional career to spend time with my little kids, I know
this is a decision not many career-oriented,
zealous enthusiastic professionals like my former self, would have
made, but one I am comfortable with now. Perhaps motherhood changes your
priorities..and your dreams, or maybe you are so drop dead tired at the
end of the day that you stop having any!
So my advice to all budding doctors at 22 would be to live their dreams
while they can, and to be prepared for life's challenges. courtesy: http://weheartit.com
(Post was originally conceived based on a simple question by LinkedIn Influencers to mentors : What do you wish you had known at 22?
Above are my personal feelings on the topic.....If I were 22).
When a young lad marches into the world with all his degrees in a
neat little file, all he asks for is a springboard from which to start.
Courtesy: http://www.mypersonalimprovement.com
While sailing along magnificently through
the most productive years of his life, academically speaking of course,
the guy who had broken last year’s college record of the greatest
number of wickets in a cricket match, broke down. His father retired
from government service and declared his financial assets before the
boy. The family fortune was barely enough to see him through college.
He was the eldest son and that in itself was self-explanatory of what
was expected of him. He locked up his bat and ball and bade his
cricketing pals goodbye. He looked a dilapidated man as he walked off
the cricket ground, his dreams of stardom shattered, his studies all in
a mess.
Out in the world, it was a different ball game altogether.
There was no family enterprise to take over except a garment shop,
which did not seem very enterprising to him. He started hunting for
jobs. But here, he had few qualifications to prove his worth, and where
he was academically adequately qualified he lacked experience. At last
he found himself standing outside the Army recruitment centre staring
at the sign-”The Army needs you”- They did.
It was a decent way of running away from home and responsibilities,
or so he thought. But the rigorous military training soon drove the
thought right out of his mind and he returned- a shaken man whose
confidence in himself had been shattered. Sitting alongside his father
at the shop, he wondered where things had gone wrong.
That’s the question most of us end up asking ourselves when
we end up in the no-man’s land. The guy had been thrust into the world
to make a niche for himself, but he needed some kind of footage- a
springboard from which to start. For most people its the family business that cushions
them when they start out to face the world. They are able to manage
with what little talent they have. The graduate student who has his
degrees to boast about may soon find that good grades may open for him
the doors to top universities, but they cannot guarantee him a bright
future. While the son of a business entrepreneur may go abroad to
enhance his profile, the son of a grade 16 government servant may well just rust away.
Round about 22, when most of us jump off the diving
board and plunge into the professional world, we are bursting with
ideas, more adventurous than our predecessors and waiting to try out
life’s uniforms. We have our competence to prove to the world, but we
are also aware that we are on trial. This is the big moment we have
been waiting for all along, and we want to strike it big. But if we
rush head along into the professional world we are bound to be hit by a
whirlwind. The susceptible period of our formative years is too
precious to be wasted in unplanned moves. Recklessness on one’s part
could lead to life long repentance.
So my advice to anyone poised for action on the diving board would be
to trust their instincts. You can never be Mr. Perfect and too much
introspection interferes with action. And as the proverbial saying goes,
“just keep your fingers crossed”. There’s a whole new world out there
to discover but if you start out too early and jump off ill-prepared you will hit solid ground, and that hurts!
Courtesy: afaq.edu.pk
Please visit the website where the article was originally published and click on the
To top it all off, med students are burdened with volatile subjects like Biochemistry and pharmacology. Doing biochemical tests on urine samples is disgusting as it is, but what really puts the drain on the mental faculty are all those biological cycles of all the metabolic fates of carbohydrates, proteins and fats in the human body. Its one helluva job memorizing them and another recalling them in the examination hall. Besides you forget them all after the Professional examinations.
The hardest part of this saga are indeed the professional exams, which hang like a sword over the heads of students all through there student life. The whole administration seems out to get you. You have to be mentally tough to take the pressure of it all. But once you are through, you feel you can take on anything in life.
Somehow the years roll over. While first and second year seem to take
ages and the end never seems in sight ( o why have I landed myself in
this mess?) , third and fourth years seem like a whirl wind (which is so
ironic because you really start getting the hang of things). Either the
studies get easier or you have grown immune to the stresses and strains
by now, but somehow life becomes more tolerable. And after two years of
beating about the bush and studying what they call the ‘normal’ we come
face to face with the diseases themselves- the ‘pathology’, our real
enemies. This is the domain all doctors strive to conquer- the real
basis of medicine. The medical student uses the eyepiece of the
microscope to stalk down this enemy.
Courtesy:/dehradunlive.in/search/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Goyal-Pathology-Lab-Dehradun
But this is no combat situation. We
just view these dead, diseased tissues which have been stained with
Haematoxylin and Eosin- the ‘pink’ and ‘blue’ one sees under the
microscope, that adds color to these dead and dull-looking tissues and
makes slide viewing a tolerable experience.
Courtesy: http://amida13.isi.uu.nl/
The real battle is fought in
the wards. So clinical rotations are an important part of this training
programme.
Although there is nothing really glamorous about going around hospital wards taking case histories and doing ‘general physical examinations’ (GPE), but moving around with seniors on ward rounds is exciting. You get your share of flattering remarks and disapproving looks from Professors and patients alike.But amongst the many faces of life in a hospital a familiar one is
the face of helplessness. It screams at you as you go past the waiting
area, or go down those dimly lit corridors. Rows and rows of patients,
grieving , in pain, helpless- and in contrast to all those dead bodies
in the dissection hall-alive.
And it seems almost as if someone has strapped a heavy load onto
one’s shoulders. The sense of responsibility weighs one down. By
becoming part of a few moments in the lives of these patients, doctor
and patient are bound in a sacred trust that transcends all barriers of
cast, creed and social status and one becomes accoutable to one’s own
conscience.
Regardless of all the degrees, medals and years of experience,
a new patient is always a new challenge to a doctor. All tall claims
finally boil down to the basic relationship that a doctor has with his
patient. an impression left by any doctor in the mind of his patient
reflects upon the whole profession. Once let down, he will never trust
his life with any doctor. The jinx of the doctor being a ‘Messiah’ shall
be broken forever. Because there is no room for errors in the medical
profession, and to the common man ‘people in white coats’ are all the same.
Getting admission into a medical school can prove to be a great
launching pad but only if you take full advantage of it. Whether you
were a straight-A’s student or someone who slid through High School with
minimal effort (and marginal results), medical school is a new platform
to start from- a new opportunity to show you’ve got what it takes to be
successful.
But nothing in the world can prepare you for that dreaded
encounter with the Dissection hall. It’s here, in the dimly lit hall,
which reeks with the pungent smell of formalin that the dry, boring
facts of Anatomy come to life. A few weeks in the Dissection Hall and
you become emotionally immune to the dreary surrounding. Among rows of
dead bodies draped in cotton swabs drenched in formalin, students watch
as the mysteries of the whole miracle of creation unfold under their
scalpels and forceps.Surgeons are said to be born here.
What medical students owe to dissection halls for the study of
Anatomy, they owe it to frogs and rabbits for the study of Physiology.
‘Stunning’ and ‘Pithing’ are just technical names for knocking them
unconscious and bashing out their brains. Lying in glass troughs with
their chests opened up and their hearts suspended in mid-air, they
present a pitiable sight. A lever assembly converts the feeble
contractions of their hearts into oscillations of the pen, which
transfers them onto graph papers so that medical students can use these
cardiogram recordings to study the functioning of the heart and the
minute details of heart blocks.
To top it all off, med students are burdened with volatile subjects like Biochemistry and pharmacology. Doing biochemical tests on urine samples is disgusting as it is, but what really puts the drain on the mental faculty are all those biological cycles of all the metabolic fates of carbohydrates, proteins and fats in the human body. Its one helluva job memorizing them and another recalling them in the examination hall. Besides you forget them all after the Professional examinations.
The hardest part of this saga are indeed the professional exams, which hang like a sword over the heads of students all through there student life. The whole administration seems out to get you. You have to be mentally tough to take the pressure of it all. But once you are through, you feel you can take on anything in life.
Doctor Barbie
