"Forcing your child to become a doctor could be...
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Re: "Forcing your child to become a doctor could be...
I've been at too many careers fairs and seen too many students who, when asked if they are interested in engineering, have said "well my parents think I should" to even begin to force my DD into any career. I've seen the looks on their faces as they have said it, which said more than they ever needed too.
DD has already told me I can't make her do chemical engineering
, which is fine by me.
I've told her I don't want her doing medicine or media studies. Anything else is fair game. We really don't mind, as long as it's something she wants to do. (If she turned round and said she wanted to do medicine, fair enough, but then at least we'd both know it was because she really really wanted to. Somehow though I don't think it will happen, but it's more said to counteract any 'encouragement' she might get from elsewhere)
DD has already told me I can't make her do chemical engineering
, which is fine by me. I've told her I don't want her doing medicine or media studies. Anything else is fair game. We really don't mind, as long as it's something she wants to do. (If she turned round and said she wanted to do medicine, fair enough, but then at least we'd both know it was because she really really wanted to. Somehow though I don't think it will happen, but it's more said to counteract any 'encouragement' she might get from elsewhere)
Re: "Forcing your child to become a doctor could be...
Lol, sorry for that, I didn't mean to insult a more youthful resident!um wrote:Perhaps persuade is the wrong verb.
I guess we have wanted to ensure he knows about/can explore other options available for his career, as well as understanding the reality and difficulty of the role.
Also - the first time I have ever been called middle-aged
Re: "Forcing your child to become a doctor could be...
Work experience was not required back in my time or HM time, even if I would of done it I wouldn't had much of a choice.I was too young and inexperienced to have the ovaries to go against my parents or school.
Psychometric tests are quite sensitive and selective nowadays and I would of never of made it to Med School.
I never even did A level biology but Chemistry,Physics,Pure Maths and Applied Maths including a couple of S levels -what does this tell you about where my aptitude lies?
Psychometric tests are quite sensitive and selective nowadays and I would of never of made it to Med School.
I never even did A level biology but Chemistry,Physics,Pure Maths and Applied Maths including a couple of S levels -what does this tell you about where my aptitude lies?
Re: "Forcing your child to become a doctor could be...
I can totally relate to your DS as my parents also tried to push me in another direction than medicine (though we are a family of doctors). They managed to persuade me to do something else for one year, arguing that I was losing nothing as I was one year younger than my cohort for the baccalauréat... but Easter time of this year in 'classe prépa' in France ( a system of recruitment by competitive examination), at last, my ‘pater familias’ gave me the authorisation to study medicine! Frankly, it was a career that would have suited me perfectly and I have really enjoyed fully my few years of studying medicine. Then it is life (and lots of naivety and innocence on my part) who made me stop all this enjoyment (frankly, I should have listened to my parents and followed their advice.).um wrote: I'm afraid he still wants to be one and I've accepted he sees it as a 'calling' albeit not an easy one at all..
If your DS feels that he is 'called', there is nothing to stop him and he will be happy in his element, despite the difficulties he will encounter.
Quasimodo has already mentioned this book on a thread: ‘Do no harm’ by Henry Marsh. I am sure that would be an interesting read for your DS: though it deals only about brain surgery, it gives also some insight about the life and feelings/experiences of a doctor.
edited to remove some typing mistakes
Last edited by JaneEyre on Thu Jun 16, 2016 12:43 am, edited 1 time in total.
Re: "Forcing your child to become a doctor could be...
Could I add 'Being Mortal' by Atul Gawande too? It is the kind of ideas in this book which put DD off Medicine in the end, but it is a great book for all to read I think.JaneEyre wrote:Quasimodo has already mentioned this book on a thread: ‘Do no harm’ by Henry Marsh. I am sure that would be an interesting read for your DS: though it deals only about brain surgery, it gives also some insight about the life and feelings/experiences of a doctor.
Re: "Forcing your child to become a doctor could be...
For those of you too young to remember this television series (or with no experience to judge it by), as a former A&E Sister, I can vouch for it having been the most realistic portrayal of hospital life (at least 'at the sharp end' - no pun intended ) around:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardiac ... TV_series)
At the time, I had moved into research and was having a hard time with a line manager many years out of what one might term 'real' nursing, who seemed to think that hospitals, staff and patients were like a cross between Dr Kildare and Dr Finlay's Casebook without the sex and swearing, with any kind of treating our research participants as if they might, for example, have a sense of humour, being grounds for disciplinary action. Much as I enjoyed good old Dr F on the telly as a child, medical dramas really aren't my thing, but watching Cardiac Arrest cheered me up no end.
(My work 'grandmother' eventually believed fully that my life had been made a living **** for months one day when the aforementioned line manager indulged in a tirade of - totally unjustified - abuse aimed at her and walked out
).
) around:https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardiac ... TV_series)
At the time, I had moved into research and was having a hard time with a line manager many years out of what one might term 'real' nursing, who seemed to think that hospitals, staff and patients were like a cross between Dr Kildare and Dr Finlay's Casebook without the sex and swearing, with any kind of treating our research participants as if they might, for example, have a sense of humour, being grounds for disciplinary action. Much as I enjoyed good old Dr F on the telly as a child, medical dramas really aren't my thing, but watching Cardiac Arrest cheered me up no end.
(My work 'grandmother' eventually believed fully that my life had been made a living **** for months one day when the aforementioned line manager indulged in a tirade of - totally unjustified - abuse aimed at her and walked out
).Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.Groucho Marx
Re: "Forcing your child to become a doctor could be...
From another perspective I sometimes wish my parents had 'forced' me into medicine.
I was hard working at school and didn't give my parents any cause for concern academically. I went to the local comp and then to a good 6th form. I don't remember a great deal of career advice (apart from a very sexist comment from my O level Chemistry teacher when I mentioned I might want to go into the pharmaceutical industry) and I've ended up in an allied health care role but not medicine. Maybe with a bit of a push I'd have done medicine... I did give it a thought later but by then was earning well and enjoying work.
As a parent now I think all we can do is present our children with the options and let them decide. One thing I love about my job is that I meet people from all walks of life and there are some really interesting careers it there.
I was hard working at school and didn't give my parents any cause for concern academically. I went to the local comp and then to a good 6th form. I don't remember a great deal of career advice (apart from a very sexist comment from my O level Chemistry teacher when I mentioned I might want to go into the pharmaceutical industry) and I've ended up in an allied health care role but not medicine. Maybe with a bit of a push I'd have done medicine... I did give it a thought later but by then was earning well and enjoying work.
As a parent now I think all we can do is present our children with the options and let them decide. One thing I love about my job is that I meet people from all walks of life and there are some really interesting careers it there.
