We meet again. Welcome back!
There is a world hidden behind the conservative mask that the medical world projects. As a doctor, you have to act conservative, cool and collected in front of patients.
This is because, if you were to play around and joke too much in front of a patient, they would start getting the feeling that they’re not in competent hands.
BUT, when no patients are around, the world of medicine can be quite different. The other side of medicine takes center stage.
Once, a medical team, consisting of a surgeon, surgeon’s assistant, and anaesthetist were wrapping up a small op. The anaesthetist was called to the telephone for an ‘urgent’ phone call.
Theatre staff gathered in anticipation. They could feel something was going on by the smile on the surgical team’s faces.
“Hello…Hello?”
The anaesthetist realized, too late, that he was on the receiving end of a practical joke… his ear was now stuck to the telephone by a special surgical glue.
The theatre staff packed out laughing, slapping their knees, leaving the anaesthetist with a sheepish smile on his face.
A while later, in a calculated response to this, the anaesthetist took all the surgeon’s clothes home. When the surgeon got to the change-rooms, his clothes were gone. He went home in his surgical garments that day, and he never saw those clothes again.
Everyone in the medical world needs their own way to deal with the pressures of seeing trauma and pain every day. Apart from the reward of seeing someone get well and be able to go back to their family, a sense of humor plays the biggest part in keeping your sanity.
It’s worth it when you’ve helped someone get well, or saved a life, but on the occasion when there’s nothing you could do, you can’t go home and take that baggage to your family.
Congratulations to you! You have just discovered an important key to keeping your sanity in the world of medicine…
When you’re operating, consulting, or treating patients, take your job very seriously, and be careful and precise. But when circumstances allow for it, laugh, smile, joke, and have fun.
That’s the hidden side of medicine that most people never see… doctors, surgeons, and nurses use humor to get them through.
Sorry if I’ve spoiled it for you. Were you expecting that doctors were always that solemn; that they’re serious and that’s just the way it should be? Well, pop… burst that bubble good and proper.
It’s fun, it’s stimulating, it’s fulfilling. What more can I say about being a doctor?
It changes you as a person, because now, suddenly, and for a change, you’re forced to think about other people ahead of yourself.
You’ll notice your own problems become much smaller when you’re helping other people every day to cope with their problems.
That’s why doctors are so admired and respected in their communities. Because all day, every day, they’re helping those in need.
Medical professionals are, for the most part, really good people with good hearts… a unique breed.
Before I sign off, I just want to let you know that, if you freak out when you see blood or needles, don’t worry. That passes as you get into medical school. Don’t let that be a deterrent at all.
Has this helped you get a new perspective on the world of medicine?
Use the comments section below and let me know. I always read the comments and quite often, when time allows, I even reply.
Remember, we’re taking this step by step, together.
I look forward to reading your opinion below.
Dr. Anton
| Dr. Anton Scheepers, BChD, MDent, FFD(SA), MFOS, President of The Apprentice Corporation |
