Doctor and dentist : To Be or not to be ?

Thoughts ripping ways out for career deciding?

Fun topic, career choosing. Tough job aint?

Fun to speak, I'm a Malaysian. To the much more conservative society of Chinese, they ought to scam their children into believing medicine (first on the list) , dentistry (unless you can't get medicine), accountancy (this is hottest course ever in Malaysia), economics , admin, business, biochemistry, engineering, anything that the old timers would think you're on the right track. Old terms are, ''good prospect, high income''. Maybe I was way too young the moment I first penned my ambition. And when screen turned to my parents' face, you can see how jolly asphyxiated they are. Chill, mom. I was 9.

''Sally, hammer!? Nevermine, sledgehammer will do''

Much to my concern, medicine and dentistry are not among the good prospect and high income job unless you strike your aims high and work like a underdog for 10-20 years non stop. The white robe guy you see strolling in hospital and back forth in the midst of emergency hours are no practitioner of modern art of humanities. Most of them were scammed since they were toddlers. Well, a job is a job. Loosely interpreted, I was supposed to be part of the medical community and I'm still partially do, but my focus is of human's oral region for now. My job is looking at people mouth and tell them jokes about the deconstruction and reconstruction of their oral structures. And how jolly sarcastic their face would be without a mandible attached.

 

Common misconceptions

A common mistake was these jobs earns millions. Doctors and dentists are inhuman fockers driving S-class Mercedes Benz with chrome rims? not every single of them. Are they all living in luxurious Semi-D? if you work hard, even a beggar can own a mansion. But certainly they are on higher societal hierachy than most human? What for climb so high, got prize? who cares? they serve you by inserting their hand and rolex into your anus. Whose the boss anyway?


People should have a closer look at most doctors (life).

Fictitious anti-hero.

Worn and torn, upon decades in between non- synchronized polarity of over dramatizing emergencies at peak time and sleeping time, and first hand death experiences. That's why most of the doctors are like lifeless effigies in their own clinics or work stations. Steadily in the chair, you say hi, he might reply you if he is sane. See if you would still be sane after working non-stop for 20-30 hours. Your social life is a muddling swamp of commune stagnation, in fact you soon realized you best friends are indeed Salmonella or even Bacteroides in cultivated petri. Between death and sex, you find no incoherence, both are equally fahrenheit heightening adrenaline rushing way to burn off stamina, and which you will go for? NONE, you like your king sized bed better. Just the bed, through the weekend without disturbance. Loosely speaking, never forget the oppressive guilt when you failed in saving the stroke ridden old lady, the young man with a pipe skewing his heart, the pregnant-soon-to-be-bride whose jugular vein deeply sliced by burglar, the 3 years old kid choked on peanuts. None is your fault, but can you take the pressure? This is only the beginning of your career.

Am I making the right choice? ''Heart'' has the say.

And if we shift earlier into their academic life, you will see the burden upon every soon-to-be-doctor and dentist are mirrored in a wider spectrum of varieties. Partially were wonderfully puzzled why were they in the field, perhaps it was their parents' will. These ought to kill someone on operation table, or sanction themselves out of blue soon enough. Some worked very hard to earn themselves a place in the local universities, and a few years after, realizing they aimed for something they never did like. Initially being something priceless regardless of one's true interest is not a credible motive to veer away from your true interest. Never victimize yourself because the world around you ''thinks'' it's the right choice. A clear scheme you must not subdue to is the draconian whispers of the meddling aunties syndicate, they will make sure your ass stuck to a doctor's seat. And politely and in rejoice, ''boy, treat my migraine once you become a doctor!'', observe the grinning smirk. ''Auntie, I'm afraid that would be unwise. You might possibly a dried corpse in 3 years, might as well dedicate your self to my anatomy practicum.''  A smart mocking riposte. Or, ''Boy, can Auntie help enlarge my breasts ah? Help me ah..discount..'', well, ''Auntie, get yourself C4 then. As big as you like. I'm premed. Barely graduated.''... There you go, real life scenarios.


Medicine is the holy grail for most aspired academician who suffers years and years of distorting torment by inhuman life in pure science field. A technically topicalized question would be, ''do you have what it takes to be one of us?''. Giggling in confabulations, I did asked ''So, what it takes?'' . Today, I'm not going to bloviate on this. In simple sentences, you will study for longest years like you never did before, over a decade is the basic if you aim to be specialist and higher.

What it takes?

1. Theory and clinic life ( in school)
• First 2-3 years - you will drown in the seas of heavy book learning.
  You will attend classes in anatomy, biochemistry, and physiology. Followed by study in pathology, medical ethics, and laws that govern medicine. Also learn about the human body and how it works. Then learn about disease and how the human immune system fights disease. By the way you will hit your brain in perfecting pharmacology esp medication and drugs dosage,which rules the life and death of patients. 
  

• 

  Dr, is that a dildo? I guess so. :)

  From 3rd- 5th/6th years - You will come to clinical rotations and work under doctors and other health care professionals' supervisions. You observe and assist internists, surgeons, and pediatricians, as well as radiologists, neurologists, family practice doctors, and ER doctors. This gives students an opportunity to experience a wide variety of medical specialties. It also allows you to work with many different patients. As you gain knowledge about the different areas of medicine, most students make decisions about which field they like best.
   
   
2. Certain personal Traits (See if you possessed any)
• Radical bastard would be a alternate sine qua non of being one heck of outstanding physician (Rubic complex or Messiah complex? either will work.)  But not the kind like Dr.House, I mean he is fictitious anti-hero who survived soap empire but not in real life. Be real.
• Extroverts, likewise, started the program near the bottom but rose through the class as the years passed.
• Being open and agreeable didn't seem important through the first couple years of classroom training, but were invaluable traits in real-world patient interaction.
• Conscientiousness was critical to doing well in medical school.  
• Well being awareness and adequate care of other's life
• Never a book worm. You have to a robust mind to explore the errors that a book might included. 
• Creativity and quite an amount of arts. (defining traits in medicine and dentistry)
   

Then there comes housemanship which is defined as hell by most MO. But nothing is undeniably hellish, for example, according to a medical friend of mine, in HKL, 40 MO shared one same posting. It does makes perfect sense seeing young MO strolling at nearby cinema complex and window shopping, while who to blame? What can he do? 40 people serving a patient? Presidential suite service. And 3 do bandage? another 3 do sterilization? Haha.. Still, you have to learn as much your cranial cavity could absorb before you legalized yourself to practice privately or to ascend higher into the career.

In my case....

In my case (dentistry), ''boy ah, I need denture. Make one for me after you graduate.'', ''But Auntie, how the heck are you going to eat these few years?''. Just a few common fallacy to be exact. Alright, moving on. What if one is fully prepared? What if one is fully resisted to taunts like above? Hats off, lets talk about career and prospect.

Gotcha! Prank shot!

Before you plant the little hope in this career, you must stay clear on the pseudo imagery you always being implemented by society. S-class Mercedes, Triplet mansion in Damansara, Hermes and Royal Golf club membership are not yours. Cut your neocortex and thalamus as long you still a no name doctor. No imagination. Doctor and dentist are not license to goldmines, most of the time you have to sacrifice so much of personal elements, in the end you think you're a priest. No life. Clearly, you still have to put up with the stress to be in that vivid economical Myvi of yours after 20 winters. Just wondering, how the hell some of them going to pay back over 600k of tuition fees? Medicine and dentistry are unreachable apex in another aspect because it's freaking expensive unless you could catapult yourself a priceless seat in local institutions like UM and UKM. Not to mention, overseas. Does it worth paying a million to be a doctor? In between ambition and reality/ prospect, you make the call.


So what induced the frenzy into medicine and dentistry, respectively. In Malaysia, everyone was so kiasu. A striking tsunami of medical schools admissions ended the 20 years old under-supply/gap of medical work force in the region. Our medical work power to population ratio has tipped the optimal 1 : 4000 with corresponding light speed incremental in the production of medical work elites. Still fantasizing being a millionaire by being a physician or dentists? I will not stop you, I seen quite an amount (specialists) with BMW and shuffling chicks everyday. Rare case baby.


While in dentistry, the golden ratio (1 : 4000) while our current up to date ratio is 1 : 10451. Good news? Perfecta. Meaning there's still room for you. Cut the statistics, what about the nature of the course itself? Basically, you will be studying 99% of what a M.B.B.S. studies, but a M.B.B.S studied none of D.D.S. studies. In April 2010, Guinness's World Of Record delivered dentistry into Hall of Fame for one of toughest course in human history. Maybe you will bramble in front your 15 inch screen, ''32 teeth took you guys 5-6 years for a whole course and you said that is tough?". From tip to toe, an arduous carpeting journey to every single part of your physical body, by timid observation and excoriation of numerous possibilities to poise delicate insights by manipulating internal physical flaws and pathologies factors as the internuncio to the accurate diagnosis of mouth complications. Simply, medicine + specialization in oral pathologies. Anyway, you must not have fear for blood. Imagine plasma mixed drool extravasates out of labial commisure, bulging bluish warts carpeting the labium walls, or even sprinkling blood mixed with HIV virus. Those are work hazards, and are you ready for it? if yes, go on.

Sanguisugent or Hematemesis?

And you cannot be pococurante mannered even your patient are obstreperous and keeps on discombobulating your diagnosis, either you ruse them into sedation or veered them into silence by smart tricks. It's all of medical ethics. Can you take it? if yes ,welcome to dentistry.


To me, dentistry was not my final pursuit. I was mentally polarized in my first year thinking I forged a dead end to my own life by going for a life long career which offers no initial affinity to. Day by day, months by months. Slowly I learned affinity is a factor, and you could alter any factors to any extent as long you wanted. And since I paid, and I can't possibly burden my parents with another expense for the sake of my dream. To be truth, I'm quite oblivious on this matter after 3 years in dentistry. My life is all about teeth, gum, root canal treatment, oral surgeries, flippers, implants, name it.

This is a full denture la Auntie.

So what change my course of interest? I see new light out of dim. You see, after all, despite delayed implementation and awareness of dental health in Asiatic region, dental health/ dental hygiene service is on emergence with definite innovations arising for dental technologies, effective prevention measures and dynamic techniques sorts. Come to see dentistry as a good prospect is on positive drive if you would dedicate large chunk of your life looking oral proportion of a human, which is a grandious stigma to stay flourish as one, to no regret. Still, out of the blue, dentists enjoy a much more flexible working schedule, which promptly initiates my life long dedication. Sounds ok, at least you can still be with your family without work intervention.

MO/ DO starting salary in Malaysia is around rm2500++.

What about those who would seriously dedicated their life to medicine or anything?

Good for them. Enough said. Just get a good result, go into local universities. Or unless you're financially eloquent, get yourself a place in private universities.

My fault? whose?

Nothing is entirely black or white in reality, learn to be inconsistent. Inconsistent in life. For me, dentistry seems like a pretty not bad thing after all. Recently a medical friend shared his blog, and more of his friend's. Going through pages of their life, in school, in hospital, OT, diagnosis. The tantrum of which descended cruelty in the midst emergencies, the primordial fear of losing life through saving life seems like a accursed hindrance, and many more includes law induced issues and sociological impregnated crises, molding these careers into a landmines to those who land onto the field. Those cries by near death situation in ICU, buzzing like a saw through your consciousness are unable to be abnegated. To make moral-ethically wise decision at split second when dealing with death possible circumstances can derange one's sanity. I've seen top scorer in medical field quitting her ample paid job because one simple reason, she can't take death making decision anymore.


So, being a doctor or dentist is not cool in any childish way your paradigm steered. If you don't like it, never dream about it, then place a ''no'' to it. If you don't even know what you will be dealing, consult experienced doctors and dentists, let them narrate their story into you. Never be hasty in career building.


I'm done with my part here. As a dental student, that little book hill is all I cave in in nychthemeron manner. Well, not quite as ''no life'' as described traditionally. A little remark, have you chosen this career, make it a life long dedication, for humanity, at least for your own wallet, work in conjunction with ethics and love.

With Love, from me.

21st Jan 2011, 5:51pm  C!<