DS1 is 16 and has just started A levels. He's always been a bit vague when asked if he's got any career plans but has occasionally mentioned medicine and, when we went into the school to hand his results in and firm up his A level choices, he told the tutor that he wants to do medicine.
I do have some worries about this. I have been a nurse for 20 years so know quite a bit about what's involved.
DS is quite shy and introverted, especially when he first meets people. However, he got a glowing report from his work experience at a GP practice. He's really sensitive and I don't know how he would cope with people dying on him or with really rude, aggressive patients. He's also quite 'daydreamy' and I just can't see him coping well with emergency life or death situations.His college is brilliant and they've linked him in with programmes at a number of universities and he's able to attend some of the lectures there.
He's so enthusiastic when he talks about what he's doing in biology but I get the feeling he's more interested in the theory of medicine rather than actually wanting to be a doctor and he's never actually mentioned the word doctor.
I can totally see him doing something related to medicine like research or pharmacology. I really don't want to interfere but I genuinely think he's just too much of a softy to cope as a doctor.
I would never try and put him off but would IBU to get him some information about careers in medical research or related stuff?