Medical specialty and personality

[ThatBrightHelper]

My dd is studying medicine in uni (year 1) and she wants to be a psychiatrist. She is kind, loves to talk, has a good memory and is empathetic but is also an overthinker and prone to say the wrong thing. She is also really energetic but dislikes competition.

From my anecdotal experience (my DH is a pediatrician), there is a certain correlation between the specialty doctors choose and their personality. For example, the competitive ones usually go to cardiovascular surgery, and the most patient and kind ones go to pediatrics (like my DH). Can't think of anymore for now.

Meant to be lighthearted discussion.

I've had a lot of surgery in my life and they've always been so lovely!

Lovely and brave, what a combo!

Yeah, I'm guessing a propensity for facial expressions similar to Hannibal Lecter's while speaking of liver with fava beans and Chianti might not produce the best results either.

She's in year 1, & psychiatrists, like many professionals, have training with supervision for a reason

From a patient perspective as someone who has seen most corners of the NHS, the most empathetic specialists I've encountered were the Obs and Gynae docs, especially the male ones, closely followed by colorectal. I find female doctors weirdly abrasive, but I suppose to get ahead in medicine you need to have a strong sense of self and be quite a resilient character.

Again a HUGE generalisation but several Doctors have told me that Psychiatrists are usually the ones with the most need of their own speciality.

What, all female doctors?🙄

I am not a medic but couldn’t agree more about what a difference anaesthetics doctors made to my life. When I look back at my two C Sections I still remember the wonderful calm lovely anaesthetic doctor and how comfortable he made me feel! I remember him more than my doctor! And by coincidence he was on call for both of my DC! So thank you!

As I see that I have upset you, I apologise for my very childish, rude and hurtful comment about the orthopaedic surgeon that I know. I can confirm that I don’t really think that every orthopaedic surgeon is an arrogant bastard. I’m sure that you and your friends are all lovely. And I hope you all have a great day.

Obviously not all, but the ones I've encountered as a patient I've found to be more dismissive of me. Only on Mumsnet can an opinion based on personal experience be turned into a row.

Yes, it is a huge generalisation

You know they have to learn how to be psychiatrists, right? It takes a long time.

OP, I'm not in the field, but anyone I know who is changed their mind (sometimes multiple times) during training. I wouldn't worry just yet

Yes but I don’t believe that all communication skills can be learnt.

Any mention of brain surgeons instantly reminds me of this.

https://m.youtube.com/results?sp=mAEA&search_query=mitchell+and+webb+brain+surgeon

It doesn't really matter what you believe. There's obviously a massive difference between an 18 year old student and an adult fully trained psychiatrist.

Yay!
A bit of lighthearted stereotyping and generalising about our doctors to get the week started!

the consultant i knew in tropical medicine, specifically parasitology, was a wanker
always liked orthopods
i guess it depends how you meet them
the lady anaesthetist i met was also a bad tempered so and so, the male anaesthetist for my surgery was appropriately humorous

I also find that when sitting in the back of a mini cab in downtown Marseille, "Just drop me off at the main entrance at La Timone please" goes down a lot better than "Rare, Tropical and Infectious Diseases Centre please! I don't feel that good and I can't be walking for hours through the hospital."

Believe it or not, young doctors are advised to choose their specialty based on both their preference and personality so its not completely made up!

As a “lady anaesthetist” happy to see many saying about how anaesthetists have looked after them. And a whole lot of generalisation about women who are doctors. Not sure I am weirdly abrasive but who knows!

One of my colleagues gave me the most lovely compliment last week, saying that when dealing with an emergency I got calmer the more stressful the situation got and how that helped the rest of the team not panic and focus on what needed doing. Inside I was definitely not that calm but shows all the training works!

Why not? We do, as humans, learn all the skills we posses. What makes you think that we are not capable of learning all communication skills? Blurting out the wrong thing can be due to quite a number of things that can be improved - impulse control, life experience, lack of self-awareness, lack of understanding of the need for "therapeutic silence". Some of these skills are part of clinical training, others come with age and experience.
I have never met a teenager who wasn't partial to blurting out the first thing that comes into their head and most grew up to be functional adults with decent communication skills.

Aren't Dr's and Consultants just people with differing personalities like anyone else? Yes, you met a bad tempered anaesthetist and a nice one but that's just how they are, nothing specifically to do with their jobs. My Consultants for Cancer and Bowel Surgery have all ranged between being formally pleasant and lovel, friendly and caring but I think that's just how they are as people.

Hehe thanks! Yeah I love obs I do about 100 photos for the parents too. If ever come across we super appreciate thanks cards as we are v much the forgotten speciality as surgeon is who is remembered (always said u don't do the specialty for the glory reputation lol

Gosh he was the nicest doctor! When I saw him for number two I nearly cried (hormones and happiness!) but he was so calm, reassuring and was able to be so comforting whilst doing such a difficult job making sure all the anaesthetics etc were working. I always remember when he was putting in the spinal that I had to “slouch like a stroppy teenager!”

You have reminded me I ought to send him a card!

You might like Dr Glaucomflecken’s comedy on YouTube OP, if you want something lighthearted about specialty stereotypes.

m.youtube.com/channel/UCYDVFfp_AN1WBiNwaf9522w