Stereotypes

When I started Medical school and had no idea why I wanted to be a doctor, let alone what type I wanted to be.  I assumed I would figure it out as I went along.  I did.

I remember about 8 months into medical school, a professor told me “You’re going to be an ER Doc.” I was shocked. I had never considered myself an “adrenaline junky”. I didn't like uncertainty and I thought I was WAY to “compassionate” to be a “trench doc”. This prof though said he had a feeling.  My personality “fit the mold” he said.

Well he was right. And you know what? I remember looking around my classes at about the end of my 2nd year and being able to almost perfectly pick out what kind of doctor many of my classmates were going to be.  It was uncanny.

The jocks became orthopods.  The intense, cynical ones became surgeons.  The “nice guys” went into family practice.  The brainiacs are internal medicine specialists.  The goof offs were pediatricians.  The intense women all became ob/gyns. There were obviously exceptions, but for the most part, people fit "the mold".

I swear.   Its true.  Now before anyone jumps down my throat.  I would agree that in most instances, stereotypes are destructive, preconceived notions that lead to prejudice and ignorance.  Sometimes though, as difficult as it may be to admit, they can be viewed as “averages” or “means”.  In medicine, this almost seems the case.  Be clear, there are always exceptions.  There are laid back, silly surgeons.  There are intense, prickly pediatricians.  But on AVERAGE, you have certain personalities in certain specialties.  You take all the surgeons you've ever known and average out their personalities and you just might end up with a pretty smart, intense, and often cynical person.  Some might argue it takes exactly that type of person to get through the residency and do such grueling, meticulous, difficult work.  Others might say that people gravitate to specialties where they see people that are "like themselves".  Others might say I'm full of fooey.  Maybe I am.

But that Prof, who thought I would be an ER Doc was right.  The stereotype fit and here I am, blogging about being an ER Doc, trying to decide if I should tell you about the abuse case I saw last night.