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From: chu@lasspvax.UUCP (Clare Chu)
Newsgroups: net.singles
Subject: Re: SO's in the medical profession
Message-ID: <504@lasspvax.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 2-Sep-85 16:00:47 EDT
Article-I.D.: lasspvax.504
Posted: Mon Sep  2 16:00:47 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 4-Sep-85 06:47:17 EDT
References: <469@lasspvax.UUCP> <234@unc.unc.UUCP> <1556@peora.UUCP>
Reply-To: chu@lasspvax.UUCP (Clare Chu)
Organization: LASSP, Cornell University
Lines: 53
Summary: 

In article <1556@peora.UUCP> jer@peora.UUCP (J. Eric Roskos) writes:
>[Read the posting, it is too long to summarize]
>
>I think this posting is too critical of the medical student in question,
>saying he possibly "can't take" being a physician.

I'm the original poster, not the one referenced to above, and I didn't
mean for anyone to infer that he "can't take" being a med student.
What I meant was that his way of dealing with stress by displacing it
onto escaping fantasies disturb me as his fiance since I'm directly
involved.  I'm the one who encouraged him to take it over again as
soon as possible because I knew that he knew the material but just
didn't study correctly (he was sick and only studied sample questions).
I also reminded him in his dark moments (when he wanted to quit and
join the Marines) how much he enjoyed his clinical rotations and how
much the patients liked him.  It's not a question of whether he can't
take being a physician as to his way of getting attention from me (as
I've come to realize).
>
>I can certainly understand his reaction at not passing the medical board
>examinations.  Here he has spent years of difficult studying to learn
>what he needs to know, and now he has failed to pass this one last obstacle.
>This is no surprise, that it is upsetting to him!  Furthermore, I am not
>at all sure his comments are indicative of anything other than dedication.
>He said if he doesn't pass them again, he will withdraw from society -- which
>I interpret to mean, he will devote all his time to studying, until he
>does pass them.  
>

  But fantasizing about joining the Marines and going to Lebanon or
Nicaragua or whereever is not the answer.  I know, I know he's only
saying it to elicit an emotional response.  And if he really were to
fail again, God forbid, I think he'd probably do what Eric says, i.e.
shut himself away from the world and study.  If he does that I wouldn't
hold anything against him.  I'd let him be.

> But if he just said "If I don't pass the boards
>the next time, I am going to have to withdraw from society for awhile until
>I pass them, because they are essential to my future; but once I do pass
>them, I would like to get married," well, that seems just like simple
>dedication to me.
>

  Well he is quite stubborn, intense and quite dedicated, let's just
leave it at that.

>-- 
>Shyy-Anzr:  J. Eric Roskos
>UUCP:       ..!{decvax,ucbvax,ihnp4}!vax135!petsd!peora!jer
>US Mail:    MS 795; Perkin-Elmer SDC;
>	    2486 Sand Lake Road, Orlando, FL 32809-7642

Clare Chu