A Labor of Love

Independent Study and Mentorship - Week 4 - 6

A common constant among almost all physicians is their emphasis on passion over a paycheck. Every school-related medical conference, every doctor, every article ever written on pursuing a medical profession has revolved around one main concept: not pursuing medicine to become wealthy, because ultimately, that path will make you unsatisfied. When I was younger, I used to wonder, "How can having hundreds of thousands of dollars leave you unsatisfied?" I only dreamed of the elegant mansions and gold silverware and the hundreds of thousands of dollars that would lie blissfully in a bank account. But as I've grown older, I've realized that money does not equate happiness. Becoming a doctor is incredibly rigorous, time-consuming, and demands tireless patience, which is only fueled by love and love alone. Those working for a six-digit figure at the end of the journey, unfortunately, may endure the consequences of an unfulfilling and unhappy life. 

These past few weeks have been a whirlwind of expeditious progress, as I have completed two interviews in less than four days, and have scheduled and confirmed another interview in two weeks. Compared to where I started my school year, bundled with enormous stress on the prospect of scheduling a single interview, I am incredibly fortunate to now have had great success in finding eligible professionals to interview. These physicians have devoted precious hours of their extremely busy schedules to accommodate me, and overall, it has been a wonderful experience. My first interview was on Thursday, September 22, with Dr. Heather Bellanger of Plano Women's Healthcare. Immediately when you walk in, the clinic is comforting and organized, and it took me no more than fifteen minutes to fit myself into Dr. Bellanger's back-to-back schedule, which was a testament to the skilled cooperation and communication of the Plano Women's Healthcare staff. Even before my interview, I learned an incredible deal of information just from the atmosphere of the clinic itself. At least two dozen nurses were bustling about, communicating with each other, conferring with the obstetrician-gynecologist, visiting and comforting patients. In my singular focus on the preparation, necessary duties, and difficulties of being an obstetrician-gynecologist, I had not stopped to consider the crucial framework of collaboration underlying the success of a patient's delivery or examination. This was an incredibly important learning curve for me as it broadened my understanding of the functionality of a clinic and further assisted me in acknowledging the fact that without an OBGYN's team of nurses and physician's assistants, nothing would ever run smoothly. As I continue my research, I would like to keep in mind the dedication, perseverance, and commitment possessed by these nurses in the OB-GYN clinic. Although I have been exploring clinical research, such as gestational diabetes, the paternal effect of age on perinatal morbidity, and psychological disorders resulted by faulty sperm, it would be beneficial to me to also research the clinical environment of an OBGYN and the structure and procedure in an operating room. This will also aid me in upcoming interviews as I will start to gain a better understanding of the professional life and duties of an OB-GYN, in turn allowing me to formulate more tailored and advanced questions to produce a more successful interview.