I took a leave of absence from medical school between my third and fourth years in order to pursue a Master's of Philosophy (MPhil) in the department of the History and Philosophy of Science and Medicine at University of Cambridge in England.
Are you going back to medical school?
Yes, yes, a resounding yes! Not only do I still want to be a doctor, but I have one plan for how to pay off my (ever-increasing) student debt and that is via a doctor's salary
Why are you doing this?
Because I love the history of medicine, and I think that learning about the history of my future field will help me understand why medicine is practiced the way it is, and that, combined with a robust introduction to the questions and concepts of the philosophy and ethics of medicine, will help me become a better physician to my patients and allow me to be constructively critical of medicine and the medical system.
Because at times medical school feels a bit like a conveyor belt churning out doctors, and I wanted to step off the conveyor (to prove I could), and to indulge the part of my curiosity that was not being wholly satisfied by the learning in medical school.
And also because I wanted an adventure, and the 9-year-old that first read Harry Potter is so, so proud and pleased with me, her 28-year-old future self.
When will you be back?
My program ends on June 30th, 2020, so I will be back in the USA sometime in summer 2020, at which point I will re-start medical school and my final year of clinical rotations.
Frequent Follow-up Questions:
Are you going back to medical school?
Yes, yes, a resounding yes! Not only do I still want to be a doctor, but I have one plan for how to pay off my (ever-increasing) student debt and that is via a doctor's salary
Why are you doing this?
Because I love the history of medicine, and I think that learning about the history of my future field will help me understand why medicine is practiced the way it is, and that, combined with a robust introduction to the questions and concepts of the philosophy and ethics of medicine, will help me become a better physician to my patients and allow me to be constructively critical of medicine and the medical system.
Because at times medical school feels a bit like a conveyor belt churning out doctors, and I wanted to step off the conveyor (to prove I could), and to indulge the part of my curiosity that was not being wholly satisfied by the learning in medical school.
And also because I wanted an adventure, and the 9-year-old that first read Harry Potter is so, so proud and pleased with me, her 28-year-old future self.
When will you be back?
My program ends on June 30th, 2020, so I will be back in the USA sometime in summer 2020, at which point I will re-start medical school and my final year of clinical rotations.
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