Personal views

I just wanted to be a doctor

BMJ 2006; 333 doi: 10.1136/bmj.333.7563.359 (Published 10 August 2006)
Cite this as: BMJ 2006;333:359.1

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  1. Tara Hunt, senior house officer in intensive care (tarparapa@hotmail.com)
  1. Frenchay Hospital, Bristol

    When I decided at the ripe old age of 26 that I had had enough of waitressing, bar jobs, doing arts degrees just because they sounded fun, and teaching English as a foreign language, I thought maybe I was finally ready to make a proper career choice. Maybe, just maybe, the time had come to put away childish things. I went for coffee with a friend. She asked one pertinent question. What would you do if you could do anything you liked? Regardless of time, money, peer pressure, parental pressure, qualifications, intellectual, or physical capacity… what would you do if you could do anything? I pondered for quite some time. There were so many things I wanted to encompass. I wanted to do something good. Something that was worth doing. Something that was interesting. A good laugh. Something that gave me a sense of self respect. Something that made me want to get out of bed at some ungodly hour. Something that my mum would be proud of. I mean, it's such a big part of your life, your …

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