Hanging the Stethoscope Series

The Stethoscope

The Stethoscope is one of the symbols of Medicine. It is like a staff of office, only a privileged few can wield. The moment you get your first stethoscope as a student is a very humbling one. It is like being bestowed a super power. The responsibility it portends is huge.

Medicine is not a profession for the faint hearted. It requires many hours, months, years and I dare say a lifetime of dedication, sacrifice and committment to the Hippocratic oath.

Most medical schools require a minimum of 6 years before you are allowed to use that most dignified prefix before your name (DR). The journey to this stage is not a walk in the park, it is one that tests the best of men, your resolve, your staying power, your ability to withstand setbacks, your ability to go on when everything around you says quit.

Sometimes, one doesn’t stop at just acquiring the DR title. There is the post graduate world of housemanship, youth service (in Nigeria), masters degrees and Residency program. Residency program could take another 5 or 6 years before the doctor can claim to be a specialist in a particular field.

Why hang the Stethoscope?

Why would anyone after going through all these, decide to hang his or her stethoscope? What are the reasons people resort to this drastic career move? Is there life after Medicine? Join me on this series as I interview real live doctors who have hung their stethoscopes.