Blog 6. An Answer to the Question: Is There Life After Medical School?--Facing the Facts: Any 'Weak Links'?

An Original Photographic of "Poseidon On the Atlantic", copyright mkrause, 2004, 2011on mkrause54@yahoo.com or mkrause381@gmail.com.

Poseidon,
god of the Sea,
"Earth-Shaker",
rider of the Horse-drawn chariot
across the Sea.





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Facing the Facts (Continued)
5. Be realistic. Are there any "weak links" among friends or family who could not support your climb to professional success?

Medicine definitely has changed since the 1980's. Then a medical student or young doctor could lose everything because of an alcohol or drug problem. Some still do. But the ethnic and racial affirmative action programs brought with them a demand to accept and promote not only those of non-standard credentials, but also alcoholics and serious (cocaine, heroine) drug users.

However, for many, particulary mainstream, white, Christian, US citizens, the old rules still prevail. A major mis-step into alcohol and drugs will bring state medical board action to suspend or revoke a medical license, with or without options to return to practice.

What is also true is the good words of friends and family are essential to maintain or promote a career in medicine. Bad words, even if unrelated to the profession, may significantly harm or sabotage a career.

Friends or family often encourage someone to "go back to school", "get a better job with a higher income". But what if that encouragement changes?

A perceived change in the professional student's status can re-kindle an old "sibling rivalry" or start a new jealousy or resentment in friends or family. This could occur as the busy, overworked, over-expensed student, who previously needed very little or nothing, now may need to ask for help with money instead of gifts at the holidays, short-term or long-term loans, rides to the car repair shop, or other favors.

Aging family members may forget positive details important to the student or young professional's success, call the wrong people, or too freely talk to bill collectors who begin to investigate the student with early finanical aid evaluations or applications. Friends may give the student's name to strangers who are bill collectors and investigators, inadvertently or otherwise. "Loose lips sink ships" certainly applies to the new professional "setting sail on his or her own ship".

Despite financial aid clauses and rules to the contrary, bill collecting on students or even applicants begins early as school or contract office workers sell information or applicant and student files. Former President George W. Bush's policy opening eavesdropping and investigation probably will be shown to have disproportionately harmed more innocent students and applicants than members of any domestic or international terrorist organization.

Bill collectors are "by nature" an aggressive group. In our weak economy, the old rules against "racketeering influenced crime organizations" (RICO laws) and "extortionate extension of credit" by what are now termed "third party bill collectors" have been suspended to benefit "loan sharks" without a loan to shark. This is because political cronies are involved in such activities, run through "quasi-governmental" bill collection agencies named after or formed from former or other government agencies.

That aging parent, jealous or "put upon" relative, or resentful friend, if listed on the application or "found" by invasive investigators, may too be bill collected and soon become the applicant/student's worst enemy. This, at a time when that applicant/student most needs as many good friends as possible.

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Graphic: An Original Photographic of "Poseidon On the Atlantic" copyright, mkrause 2004, 2011, on mkrause54@yahoo.com or mkrause381@gmail.com.

Reference: www.wikipedia.com