Was this something I really wanted?

The first sentence of my story is similar to that of many doctors: I always dreamed of becoming a doctor when I was little. Well, not exactly. When I was about 8 years old I cracked my head and had to be taken to the hospital in an ambulance. And while my mom was freaking out and my aunt was cleaning up the mess, I was LOVING the experience. I thought it was so cool that the paramedics had me wear a little nose “plug” that shot oxygen up my nostrils; that they got to wear cool uniforms; and that they could ride in the back of the “car” while facing the rear and not wearing seatbelts. From then on I wanted to be a “health man” (at that age I didn’t understand the difference between a paramedic, a doctor, a nurse, and the many other jobs in health care). As a got older, I decided I wanted to be a doctor but I never really began to pursue that as a tangible goal. The only time I really brought it up was when I was asked what I wanted to do when I got older.

Once high school came to an end, however, I was forced to think seriously about this dream because it would affect the college I would attend. Also, as any high school senior will tell you, adults have this odd habit of constantly asking what students want to do for the rest of their lives, as if an 18 year old has any idea! For me, I quickly began to uncover my motives for becoming a doctor. I also realized that it was easy, and quite gratifying, to tell all adults that I wanted to be a doctor. I mean, it’s a pretty respectable profession I thought, right?