Comments on Mothers in Medicine: The Speech I Never Gave

I know this is way after the fact but thank you fo...

2009-08-20T17:13:33.750-04:00

I know this is way after the fact but thank you for this post . Its no secret that the journey will be hard, however that is all we hear, thank you for providing hope and making the struggle sound doable and worth it. Whatever class of incoming students gets to actually hear your speech, their journey will be better because of it.

I missed this the first time around. What a great ...

2009-05-23T16:48:33.987-04:00

I missed this the first time around. What a great post!

Thank you for that.

2008-08-28T08:39:00.000-04:00

Thank you for that.

just beautiful and so true. i hope you're able to ...

2008-08-27T16:49:00.000-04:00

just beautiful and so true. i hope you're able to make the speech out loud next time!

You are absolutely right-this is what I was thinki...

2008-08-27T14:41:00.000-04:00

You are absolutely right-this is what I was thinking and feeling during our white coat ceremony three years ago. And although I am not a mother (yet), I had serious doubts about being able to pull it all off after listening to everyone during my orientation week of medical school. I am now in my fourth year, engaged and trying to listen to strong women like you when planning my future. Thanks so much for the post!

Medschoolmommy and Kelley,Reading your comments ga...

2008-08-27T14:09:00.000-04:00

Medschoolmommy and Kelley,

Reading your comments gave me a warm smile.

I became a mommy in residency, fellowship, and private practice. All enhanced my experience of being a doctor and my capabilities as a doctor.

Yes, both parenting and doctoring are challenging, but also rewarding and changing all the time.

As a mother and a pre-med student just embarking o...

2008-08-27T00:21:00.001-04:00

As a mother and a pre-med student just embarking on this life-changing journey, this was a phenomenal post for me. Thank you.

As a mother and a pre-med student just embarking o...

2008-08-27T00:21:00.000-04:00

As a mother and a pre-med student just embarking on this life-changing journey, this was a phenomenal post for me. Thank you.

I really appreciate you drawing the comparison of ...

2008-08-26T22:58:00.000-04:00

I really appreciate you drawing the comparison of becoming a doctor to becoming a mother.

I wrote previously: "Deep down inside, the pager tells doctors that they are wanted, needed, even yearned for. Feeling the soft buzz of a hospital pager likely excites the same reward-center of the brain as during suckling and oxytocin-induced milk ejection. The pager is a technological marvel for bringing doctors the sensation of being needed like a nursing mother on an instantaneous basis: even in the dead of night and asleep in a comfortable bed, the doctor will arise and dutifully provide life-healing sustenance for the patient."

Adding some imagery of breast-feeding an infant as an allegory of responding to hospital pages, I think, would greatly augment your already fantastic speech.

This is such a wonderful metaphor and a beautiful ...

2008-08-26T22:41:00.000-04:00

This is such a wonderful metaphor and a beautiful speech. I would have loved to hear you give this.

Beautiful. I needed this tonight.

2008-08-26T22:22:00.000-04:00

Beautiful. I needed this tonight.

Thank you so much for writing that. I am a mother...

2008-08-26T22:16:00.000-04:00

Thank you so much for writing that. I am a mother of 3 and am in the process of applying for medical school for next year. I often struggle with what the reality of meshing being a mother and being a physician will look like. I often worry that these two passions in my will spend most of their time butting heads. Thank you for saying it will be worth it--just what I needed to hear tonight. :)