SACRIFICE!

I was one child that was actively discouraged from reading medicine. My father a doctor himself said several times, 'Tomi you have much better brains than to sit and read medicine, medicine is for people who can sit and apply themselves to studying the same old material. The material you will learn is all the same, a femur is a femur any day, the markings on the bone will always remain the same. But I said no all I want to do is read medicine!

I don read medicine o! And after all these years I know I will surely discourage any child of mine from coming down this well beaten track. It's not to say that there is no joy in the profession but methinks that there is much more sorrow or should I say you will have to sacrifice much more than you may get back and sometimes the sheer weight of these sacrifices can be overwhelming.

A doctor learns that every day is the same, there is no need to get excited about Christmas around the corner except if you are in full control of your life and then we can only tell you too well that you are not! Christmas day happens to be a very busy day in hospitals like the yoruba proverb goes 'ayo lo n pa eyan' Your birthday is no special day for you are more likely to spend it seated at a desk listening to the recitation of physical ailments by semi hypochondriacs than you are to spend it a surprise party given by your friends. Even if you manage to be welcomed to a surprise party you may not be there more than an hour into the event before duty calls.

You cannot plan any well meaning holidays with your family who have learnt by now that any promises you make are more likely to be broken than kept. For duty comes before any redemption of promises. Like the masked musician sang the woman married to a doctor is more likely to keep the bed warm herself same goes for a man married to a doctor. Family outings are spent hoping no calls from the hospitals come rather than forgetting about the wahala of the hospital.

Your social life is zero minus those who consider grabbing one or two beers after a long shift a social life! You are still living the triangular life you led as a student: Classroom to Hospital to House only this time its bi angular Hospital to House and back again.

Of course the above description does not apply to all doctors, some because of their love for another field or their dislike of taking calls tend to choose those 'nice' specialities that never or hardly ever need them to be woken up at odd hours to rush to attend to be patients. They can plan their lives down to the last letter. But those docs who choose fields like surgery, emergency medicine and junior docs in training can expect to sacrifice the finer things of life for 'service to humanity'!

What started me off on this tangent, I am to miss Christmas with my family once again as higher duty calls. I am not bitter or upset or sad (initially the middle quality could be used to describe me) after all no be me fill my JAMB form! And really at the end of the day I enjoy my work but next year I pray that Christmas for me will be spent amongst loved ones! Amin. So for those of you who will be home this Christmas, remember us as you eat those huge chunks of chicken and spare us a thought if not a prayer!