Ellen

I’m a medical student and today I went to sit in on a trauma meeting to learn more. I was helping myself to the free food when a male orthopaedic consultant asked me what I’m interested in. Was nice to be acknowledged and even asked a question as am often ignored and feel in the way as a student. Infectious diseases and tropical medicine I told him. The army will be after you he told me. They really want infectious diseases people. It isn’t much hard work too – you can work part time AND you get to travel the world. It’s not too hard and it’s part time!
Fancy that! Because hard work wasn’t really on the agenda as I push myself through medical school – all women in medicine really want to go part time so they can have children. Thank you kind sir. How would I ever cope? He then proceeded to tell the other men he was speaking to all about his guns and how he took his friend shooting and he was such an amateur. I raised my eyebrows, smiled and say ‘oh?’ Today I was too tired to try to let a ‘helpful’ male doctor know exactly what my career goals are and ask him why he is patronising me. But I realised that’s ok. Some days I smile and laugh, other days I throw it back. Can’t let it drain me.