Why become a doctor? It certainly isn't easy, and it requires years of study and a sizable financial investment. If you ask physicians how, and why, they selected their careers, you'll get a variety of stories that offer insight into the many benefits of pursuing medicine.
Pelin Cinar, MD, a GI oncologist here, tells her own story in this recent Stanford Health Care video.
As a child, Cinar was impressed with the respect her uncle, a gynecologist, received from family members. Then, in high school, her mother was diagnosed with cancer. Meanwhile, she began pursuing the courses that matched her interest in science. Her mother recovered but then relapsed when Cinar was in college and taking pre-med requirements.
During her medical education at the University of California-Irvine, Cinar discovered that all of her favorite rotations and subjects were based on oncology. "It took off from there," she says in the video.
Previously: Students draw inspiration from Jimmy Kimmel Live! to up the cool factor of research, Stanford's senior associate dean of medical education talks admissions, career paths and Thoughts on the arts and humanities in shaping a medical career
