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Stanford University School of Medicine

Why become a doctor? A personal story from a Stanford ophthalmologist


When Andrea Kossler, MD, was young, her surgeon father would occasionally carry her -- on his shoulder -- to check on patients. "It was always a treat to get to go with the hospital with my dad," Kossler, an assistant professor of ophthalmology, says in this Stanford Health Care video. She knew she wanted to be a doctor:

It was really just a bit of a family affair and a bit of a love from the beginning.

But deciding on a speciality was harder. As Kossler progressed through school, she became interested in both plastic surgery -- following formative trips to Cambodia and Bolivia -- and in ophthalmology, the speciality chosen by her sister. With her family's guidance, she became a oculoplastic surgeon, a field that marries her two passions.

Previously: Why become a doctor? A personal story from a Stanford oncologist, Why become a doctor? A personal story from a Stanford neurosurgeon, and Why become a doctor? Here are 10 reasons

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