I started the clinical medical assistant program last week, and am already learning a lot about the medical field. Predictably, it's much more hands-on than history is. Since history involves the study of human behavior through the lens of past events, there is much focus on cause and effect, theories (Darwinism, postmodernism, etc.), historic movements, historiography, and other related topics. There isn't much interaction with historic figures, so interaction in history means discussing ideas with your peers about events. The work is solely mental, and room is left for speculation about the reasons things happened or are happening. So far, medicine seems to involve memorization and the ability to communicate clearly and with respect for the other party. Medically, you learn how to respond to an emergency and how to take vital signs; but with regard to human interaction, you learn how to interact with different cultures so as to remove as many roadblocks to communication as possible, with the goal of helping them communicate their medical needs. While history could be very isolating, clinical medical assisting is far more interactive. History suited me because I'm an introvert. We'll see how I respond to the need for heavy interaction. Being a teacher will help in that respect, I know, but even teaching allows a certain distance between teacher and student. Clinical medical assisting is different, so much so that I'm calling this program a test to see whether medicine is appropriate for me.
Exercising at a gym seems to be pretty important in our culture, but it's kind of weird to see the social dynamics when you're there. Usually, if you're running an errand, you see others doing the same thing, going about their days and focusing on what's in front of them. The same thing happens at the gym, only everyone is relatively stationary. They don't really go anywhere, except from one machine or area to another. One might think this lends itself to lots of interaction between members, especially since they're all there for the same purpose, but it isn't true. Not only do people generally avoid talking to one another, but they also avoid even looking at one another. It is as though there is no one else there, even though there are dozens on any given day. Most people follow this unwritten rule, unless something in the environment-- say, two people wanting to use the same set of weights-- gives them common ground to interact, or unless they've alr...
Comments
Post a Comment