The brain is the most interesting and intriguing organ in the body, as far as I'm concerned. Went into medicine wanting to work on the brain. That was the only place that truly intrigued me and beat my understanding. And I hate my understanding being beaten.

Thread

Went into school thinking "Neurosurgery", like a large proportion of new intake medical students. We never jam life and life never jam us. Yorùbás would say, "A little child doesn't know leaves for charms, so he calls them edible vegetables". When I enter the school ehn, omooo..

First rotation in surgery and I knew that that place just didn't fit my status quo. Didn't fit my personality. I'd never fit in. And I was even sure then I was too clumsy with my hands to start burring holes in the cranium and opening up meninges. This was even before the second

rotation for surgery, where I then got to actually rotate through neurosurgery and realized I just COULDN'T live that life. Wake up at 5am while sleeping at 3am or not even sleeping at all the night before? Or having to go through all that psychological trauma? Or using 10 years

in residency? Not me. Then I thought okay. How about Neurology? I don't have to hold any scalpel. And I don't have to burr holes. I can still work with the brain. Then I rotated through Internal Medicine once, and fortunately, i was in Neurology in my first Medicine posting. Bruh

I was hyped. Omo. That hype died in 3 weeks. I couldn't keep up with the stuff moving. It was sweeting me when they moved it o, but Some people are called to the life of the stuff. Some just aren't. The stuff just doesn't stay in the head.

So I was like damn. Neuro Medicine and Neuro Surgery ain't for me. What am I gonna do. Then my mental health issues came to the fore. Was really shitty, but I had a good management team which really consisted of one person. My uncle. A psychiatrist. Then I saw a whole new light.

A whole different aspect of the brain. A whole new very interesting one. And my personal experience made it even the more enticing. I never really thought about Psychiatry. But knowing how much it is sidelined and less exalted in the medical sphere even makes it the more fun.

Because you know more people NEED to understand that physical issues need treatment. Yes. Drugs. Surgery. CT scans. Lol. But what of those parts of the brain that shapes your persona. Shapes who you are? How you behave? How you think? What you think? Why you think?

The brain is a very interesting organ. And it gave my medical journey a reason to continue.

So I feel choosing a specialty or anything should be borne of what gives you a reason to wake up in the morning. What would make you want to make a difference? For me it's the brain.

Might be different for you. But find it. And ensure other factors correspond nicely. It might just make the difference between the average, everyday doctor, and the stellar one.

Damn didn't realise the thread was this long. I just kept typing.