It was on April 18th that I had my third, and final, interview. The doctor that I interviewed was Dr. Anita Kulkarni, of the Santa Clara Emergency Room. Dr. Kulkarni and I got along well, talking about the hardships of being an Emergency Doctor, especially a female doctor, the goodness in the career, and the relationships that goes into the career. The doctor and I, however, had been conversing for some time before the interview was actually held. The two of us could not find a time where we could both meet, but thanks to my kind teacher, I was able to get an extension and hold this interview.
The clock in the car quietly announced the start of another minute, making the time 3:49. I sat there with my sister, the only person who could take me to Santa Clara, waiting for the clock to change to 3:50. I felt so very nervous, and I could imagine my sister could feel my waves of tension in the car. I kept fiddling with a piece of plastic that had been poking my side since the start of the drive, trying to calm my nerves. My sister probably knew I was nervous, but did not say anything, nor did she look at me, this was probably the extent of our relationship as siblings.
Anyhow, once it was 3:50, I got out of the car and began to exit the parking garage. I turned around and yelled to my sister, “I’ll be back in an hour! ” and faced what was coming for me. I walked to the front of the Emergency Room, took a deep breath, and entered the Waiting Room. The walls were white, and the only color was from the curtains of processing room and clothes. I walked to the front desk, to my left, and asked if Dr. Kulkarni was working. The kind young man, who I believe was in his 20s, replied that she was indeed not, but would still check the back for me.
Of course, I already knew that she was not working as her job would start at 5 o’clock, with her arriving around 4:00-4:10. He came back and told me that Dr. Kulkarni was not in the Department at the time, but welcomed me to stay in the waiting area. So I sat down in the waiting area surrounded by about 5 or 6 seniors, as in old people senior. I waited for about 5 minutes before Dr. Kulkarni arrived, in that time I was idly staring at the white walls, trying to keep my cool.
One the doctor was in the room I stood up and introduced myself, as this was the first time either of us had met, although she knew quite a few details about me thanks to my mother being acquainted to her, as well as the one giving me the doctor’s number. We passed by a few doors, eventually entering the ‘Working Room”. Inside was multiple doctor coats lining the walls with white, a fridge tucked in the corner, and an espresso machine on a cabinet with multiple plastic and paper bags surrounding it. In the middle of the room was an oval table with about eight chairs surrounding it.
Ms. Anita pulled up a chair, as did I, and sat down. I turned to the doctor and asked, “Shall we begin? “. I pulled out a piece of paper from my binder and began to ask the doctor questions. The question that I had asked every other interviewee was also the first question I asked Ms. Anita, the reason why they chose Emergency Medicine as an occupation. Dr. Kulkarni replied “I originally wanted to be an OB GYN (a doctor who specializes in helping woman give birth but also care for them during pregnancy) but during Residency, I was put into Emergency and fell in love.
It was very exciting and the work went by fast… You never got bored” (Kulkarni Personal Interview). This answer was very similar to the responses the other interviewees gave. Each of them did not originally want to do Emergency Medicine, but during Residency or another factor of getting into this department, they fell in love with it. The fast pace, the excitingness, and the never ending helping of others bewitched them in a perplexing way that once they finished residency, the doctors joined the Emergency Department.
It seemed to me that Emergency Medicine was the type of career that was overlooked, but once you actually examine it, it becomes very enjoying. The second question I asked Dr. Kulkarni was the pros and cons of such a career, something that Thad also asked the other interviewees. She replied that, “It gives a unique opportunity to help others…. You get days off thanks to the shift schedule… In the end, what you do matters since you’re helping many people in times of need, although that isn’t always the case” (Kulkarni Personal Interview).
The way that the Kaiser Emergency Room worked was very appealing, giving patients and workers the ability to be easily helped, but also giving doctors a way to be free after working long hours. The job itself clearly has its pros due to being able to help others in time of need. Although these are all the good things in the job, there are always two sides to coin. “The night shifts are hard since you have to stay up long hours…. Working weekends is also troublesome, especially if you have a family. For this job, you need a spouse that’ll understand…. The death of patients is also very hard, especially when it’s a child.
Those are always the hardest” (Kulkarni Personal Interview). Being an emergency doctor may have good aspects, the bad aspects are always there. The death of patients can be a regular thing in the Emergency Room as not everyone can be saved, and the schedule an emergency doctor has can at times be stressful since they have to work in random shifts. Even though the job is stressful, and there is alway the fear of losing or even killing our patient is there, the job of an emergency doctor also gives those in the career extra free time and the ability to save lives.
With two questions from previous interviews, I asked Dr. Kulkarni the discrimination of women in the Emergency Room, a topic that | had not yet explored. The doctor was interested in the question Thad asked, replying, “Male doctors treat patients differently than Female doctors do, and sometimes the patients may want a doctor of a different gender treating them… The discrimination can even be seen between employees since some of the nurses get jealous and say bad things about the new, female, doctors… Patients also treat pregnant female doctors differently, ometimes acting harsher than usual… The discrimination is there but I believe there is now very little of it” (Kulkarni Personal Interview).
Females in modern times still are discriminated against, although there are few signs of it. The worst discrimination a female can feel today is rumors spreading about them and forced submission. As generations continue to become more accepting the discrimination women feel today will become non-existent. After asking my questions packed up my things, took a picture, and went on my way to the parking garage.
I sat in my sister’s blue convertible bug as she drove away from the hospital, from Santa Clara, to Fremont. I thought about the many things I learned from this interview, but also from other interviews. The way Emergency Doctors work, but also the many things they experience, the things they undergo. It was so vexing to me, but somehow it also made sense. I knew that I would try to go into this field as I got older, and if I ever switched careers, it would still be in the medical field. My mind was made as my sister drove us home.
