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PRESIDENT’S
MESSAGE
Dr. James L. Humphreys
(left) was installed as 2015
BCMS President Jan. 24
at Oak Hills Country Club,
with his father, Dr. James
M. Humphreys, and
other family members in
attendance.
Why I became a doctor
By James L. Humphreys, MD
2015 BCMS President
The theme of this month’s issue of San Antonio Medicine is, My road to a career in pathology took a few turns along the
“Why I became a doctor,” and there are several stories from our way, as I’m sure happened to a few of you as well during the med-
colleagues on that topic. I wanted to contribute one myself, and ical school experience. I remember being a high school junior
as I reflected on it, the reasoning behind my decision to apply and being dead certain that I wanted to practice anesthesiology,
for medical school in the first place is a little hazy to me, since so all the way up until my first general surgery rotation as a third-
many years have passed since that day. year. That experience cured me of any interest in pursuing either
anesthesiology or general surgery as a career, though I am pro-
I know that I enjoyed science, particularly biology, in high foundly grateful for my colleagues who do enjoy that work and
school and wanted to major in it at university. My father was an pursue it daily. It takes a village to care for most patients these
obstetrician, and while I had no desire to practice obstetrics and days, as the saying goes.
gynecology, I did like the idea of practicing medicine. My initial
reasons were that I would find it interesting (which I did and still I think it is important to not get lost in the daily frustrations
do), that I could apply my science education (which is mostly of modern medical practice in the United States and to take a
true), that it was a glamorous occupation (not so much, as it few minutes every now and then to remember why we started
turns out), and that it would make my parents proud of the path doing this work in the first place. Those few moments of reflec-
I chose (which it did). When I applied for medical school, I was tion usually seem to spark up a bit of my wide-eyed excitement
careful to add in a desire to help people and build a healthier as a brand-new, first-year medical student and keep me going for
community through my efforts, both of which are true but were another week.
not necessarily primary drivers of my decision.
8 San Antonio Medicine • May 2015
