Plastic Surgeon Has Enough Of Aunt Bashing Her Profession And Idolizing Her Nurse Daughter, Viciously Mocks Both Of Them
It doesn’t matter how you look at it—either it’s something like 5.5 years of school, plus a year of internship in India, or anywhere between 10 to 14 years in the US—it’s still quite a bit of time to have to spend in med school.
This is besides the gruesome subject matter, the intensity of the studies, and the experience picked up along the way, among other things. All of this accumulates into one heck of a ride.
So, despite all of that, why would some people dare to even think that a plastic surgeon is not considered a doctor? There was a row over it quite recently, and you’re welcome to partake in it below.
More Info: Reddit
It takes quite a bit in order to become a plastic surgeon, but not everyone thinks that way
Image credits: RF._.studio (not the actual photo)
This Redditor recently shared how her extended family doesn’t consider her a real doctor, which this time around led to some fierce drama
Image credits: No-Pickle-7453
In the end, both the aunt and her daughter got a verbal lashing from the Redditor, leading to the whole extended family now hating her
Image credits: cottonbro studio (not the actual photo)
Reddit user No-Pickle-7453 recently shared a story of her extended family’s take on her profession of choice, which is plastic surgery.
Long story short, some time during her studies, OP decided to become a surgeon. Just like any medical degree in the US, it required practically a decade of investment. Despite all of this effort, her extended family (aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins, that sort of rabble) never really considered her a doctor. So much, in fact, that they would shun her. Quite actively.
One day, OP was over at her aunt’s place with her sister as they needed to pick something up and decided to sit down to eat. It wasn’t long until the aunt started bragging about how her daughter, OP’s cousin was getting her post leaving certificate (PLC) in nursing and childcare and how there will finally be a real doctor in the family.
This statement irked in OP something fierce and a conflict ensued. Not only did OP bash the aunt, she also took a jab at her cousin, who was also notorious for her social commentary. This only escalated the conflict, soon reaching the ears of other extended family members and now everyone thought OP was an absolute jerk. You can guess the rest.
Image credits: Andrea Piacquadio (not the actual photo)
Now, people’s reactions varied a bit. Some did see OP’s fault in this, dragging the cousin under the bus along with the aunt, seemingly unprovoked, but OP later explained in a comment that she was as despicable as the rest, and very much deserved the “praise.” This same reasoning also netted OP an ESH verdict too.
However, the majority still sided with OP, not only emphasizing that a PLC and a proper medical degree don’t compare on a number of levels. According to OP, a PLC is essentially a thing people can work towards after finishing high school, but it goes before college or university. So, by proxy, it doesn’t equate to higher education.
Many people pointed out how plastic surgery actually is a medical field by sharing their own stories, whether they themselves underwent plastic surgery, or their friends or relatives did. It was life-changing to say the least, and they were all the more thankful for it.
Image credits: Lina Kivaka (not the actual photo)
For a bit more context, in order to become a surgeon, a person has to: [1] take related AP courses in high school (chemistry, biology, etc.); [2] earn a Bachelor’s degree in a medicine-related degree (again, chemistry, biology, etc.); [3] gain practical experience in the healthcare (internships, volunteering, etc.); [4] take a medical college admissions test (MCAT, 6-hour long 230 multiple-choice questions test); [5] earn a medical degree (microbiology, biochemistry, anatomy, etc.); [6] complete a residency program; and [7] begin a fellowship program, which is mostly experience and a great kick-off point for the career.
There are nuances in that list, and also things like tuition fees, which can cost anywhere from $33,000 to $57,000 for the first year alone. Ultimately, this equates to roughly 10 to 14 years of medical studies and work, averaging at around 13 years depending on what kind of surgeon you ultimately become. Granted, OP is from Ireland, and the current metrics apply to the US, but it’s clear that a PLC does not, in fact, equate to being a surgeon.
The post got quite a bit of attention on Reddit, garnering a bit over 8,500 upvotes (94% positive), and one meaningful Reddit award. You can check out the post in full here. But be sure to leave a comment explaining your take on the situation in the comment section below, and consider upvoting and reviewing this article!
At first, folks were careful to call a solid verdict, but after some discussion and clarification (and 8.5K upvotes), it was an NTA
OP suffers from stupid relatives syndrome.. there is only one cure: cutting them out of your life.
Yas
I think people don't get all that a plastic surgeon does. It's not all vanity procedures, and even if it were they are still doctors. I could have done without the swipe at the US from her, makes me wonder a bit about her personality.
I met a plastic surgeon who has never done a vanity surgery, he refuses to do them. Kid with a messed up face from an accident? Sure. Breast implants for cancer patients who had theirs removed? sure. Vanity surgery pays very well, but is a small part of the profession.
The relatives must be really ignorant, even if all OP does is vanity surgeries, she is a highly trained professional, and aunt denounced her as no-real-doctor. As a teen I had a sort of vanity surgery, a plastic surgeon removed a suspicious mole with eccentric pigmentation from the middle of my neck, because the big blood vessels run near there and the area is highly likely to ugly scarring. My mom didn’t want me to look like somebody had slashed me in my throat for the rest of my life.
Plastic surgery often gives people their dignity back after injury or vastly improves their quality of life. It's a noble profession.
do you mean the part where they respectfully said that they wouldnt want to work there? how is that a swipe
@Bella Stairzz From what I'm seeing on some of the comments here, not thinking that the US is the best place in the world to live is somehow insulting to the US. Being happy living in different countries and deliberately choosing to remain where we are is apparently a personality flaw. Being indoctrinated into hyper-patriotism from the schoolroom makes people overly sensitive, I think.
Yeah, if you're going to be offended at everyone who would not want to work or live in the US, you're going to be mad a long time. In Canada, more and more of us refuse to even travel there. I gave up a really good romantic relationship because I won't live there. The OP is a medical professional and likely thinks that working in the US health system would be contrary to her Hippocratic oath. It's not a "swipe" at the US so much as it is stating a basic reality that the US offers lower overall quality of life than many other countries. Wanting a higher quality of life than the US offers is not a personality defect.
But do you need to randomly mention it? That would be odd. I don't think this is a fantastic country. But I wouldn't take swipes at other people just bc they live or work here.
She didn't randomly mention it. Someone directly asked her if she worked there. She said no and she doesn't want to. That's not a swipe. It's how she feels. I don't want to live in Italy. Doesn't mean I hate Italians or think it's a bad place; it's just not right for me. Some Americans need to rid themselves of the notion that anything anyone says that isn't worshipful of their country is somehow an insult or a personality flaw. People are allowed to want what they want.
Exactly what I was going to say, reconstructive surgery for things like cancer is part of plastic surgery, it's not all boob jobs
Even the beauty surgeons make a ton of money, so i wouldn't tell her off for reaching that goal either
And they are real doctors doing real surgeries.
It takes the same level of medical expertise and training.
I took it more as our healthcare system and labor laws are f'ed up compared to some other places in the world. Can't really disagree with that.
Let's just say that when we see the worker protection, non-existent unions and horrible health-care system.... Thanks but no thanks I'm good with my European employment
Yeah, that swipe seemed unnecessary to me too. BUT, we only get to see small snippets on the conversation so maybe it was contextual.
Most Western Europeans don't want to work in the US. Nor do most Canadians. Sorry, that's reality. It's not a swipe to want to live and work somewhere less violent with higher quality of life.
What swipe?? When she said respectfully that she wouldn't want to work in the US?
Yes. The US swipe definitely made me wonder about her personality too.
There appears to be some kind of jealousy going on here, otherwise I can't for the life of me figure out how they think a plastic surgeon is some whack field with low cerebral qualifications? Perhaps they watch too much TV and see people getting nose jobs and tummy tucks, completing spacing the fact that these plastic surgeons also treat burn victims, those in major accidents, deformation from disease, etc. Petty jealousy is my call on this. Plus, last I checked, medical school is medical school is medical school. NTA, clearly.
English isn't their first language. I can tell that from the grammar of the posting. I'm guessing Dutch because of the bluntness of the conversation and some of the grammatical inflections. In Dutch culture, what most of us would perceive as insults are just considered either clever jokes or direct communication. The aunt and cousin are likely indeed jealous of the OP in some ways. They might also see plastics as pure vanity surgery and therefore somehow immoral.
OP says her training was in Ireland, so possibly there
I think she's Dutch but did her training in Ireland.
"Granted, OP is from Ireland...".
OP suffers from stupid relatives syndrome.. there is only one cure: cutting them out of your life.
Yas
I think people don't get all that a plastic surgeon does. It's not all vanity procedures, and even if it were they are still doctors. I could have done without the swipe at the US from her, makes me wonder a bit about her personality.
I met a plastic surgeon who has never done a vanity surgery, he refuses to do them. Kid with a messed up face from an accident? Sure. Breast implants for cancer patients who had theirs removed? sure. Vanity surgery pays very well, but is a small part of the profession.
The relatives must be really ignorant, even if all OP does is vanity surgeries, she is a highly trained professional, and aunt denounced her as no-real-doctor. As a teen I had a sort of vanity surgery, a plastic surgeon removed a suspicious mole with eccentric pigmentation from the middle of my neck, because the big blood vessels run near there and the area is highly likely to ugly scarring. My mom didn’t want me to look like somebody had slashed me in my throat for the rest of my life.
Plastic surgery often gives people their dignity back after injury or vastly improves their quality of life. It's a noble profession.
do you mean the part where they respectfully said that they wouldnt want to work there? how is that a swipe
@Bella Stairzz From what I'm seeing on some of the comments here, not thinking that the US is the best place in the world to live is somehow insulting to the US. Being happy living in different countries and deliberately choosing to remain where we are is apparently a personality flaw. Being indoctrinated into hyper-patriotism from the schoolroom makes people overly sensitive, I think.
Yeah, if you're going to be offended at everyone who would not want to work or live in the US, you're going to be mad a long time. In Canada, more and more of us refuse to even travel there. I gave up a really good romantic relationship because I won't live there. The OP is a medical professional and likely thinks that working in the US health system would be contrary to her Hippocratic oath. It's not a "swipe" at the US so much as it is stating a basic reality that the US offers lower overall quality of life than many other countries. Wanting a higher quality of life than the US offers is not a personality defect.
But do you need to randomly mention it? That would be odd. I don't think this is a fantastic country. But I wouldn't take swipes at other people just bc they live or work here.
She didn't randomly mention it. Someone directly asked her if she worked there. She said no and she doesn't want to. That's not a swipe. It's how she feels. I don't want to live in Italy. Doesn't mean I hate Italians or think it's a bad place; it's just not right for me. Some Americans need to rid themselves of the notion that anything anyone says that isn't worshipful of their country is somehow an insult or a personality flaw. People are allowed to want what they want.
Exactly what I was going to say, reconstructive surgery for things like cancer is part of plastic surgery, it's not all boob jobs
Even the beauty surgeons make a ton of money, so i wouldn't tell her off for reaching that goal either
And they are real doctors doing real surgeries.
It takes the same level of medical expertise and training.
I took it more as our healthcare system and labor laws are f'ed up compared to some other places in the world. Can't really disagree with that.
Let's just say that when we see the worker protection, non-existent unions and horrible health-care system.... Thanks but no thanks I'm good with my European employment
Yeah, that swipe seemed unnecessary to me too. BUT, we only get to see small snippets on the conversation so maybe it was contextual.
Most Western Europeans don't want to work in the US. Nor do most Canadians. Sorry, that's reality. It's not a swipe to want to live and work somewhere less violent with higher quality of life.
What swipe?? When she said respectfully that she wouldn't want to work in the US?
Yes. The US swipe definitely made me wonder about her personality too.
There appears to be some kind of jealousy going on here, otherwise I can't for the life of me figure out how they think a plastic surgeon is some whack field with low cerebral qualifications? Perhaps they watch too much TV and see people getting nose jobs and tummy tucks, completing spacing the fact that these plastic surgeons also treat burn victims, those in major accidents, deformation from disease, etc. Petty jealousy is my call on this. Plus, last I checked, medical school is medical school is medical school. NTA, clearly.
English isn't their first language. I can tell that from the grammar of the posting. I'm guessing Dutch because of the bluntness of the conversation and some of the grammatical inflections. In Dutch culture, what most of us would perceive as insults are just considered either clever jokes or direct communication. The aunt and cousin are likely indeed jealous of the OP in some ways. They might also see plastics as pure vanity surgery and therefore somehow immoral.
OP says her training was in Ireland, so possibly there
I think she's Dutch but did her training in Ireland.
"Granted, OP is from Ireland...".