Asking on behalf of a friend , so a friend has got a place on medical degree and starts in september but shes has recently got tinnitus and is worried she wont be able to go ahead with her dream of becoming a pyscitrist as after medical school she has to complete foundation training before getting to train in her dream but foundation training is very long hours , nigjt shifts.
What worries her is all the noise of the beeping machines ect in the hospitals and the night shifts , she happy to do them as she was a Healthcare assistant first so is use to night shifts but since getting T its louder at night and is worried doing night shifts would make her T louder.
Should she still go ahead with becoming a doctor or not?
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BMDmom
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Yes she can continue ,Tinnitus will get settled down after few years no worries
I've had tinnitus for a few years, it's there all the time, medium-loud white noise. Most of the time I just never think of it, until someone mentions the word "tinnitus" then I can hear all the time, like now when I look at this forum 😃.
I certainly wouldn't become a gamekeeper, or a road-worker complete with pneumatic drill, but I'd not even have considered not becoming a doctor to be honest. I've been in loads of hospitals and it's not been any problem whatsoever.
Just my take on it as a "sufferer" (not medically trained).
And...it might go away...and someone may eventually find a cure. She ought to go for it if you ask me.
Thanks , she was mainly worried about any beeping noises in the hospital , but from my experience ( im a physiotherapist) hospitals are not that loud. She was also worried night shifts would make it worse as its worser at night?
I'd have thought that if hospital beeping was a problem with tinnitus, then they would have trouble with patients, as loads of people suffer from it. Beeping, unless very loud, would not bother me. If it did, I'd first try and get some ear buds that take the edge of the sound, or something like that. I always carry a pair which I insert in pubs where there's lots of people laughing which really hurts.
My T seems louder when it's quiet because there's no other sound to distract / cover up the apparent noise. I love being by a beach because the sound of waves covers up my T and I just forget it. But I can still forget my T even when it's quiet, it's just a bit harder.
Clearly, only your friend knows what she's hearing. Maybe some professional advice would, or maybe someone else on here could add some thoughts.
Maybe just wait a while till you get some more replies.
Hope she doesn't feel she has to give up on her dream, especially one so worthwhile.
I worked in a hospital for many many years, doing my fair share of night shifts, T was present, however working nights especially as a medic she will be busy so I doubt if T will cause a big problem which would affect her performance, go for it.
I can only say from my experience, T did not get worse from any beeping or the like, the worst time if I ever went to a concert next day it would be in outer space the good news was it always went back to its usual volume by the end of the day.
Same here, beeping would not make any difference to me, but having been to a concert a couple of years ago, even with ear plugs, day after was awful, won't be going to one again.
I dont go to concerts ( not sure if she does) i did go to the cinema once with plugs and was fine but its not worth the risk so i just wait for new films on DVD.
I work as a scrub nurse in the operating department and I am exposed to lots of "beeping noises" from anaesthetic machines, bleeps and medical equipment and I can honestly say that they haven't made my tinnitus any worse. If anything they act as a distraction plus if you are really busy, you won't have time to think about your tinnitus. Just have low level back ground noise for sleeping and learn to concentrate on that noise and then your brain learns to ignore the tinnitus and so can get to sleep.
Good luck with your doctor training, it is a very valuable and rewarding career
Spot on, T is all the more reason to press on with your passion. You need something to work on. As well, I find Ts sleep deprivation allows you to become super man at hours others can't manage.
I have one doc and two relatives who are RNs who have severe T.....Lifers.
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