Aspies/ medical fields

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Are there any aspies here in a medical field? What do you do, and do you feel that this is a good profession for you or aspies in general? What are the social demands like? Do you think that aspie phenomenon such as meltdowns, problems processing verbal input, sensory overload, etc, detract from your suitability for the job, or is being aspie an asset?

It's a spectrum thing, so I suspect the answers are going to be individual.

I'm an optometrist, so I'm in close proximity to people on a one-to-one basis
(unless I've got a whole family in the room) all day.

I can imagine some aspies doing this job very well, and it's certainly proven a pretty good niche for me.

What's normal eye contact in my field, for a start?

It's to a degree repetitive, certainly well-ordered most of the time,
but involves careful observation, measurement and problem solving.

The social contact is within pretty well defined limits, and building up a repertoire of responses and styles, like variations in a chess game, takes most of th eeffort out of that side.

I don't do meltdowns, falling off the other end of the spectrum and "going cold and efficient" is more my personal response. Narrowing focus to the job in hand.

Again, personally, I handle verbal input by paying great attention to it, not infrequently hearing more than was intended. This can be taken positively by those I am examining, as it is seen as being both "quick" and "alert".

In my own familiar consulting room, I'm very much in control of sensory levels and it's generally a quiet environment. I could imagine working in a large hospital environment might be an different issue.

The way I think, observe and analyse makes me very good at my job, though learning the social exchange side of it has required effort.

Understanding these creatures who sit in my chair is not always possible, though that is not always a requirement:

"I'm afraid your eyesight is not up to the driving standard"
"It's all right, I only drive locally."
(Or, I "I don't drive much": they are both standard and repeated responses)

"No, I can see to drive, I just can't see the television."

I design high tech medical equipment. Anesthesia machines, critical care ventilators, monitors, etc.

My specialities are the user interfaces and the big picture (high level functions) such as how do we make this thing do its own self test (throw valves, look for leaks, verify proper pressure changes, etc) with minimal user interaction.

A large part of my job is observing equipment use and looking for problems to solve/potentiall improvements. Since I have spent 40+ years observing and trying to figure out human actions - I'm really good at this (I call it the Margret Meed game).

Another part of my job is figuring out logic - how to do something. I am also very good at this. Not at all surprising given that I have to use logic to tell if I am too hot or too cold, if something is comming towards me or going away, If someone is happy with me, mad etc.

The hard part of my job is managing project teams. I'm improving the major saving graces that mitigate my issues are that: I'm very good at the other parts of my job; carry at least 150% of my fair work load - so no gripes that I'm asking too much; and I take criticism as a chance to ask questions. Latly my projects are long term so I can start out explaining AS to the team.

I used to be a health care asst. in a psychiatric hospital (basically an untrained nurse)

I learnt a lot, met some interesting people and was quite valued. However, overall, it probably wasnt a very suitable vocation. I think the patients viewed me as considerate and non-judgemental, and the senior staff viewed me as hard-working and committed to the patients - perhaps because i avoided them to evade detection.

I wasnt aware of aspergers, but i was increasingly aware of being different and the need to keep it hidden. I was basically pretending to be someone (more so with staff, especially management), in an environment full of people trained to recognise exactly what i am. I got a kick out of playing the game, but eventually the resultant strain caught up with me.

Looking back, now i know about sensory issues, overload, burnout - everything makes perfect sense. Maybe if id known i could have worked manageable hours & managed my symptoms better?

I repair medical equipment. If you've seen it in a hospital, I've probably worked on it. Working actually in a hospital was tough. Lots of pressure to comply with ever changing regulations and goals, and the SMELLS! ARRRGH! Next I went into dialysis. That was better, and now I'm working for an independent lab. We design and operate a specialized instrument. I can get a little overwhelmed by multiple demands for my time, but that's true anywhere. All in all its not bad, although I'm always open to other opportunities. Say in a cooler part of the country...wink,wink,nudge,nudge julieme

i did medical research, years ago, but left cos i wanted more contact with people rather than working in a lab. spot the irony...