Outside the Box: Why study?

Trisha Greenhalgh

doi:10.3399/bjgp13X674495

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Why Study? - A Personal Reply
Don Eby

Published on: 17 December 2013

Published on: (17 December 2013)

Why Study? - A Personal Reply
Don Eby
In November's Out of Hours, Trisha Greenhalgh asked the rhetorical question 'Why Study?'.1 Her reflections were prompted by one of her self- funded, mature students completing his PhD while studying part time and working as a full time clinician.
She answered her own question by suggesting academic study resulted in both a public good and a benefit to the individual undertaking study for its own sake. As the st...
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In November's Out of Hours, Trisha Greenhalgh asked the rhetorical question 'Why Study?'.1 Her reflections were prompted by one of her self- funded, mature students completing his PhD while studying part time and working as a full time clinician.
She answered her own question by suggesting academic study resulted in both a public good and a benefit to the individual undertaking study for its own sake. As the student referred to in her article, perhaps I can provide a perspective on the personal benefits of academic study.
After approximately 25 years of non-academic full-time clinical practice, I felt at a cross roads. I wondered what I was going to do with the rest of my life. Clinical practice can be immensely fulfilling but it can also become mind numbing under the pressure to care for a seemingly unending stream of patients.
Academic study provided an opportunity for me to pause, reflect on, and understand my experience within a larger context than my own practice. I found it immensely satisfying to think about 'big ideas' and academic study provided an opportunity to do so.
A structured program of academic study produced many side benefits. It increased my self confidence and self esteem. My information searching and retrieval skills, improved. My ability to write coherently without resorting to wild hyperbole continues to develop. Even my spelling improved. Academic study changed both my way of thinking and approach to problems. I learned to evaluate how arguments are constructed, consider evidence used to justify assertions, recognize rhetoric, and most importantly I learned to be sceptical and not to accept conclusions at face-value.
Academic study requires considerable investment of time, energy and money. Having the opportunity to observe full-time academics for the past decade made me realize I do not want to be one. For me, the main reason for prolonged academic study was personal fulfillment. So, for the time being I plan to continue my clinical practice and remain a hobbyist researcher. I now realize there are many opportunities to do meaningful research on a shoestring budget or no budget at all. I look forward to many more years having more fun doing this!
1. Greenhalgh T. Why Study?. Br. J Gen Pract 2013, 63(616):595
Conflict of Interest:
None declared
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Competing Interests: None declared.