going into medicine

[MailMePizza]

These are some questions and comments I have for anyone out there who is anywhere from in medical school to practicing medicine. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

What is your specialty (or what do you plan on doing)? Do you enjoy your work (or enjoy medical school despite the volume of work)?

What were your initial reasons for going into medicine? Did they all pan out?

Are piranha malpractice lawyers and irresponsible patients a very big threat? What percentage of your salary goes to malpractice insurance? I understand that it is possible to get sued not just for gross misconduct or negligence, but also if the best possible care is given. This is a little disconcerting. Even if such cases are successfully defended, there is still a deductible fee from the insurance and hours of time wasted and extra emotional stress. I have heard some obstetricians/gynecologists pay so much for malpractice insurance that they make no money at all.

The fact (or what appears to be fact) that unprincipled lawyers and the medically ignorant expect doctors to keep humans (who all die at some point) alive forever, even if the humans eat crap all day, smoke, never exercise, and are 50 years old with hypertension and diabetes is pretty discouraging. Then the lawyers can't be countersued for legal malpractice because the people making the laws are lawyers themselves or friends/brethren of the lawyers. It all seems very dirty.

So I'm basically considering going into a career of asburdly long time commitments for med school and residency (and long hours when a job is finally obtained), irate, ungrateful and even sue-happy patients, inordinate bureaucracy from almost everyone (because of the precious value placed on the quality of human life), increasing pressure from nurses and other assistants who are starting to eat away at the physician's once expansive scope of practice, horrible liabilities and malpractice insurance, and the chance of making almost no money for all of it.

There's something about all that challenge that intrigues me. Of course, the above is hopefully the worst case scenario that only some ER and obst/gyn docs would have to experience. But the worst case scenario seems the most important to consider.

However, I can look forward to: always learning more about the human body, an infinitely complex machine that can never yield complete understanding, participate in something that is bigger than me, and have the pleasure of treating one in ten patients who expresses gratitude, rather than (or in spite of) barking and screaming.

Anyway, thanks for reading. Please let me know of the validity of my facts or if I have it all wrong.

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[CoolWhipp]

OP, your post is so long I would imagine finding the cure for cancer in the PhD dissertation that you wrote for people that are most likely really busy.

I recommend shortening your thesis, if you want answers from medical students or doctors.

 

[J ROD]

Plus, this is the pre-med forum?

 

[MailMePizza]

Too much writing is better than too little IMO. It's better to give people stuff to skim through rather than give insufficient detail if you want a good answer.

I thought this section was where pre-medical concerns should be posted. Is there a better place to post?

 

[armybound]

What grade are you in, Mail?

 

[MailMePizza]

Going to be an undergrad freshman in a month. Why do you ask?

 

[armybound]

Going to be an undergrad freshman in a month. Why do you ask?

You come across as younger. I was curious how much younger you really were.

You have a lot of questions there, and imo few people will take the time to answer them. Most of them have already been answered and continue to be answered in various forms in multiple threads.

Take some time to look around the boards here. This forum is a great resource for all of your pre-med questions, as long as you take the time to look around and do some investigation.

 

[YH5]

"The fact (or what appears to be fact) that unprincipled lawyers and the medically ignorant expect doctors to keep humans (who all die at some point) alive forever, even if the humans eat crap all day, smoke, never exercise, and are 50 years old with hypertension and diabetes is pretty discouraging."


Yes, its ridiculous to keep sick 50 year olds around. I mean, at that age there's not much left to do but sit around and crap your diaper. We should save healthcare for people who still have a reason to live.

 

[MailMePizza]

Thanks for the response. I see now how busy these forums are and why my first post was unreasonable. I will look around the forums and disperse any further questions I have at a more manageable rate.

Just curious, why did I come across as younger?

 

[armybound]

Just curious, why did I come across as younger?

your reasons for being interested in medicine, mainly.

and your vocabulary.

 

[MailMePizza]

Yes, its ridiculous to keep sick 50 year olds around. I mean, at that age there's not much left to do but sit around and crap your diaper. We should save healthcare for people who still have a reason to live.

I didn't say no care should be given for them. I said the doctor shouldn't have the potential to face a lawsuit when something happens to that 50-year-old man. There is only so much medicine can do to prolong the life of a person who gave up a long time ago. Some people out there expect doctors to be able to keep a person alive and healthy even if the person is putting no effort forth on his part. Even if the person is leading a healthy lifestyle, stuff just goes wrong. And the blame can sometimes go to the doctor. Here is an example:

http://www.erbook.net/frivolous_lawsuit.htm

 

[MailMePizza]

your reasons for being interested in medicine, mainly.

and your vocabulary.

Ok, you've piqued my interest now.

What is indicative of 18-year-old interests in medicine and vocabulary?

Do you think my reasons are good or bad? As in reasons that will or won't be justified and expected later on down the road if I were to experience studying medicine? Any insight would be great as these were some of the original questions I was trying to ask.

 

[armybound]

Ok, you've piqued my interest now.

What is indicative of 18-year-old interests in medicine and vocabulary?

Do you think my reasons are good or bad? As in reasons that will or won't be justified and expected later on down the road if I were to experience studying medicine? Any insight would be great as these were some of the original questions I was trying to ask.

It seems to me that the process of becoming a physician progressively beats you down, makes you insensitive, and more jaded. You use big words and talk about some idealistic thoughts of what the pursuit and practice of medicine will be like.

You'll notice that a lot of the older pre-meds or med students won't use such big words or speak as eloquently (we don't have the patience or feel the need to say more than what gets the point across intelligently) and (hopefully) have enough real-world experience to know that the practice of medicine isn't as fantastic as you expect. While you may want to learn everything about everything, you'll get tired of it and will realize playing video games or drinking with your friends is a more enjoyable way to spend your time.

That being said, none of what you said is wrong. Those were just the clues that made me think you're younger or more inexperienced. I've also been here for a while and have a lot of experience talking with younger pre-meds, medical students, residents, and attendings, and I've learned the different kind of vibes they send off.

 

[MailMePizza]

I get what you're saying. Learning is ok but there is no substitute for experience and putting in the time. Trying to sugar-coat my writing instead of speaking clearly is hopefully something that will dissolve over time. It takes some conscious effort to change.

I don't think I put anything in my first post that would suggest I thought it was fantastic. To the contrary, it sounds pretty damn bleak to me. I was trying to present the worst-case scenario to see if those with experience could validate it.

Anyway, you make a good point in suggesting I do other things with my time. I just want to make an informed decision.