Idealist or down-to-earth applicants?

[deleted435584]

Do med schools want/prefer idealistic or down-to-earth applicants?

Would honest and realistic answers such as, "job stability/security (or money) is ONE of the motivations for why I choose Medicine" be frowned upon and why?
An instance that demonstrates that people go to Medicine for money is: the number of people choosing Primacy Care (PC) is tiny compared to those who choose specialties, and the more well-paying a specialty is, the more competitive it is to get in. Coincidence? I think not. So obviously these people are not honest on their applications and I wonder if you can fault them for not being honest because, doesn't the system want people to lie?

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[Mr.Zero]

An instance that demonstrates that people go to Medicine for money is: the number of people choosing Primacy Care (PC) is tiny compared to those who choose specialties, and the more well-paying a specialty is, the more competitive it is to get in. Coincidence? I think not. So obviously these people are not honest on their applications and I wonder if you can fault them for not being honest because, doesn't the system want people to lie?

Just FYI, not everyone who starts out thinking primary care switches because of money, it might have been because they truly enjoyed another specialty during years 3 or 4 that they hadn't considered during the application process.

 

[Goro]

There's nothing wrong with wanting to be rich, but there are lot of easier ways to get rich than by being a doctor.

We want people who recognize this, and who don't see the world in such black and white terms. But having the $ blinking on one's forehead is a turn-off.

Go read the posts by the learned @mimelim and @DermViser on the subject.

Do med schools want/prefer idealistic or down-to-earth applicants?

Would honest and realistic answers such as, "job stability/security (or money) is ONE of the motivations for why I choose Medicine" be frowned upon and why?
An instance that demonstrates that people go to Medicine for money is: the number of people choosing Primacy Care (PC) is tiny compared to those who choose specialties, and the more well-paying a specialty is, the more competitive it is to get in. Coincidence? I think not. So obviously these people are not honest on their applications and I wonder if you can fault them for not being honest because, doesn't the system want people to lie?

 

[Holmwood]

Do med schools want/prefer idealistic or down-to-earth applicants?

Would honest and realistic answers such as, "job stability/security (or money) is ONE of the motivations for why I choose Medicine" be frowned upon and why?
An instance that demonstrates that people go to Medicine for money is: the number of people choosing Primacy Care (PC) is tiny compared to those who choose specialties, and the more well-paying a specialty is, the more competitive it is to get in. Coincidence? I think not. So obviously these people are not honest on their applications and I wonder if you can fault them for not being honest because, doesn't the system want people to lie?

If job stability and salary are the primary reasons you're pursuing medicine, people will likely see you as shallow rather than down-to-earth.

Job stability shouldn't be the primary reason for choosing medicine because there are better options out there for job stability. Quality of life tends to be poor for many specialties relative to other stable jobs on the market as well. Burnout is also way more common in medicine than other stable jobs on the market.

"the number of people choosing Primacy Care (PC) is tiny compared to those who choose specialties, and the more well-paying a specialty is, the more competitive it is to get in. Coincidence? I think not"

You're looking at correlation, not causation. And it's not a perfect correlation either, since the salary that you're seeing doesn't take into account the number of work hours put in. Furthermore, specialties that used to command higher salaries are getting less reimbursement than past years.

 

[deleted435584]

There's nothing wrong with wanting to be rich, but there are lot of easier ways to get rich than by being a doctor.
We want people who recognize this, and who don't see the world in such black and white terms. But having the $ blinking on one's forehead is a turn-off.

So how would adcom look at someone who mentioned "job stability/flexibility" being ONE of the motivations on their application/interview? Would they think, "This person is grounded in reality" or would they think "this person is shallow"?

 

[Goro]

For me, the former.

So how would adcom look at someone who mentioned "job stability/flexibility" being ONE of the motivations on their application/interview? Would they think, "This person is grounded in reality" or would they think "this person is shallow"?

 

[LizzyM]

"Job stability and flexibility" in medicine? Not lately. Rather than grounded in reality or shallow, I'd chalk that up to "uninformed". That you'd want to do this even if the sands shift under your feet and job security evaporates means you want to do medicine for the right reasons and not because it is some sort of guarantee.

 

[jb94mg]

"Job stability and flexibility" in medicine? Not lately. Rather than grounded in reality or shallow, I'd chalk that up to "uninformed".

Care to elaborate?

 

[cryhavoc]

Care to elaborate?

You didn't hear about that new pill that came out that cured obesity, reversed cancer, made people immortal and caused the population to decrease?

No need for doctors anymore, should have been an engineer. Sorry.

_____________

All kidding aside, I would never be interested in medicine for money. I know for a fact there are way easier, less stressful ways to make money. I'm in it for the chicks.

_________________

Kidding really, really aside, I really find medicine more interesting than anything else and helping people is my reason for living. It seems to fit pretty well as a career for me.

 

[Lysinee]

Deep inside everyone wants to make money.

Medicine is a business and doctors don't work for free.

 

[DermViser]

There's nothing wrong with wanting to be rich, but there are lot of easier ways to get rich than by being a doctor.

We want people who recognize this, and who don't see the world in such black and white terms. But having the $ blinking on one's forehead is a turn-off.

Go read the posts by the learned @mimelim and @DermViser on the subject.

I think more and more, esp. with Obamacare implementation, med school admins will want to see people who have a more realistic view but still a positive view, about medicine, esp. as the govt. is now taking an active role in cutting healthcare costs across the board. It's not like when Medicare/Medicaid first started when they would pay for anything the doctor charged. Yes job stability/security is there, as people will always be sick -- that's inherent to medicine itself. But IMHO, it's not a good enough reason to go into the profession esp. with the emotional toll it can take on you.

I agree with LizzyM job stability and flexibility is changing a lot for people in medicine, a perfect example is Radiology and how it has changed dramatically. I think the best applicants are those who don't see medicine or the world as black and white, that there is a LOT of nuance. The unhappiest people in medicine were the ones who saw medicine as their ticket out of one economic class to go up to another. There's a reason that there is a highr rate than the general population of depression, anxiety in the med student population, as well as increased suicide both for med students, residents, and even attending physicians. The whole journey (at least in the physician pathway) truly is a calling, in the sense that money interests/job security/stability will not sustain you long term.

 

[altblue]

Deep inside everyone wants to make money.

Medicine is a business and doctors don't work for free.

Potential $$$ is pretty far down my list of reasons to apply to medical school, and I'm sure there are a few others like me out there.

 

[Lysinee]

Potential $$$ is pretty far down my list of reasons to apply to medical school, and I'm sure there are a few others like me out there.

So what are your reasons for pursuing a career in medicine?

 

[cryhavoc]

Potential $$$ is pretty far down my list of reasons to apply to medical school, and I'm sure there are a few others like me out there.

Me. I'm a poor college student and I'm extremely happy with a couple of fiction novels to read, and food on the table.

I just like hard work, and helping people in a way that keeps me intellectually stimulated.

I can honestly see myself working long shifts the rest of my life and using my training to save lives when people get rushed in dying. Just seems like the perfect fit.

I was probably some sort of country doctor in a past life who made house calls and stayed with patients to the end (not that I believe in past lives). Like I said, being a doctor has just felt like my true calling for so long.

 

[Lysinee]

I can honestly see myself working long shifts the rest of my life and using my training to save lives when people get rushed in dying. Just seems like the perfect fit.

Sounds like a future ER doc or trauma surgeon.

 

[DermViser]

So what are your reasons for pursuing a career in medicine?

Your question with your avatar next to it made me LMAO!!!

 

[ski89]

Me. I'm a poor college student and I'm extremely happy with a couple of fiction novels to read, and food on the table.

I just like hard work, and helping people in a way that keeps me intellectually stimulated.

I can honestly see myself working long shifts the rest of my life and using my training to save lives when people get rushed in dying. Just seems like the perfect fit.

I was probably some sort of country doctor in a past life who made house calls and stayed with patients to the end (not that I believe in past lives). Like I said, being a doctor has just felt like my true calling for so long.

Do you feel the same about saving people from moderate discomfort?

 

[cryhavoc]

Do you feel the same about saving people from moderate discomfort?

Of course. I don't expect all my patients to be dying of bullet wounds. I'd feel just as good about helping people with their moderate problems. I've always believed that if something costs you barely nothing (a little time), and means the world to someone else (their comfort/health), you should always do it. Although I might not word it that way in an interview.

 

[Lysinee]

Your question with your avatar next to it made me LMAO!!!

LOL

 

[ski89]

@cryhavoc
Great answer. Doc's were always saying that to me when I worked in the ED, and while I was partly just trying to be funny, its a reality of medicine that premedical students need to have a good understanding of.

 

[altblue]

So what are your reasons for pursuing a career in medicine?

The usual.

Love physiology, neuroscience, and chemistry
Consider myself a caring person and enjoy helping others

Prestige is a plus
More opportunities for advancement and research than PA and NP, and I'm assuming the same for RN - though drug interactions sound interesting, MD/DO has more scope of practice than PharmD and wouldn't enjoy the day-to-day work of PharmD

(Besides, I grew up poor anyway - even primary care salary + loans is a significant amount of money to me)

 

[CyberMaxx]

Perhaps getting away from where this thread is going but getting back to the original question - rather than try to decide what type of answer sounds best I highly recommend going with what you actually think. Yes, be thoughtful about this and other topics now, and during your interview make sure to appropriately craft your answers. However, trying to portray yourself in a way that is less than genuine is bound to be transparent. This is doubly true for a high stress situation like a professional school interview. I saw this from time to time on the interview trail and if it was apparent to me it was certainly apparent to the interviewers. The statement 'be yourself' is cliché but at an interview I think it is the best that you can do.

This is of course unless if you're actually a jerk then it might be best to be someone else .