Tips on dealing with criticism on people that accuse me of being greedy for becoming a doctor??

[license43]

Hi all, just wondering, I think the best solution is to ignore those that try to say hurtful or just ignorant comments like, ' you just care about money and respect thats why your doing medicine. '
Just had someone grill me on that for no reason Idk why.
I'm becoming a doctor because I love physiology, how its relevant to medicine and just the art of helping people in a way. I mean the trust patients give is unbelievable.

But how do you all, current medical students, residents, fellows, practicing physicians deal when someone accuses you of being greedy and just caring about the profession for respect, etc..?

I know money is important, and I believe if we spent several years in school... hey why not get a decent compensation.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

Have you considered existing without the consent of another being? It must be exhausting depending on others to validate your decisions.

 

[chizledfrmstone]

I ask them what's taking so long to make my tall cafe late.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

But how do you all, current medical students, residents, fellows, practicing physicians deal when someone accuses you of being greedy and just caring about the profession for respect, etc..?

How you say? This is pretty standard:

Or my personal favorite:

 

[DetectiveAlonzo]

Hi all, just wondering, I think the best solution is to ignore those that try to say hurtful or just ignorant comments like, ' you just care about money and respect thats why your doing medicine. '
Just had someone grill me on that for no reason Idk why.
I'm becoming a doctor because I love physiology, how its relevant to medicine and just the art of helping people in a way. I mean the trust patients give is unbelievable.

But how do you all, current medical students, residents, fellows, practicing physicians deal when someone accuses you of being greedy and just caring about the profession for respect, etc..?

I know money is important, and I believe if we spent several years in school... hey why not get a decent compensation.

I say...

"You're right." and keep it pushin'.

Daddy needs some new shoes dammit!

 

[Beezlebub]

I ask them what's taking so long to make my tall cafe late.

they want to give you a headache

 

[Beezlebub]

I say...

"You're right." and keep it pushin'.

Daddy needs some new shoes dammit!

people with that mindset and attitude in medicine usually end up making the shoes.

 

[Roxas]

Haters gonna hate man. Just kindly invite them to suck it and move on

 

[Roxas]

Not to mention this very sentiment is shared by like 75% of pre-allo who are starry eyed and can't imagine why any doctor would actually work for money

 

[750335]

There is something my Nana says that before you get mad at someone's comment or criticism, assume they had the chance to trade places with you. How would they react? 9/10 times they'd trade places with you in a heartbeat so who cares.

Even if you are 100% doing it for the money, so? As long as you are committed to it, and to your patients, incentives are personal.

 

[license43]

my favorite response lol

 

[Brorthopedic]

"What's wrong with wanting to make a good living? At least I chose a job that allows me to help others along the way"

 

[license43]

Have you considered existing without the consent of another being? It must be exhausting depending on others to validate your decisions.

lol thanks for the sarcasm...

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

Just be honest. Tell them, "your words hurt me. I care about patients." Then proceed to do this:

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

lol thanks for the sarcasm...

I don't think you need to explain your life choices to anyone but yourself. You don't exist to fit someone's cookie cutter mold.

 

[LutGholein]

Tell em' you ain't shine no shoes no more

 

[68PGunner]

Hi all, just wondering, I think the best solution is to ignore those that try to say hurtful or just ignorant comments like, ' you just care about money and respect thats why your doing medicine. '
Just had someone grill me on that for no reason Idk why.
I'm becoming a doctor because I love physiology, how its relevant to medicine and just the art of helping people in a way. I mean the trust patients give is unbelievable.

But how do you all, current medical students, residents, fellows, practicing physicians deal when someone accuses you of being greedy and just caring about the profession for respect, etc..?

I know money is important, and I believe if we spent several years in school... hey why not get a decent compensation.

My answer: So???

 

[Mosonik]

1. We often call that "projection" by the one on the offensive (they can thank you for that nugget of knowledge too)
2. If we want to talk about medicine as a career from a purely economic/business perspective, it is a TERRIBLE option for the money once you consider time/energy/resources/money invested into making the kinds of incomes you are referring to. If said person is wants to spend their energy calling people out, I'd pick an option that makes money faster and easier than medicine

 

[JustPlainBill]

Hi all, just wondering, I think the best solution is to ignore those that try to say hurtful or just ignorant comments like, ' you just care about money and respect thats why your doing medicine. '
Just had someone grill me on that for no reason Idk why.
I'm becoming a doctor because I love physiology, how its relevant to medicine and just the art of helping people in a way. I mean the trust patients give is unbelievable.

But how do you all, current medical students, residents, fellows, practicing physicians deal when someone accuses you of being greedy and just caring about the profession for respect, etc..?

I know money is important, and I believe if we spent several years in school... hey why not get a decent compensation.

Just wait until you're sitting in the living room of your in-laws home and they proceed to comment that the only reason physicians want you to come back is so that they can get the copay-- I mean, everyone knows that everything can be diagnosed through labs and over the phone so they're just greedy and want the copay (my wife's stepmother who has determined that one Reader's Digest article trumps the opinion of a board certified attending cardiologist with 15 years of experience).

Depending on my mood, I'll usually either ignore it, recognize that they're probably jealous and move on OR

I'll give them an example of medicare reimbursement (in my experience, most of these types of complaints come from medicare age patients) -- the example I use is to go to the grocery store, buy exactly $100 worth of groceries, check out and have them bagged up then hand the cashier $30 and see how far you get with the $100 worth of groceries. OR

I'll quote the study which showed that PCPs (FM, IM, OB, Peds), when you account for the years of training, make per hour about what a 1-2 years of experience elementary school teacher makes....

And then I ask them if they work for free ---

Sometimes, when they've managed to piss me off, I go into every swinging consideration I have to deal with on a daily basis on a per patient encounter basis and that's when I usually start relating outloud what I call my physician's inner monologue -- it's a running stream of consciousness regarding how I'm ruling in/out, moving up/down the list items on the differential that they're currently being seen for -- about the time I get through the second condition that could kill them in a truly heinous fashion, they ask me to shut up and usually settle down....

 

[getfat]

But in all seriousness when people say stuff like ohhhh you're going to make such good money in a negative way I just tell them how much debt I'll have. That usually changes the conversation to how expensive education is blah blah and off that dumb point.

I love those people. Usually i just reply "You can apply to medical school too if you want". If they f/u and realize that its not some quick paycheck then they will leave me alone.

 

[hallowmann]

Honestly, I've never run into someone like this. No one has actually said to me, "oh you're just doing it for the money". Most people are like "oh good for you" or "oh you're going to be makin the big bucks" or "oh my brother/sister/cousin/niece is in _____ school" where ____ = literally anything remotely related to healthcare.

 

[zero0]

I kinda get where they're coming from. I sometimes get the feeling that a lot of pre-meds want to go into medicine just because they Googled highest paying jobs and doctor was #1. Then begins a series of mental gymnastics where they try to convince themselves that they have deeper reasons for wanting to do it.

 

[zero0]

Then become the physician who hates their life and complains about how terrible medicine is

Circle of life, beautiful thing

 

[JB50]

 

[DetectiveAlonzo]

people with that mindset and attitude in medicine usually end up making the shoes.

As long as they are of high quality Italian leather... they will be the finest damn shoes ever known to mankind.

 

[gergles]

I kinda get where they're coming from. I sometimes get the feeling that a lot of pre-meds want to go into medicine just because they Googled highest paying jobs and doctor was #1. Then begins a series of mental gymnastics where they try to convince themselves that they have deeper reasons for wanting to do it.

I think the mental gymnastics really come in when people are looking at the higher paying specialties before ever knowing what the career is like. I mean I would still want to be a doctor if I had to go 200k (before interest) in debt to have a 70k salary, but I would never actually pursue the career if that were the case. That doesn't mean I don't want to become a doctor 'for the right reasons' it just means I'd rather be 'miserable' doing something I don't really care for in order to not live paycheck to paycheck than do something I love, but be 'miserable' because I'm living paycheck to paycheck.

 

[Dr. Death]

I'd say "what'd you pick your career based on?" Most people that pick their college majors or jobs based solely on what they are interested in end up underemployed.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

I'd say "what'd you pick your career based on?" Most people that pick their college majors or jobs based solely on what they are interested in end up underemployed.

Or they work at BK and demand a super high wage because "they graduated college too" with a BA in humanities.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

Or they work at BK and demand a super high wage because "they graduated college too" with a BA in humanities.

Can we not?

 

[deleted689233]

I have literally never heard anyone say anything of that sort to me.

Most don't mention the money. Some do. But half the people say, "Oh that's awesome", like Hallowmann said.

The other group of people, the ones I'd admire, many older, often say the complete opposite - "Is it worth it?", "There's a cap on how much you can make", "Is the long term time investment and denying your first real payday til you're 30+ worth it?"

 

[GUH]

How did you even meet someone outside of medicine during medical school? I have forgotten what it's like to talk to someone who isn't a colleague or a patient or my mom.

 

[starri]

Or they work at BK and demand a super high wage because "they graduated college too" with a BA in humanities.

Funny story, I have a BA in humanities.

 

[NontradCA]

Who actually says that? I call bs on OPs story. You'll find out real quick, no one actually gives a **** that you're going to be a doctor/are a doctor.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

Funny story, I have a BA in humanities.

Oh there is nothing wrong with a BA in humanities at all, it's just the fact that I know multiple people who complain about how crappy the job prospects are, and how little they are paid for the ones who do find jobs. I personally think the schools are a lot at fault here, they let too many people get into a lot of debt that they will never pay off with the degree they earn, they need better advising, career advising, and maybe even a cap on different majors.

 

[HopefulSlav]

Stop associating with Bernie Sanders supporters- they're irrelevant losers in life and everything else.

 

[SLC]

1. We often call that "projection" by the one on the offensive (they can thank you for that nugget of knowledge too)
2. If we want to talk about medicine as a career from a purely economic/business perspective, it is a TERRIBLE option for the money once you consider time/energy/resources/money invested into making the kinds of incomes you are referring to. If said person is wants to spend their energy calling people out, I'd pick an option that makes money faster and easier than medicine

Point #2 is too often overlooked. People see the salary numbers and blow off what it takes to get here. Financially, you'd be better off doing many other jobs before medicine.

This inability to see the whole picture is not uncommon in our society though.

 

[SLC]

Oh there is nothing wrong with a BA in humanities at all, it's just the fact that I know multiple people who complain about how crappy the job prospects are, and how little they are paid for the ones who do find jobs. I personally think the schools are a lot at fault here, they let too many people get into a lot of debt that they will never pay off with the degree they earn, they need better advising, career advising, and maybe even a cap on different majors.

Bad on the schools for charging high tuition for degrees that offer poor ROI; worse on the suckers who took the loans without considering if they would be able to afford them.

 

[Goro]

I strongly commend you for NOT jumping down their throats and screaming "The F I'm greedy...I'm going to be >$250K in debt by the time I graduate, and then get to work 60-80 hour weeks for 3-5 years. You got a problem with doctor's salaries, tell it to Big Pharma, who spend more money on advertising than research, and will jack up lifesaving medicine costs at the drop of a hat!"

OK, I feel better now.

Stupid is as stupid does. Just tell them to F off. You do you And be proud.

Hi all, just wondering, I think the best solution is to ignore those that try to say hurtful or just ignorant comments like, ' you just care about money and respect thats why your doing medicine. '
Just had someone grill me on that for no reason Idk why.
I'm becoming a doctor because I love physiology, how its relevant to medicine and just the art of helping people in a way. I mean the trust patients give is unbelievable.

But how do you all, current medical students, residents, fellows, practicing physicians deal when someone accuses you of being greedy and just caring about the profession for respect, etc..?

I know money is important, and I believe if we spent several years in school... hey why not get a decent compensation.

 

[NecrotizingFasciitis]

I have two very close friends that I hangout with a lot, one is in medical school right now, and one does IT stuff and hasn't graduated college or anything because he received a promotion in his current job and "doesn't need a degree" blah blah blah. Anyways.. you can guess which one is anti-doctor, anti-pharm, pro-universal healthcare (b/c it's "free" right? ), etc. etc. the stereotypical dim-witted list goes on...

But the ironic part is, the individual in IT "helps" individuals having problems with their tech and tricks them into buying things they don't need to use to "fix" their tech.. the more they sell, the more money they make; their main target is older individuals who aren't as savvy with tech. Anytime the friend in IT brings up corruption in healthcare it drives me up a wall! Ugh.

Okay. Mini rant over.

My friend in medical school and I do our best to just ignore it.. because we know deep down he probably just feels left out/inadequate.

Anyways, we all know how hard we've had to work to make it to this point (med school, residency, attending, etc.); nobody that hasn't gone through this (or supported/watched us going through it) will truly understand how much sacrifice is involved. I would think the best way to deal with those accusing us of being greedy would be to ignore them, or to sit them down and explain to them how to become a doctor.