Why I Finally Chose to Quit Pursuing Medicine

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
W19 said:
You are probably not familiar with @DermViser; he likes to argue for the sake of arguing... I know exactly what you are saying since I lived in two other countries before immigrating to the US.
Click to expand...
You can go complain about it in your diary of med school grievances.
Members don't see this ad.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Old_Mil said:
I congratulate you on taking the red pill...but you can rest assured that you will never convince the majority of premeds that something wonderful doesn't lie on the other side of a gate labeled "Arbeit Macht Frei."
Click to expand...
And on this we can end this thread. Premeds esp. those who are in their junior and senior year applying will not listen or at least try to understand no matter what.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
Mad Jack said:
Compared to the rest of the (entire) world, US welfare recipients are very well off.

Relative comparisons lack absolute meaning and are thus kind of pointless as blanket statements.
Click to expand...
It won't stop him from doing it bc he gets golf claps from other premeds though.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
DermViser said:
Whether you like it or not, the crunching numbers at a desk, doing some bull**** handwavey "consulting" amorphous business job infiltrates hospitals and hospital culture (i.e. you as a doctor) as well. You can't avoid that and think that only "learning how the body works and using that expertise to help people" will be your only job as a physician employed by a hospital. I like how you think that somehow bc you're a physician you're somehow completely exempt from the "life crunching numbers at a desk, doing some bull**** handwavey 'consulting' amorphous business". You realize hospitals are corporations, don't you? You're proving OP's point for him.

Edit: It will only get worse, when by the time you are practicing and healthcare reform is in full effect, you will be expected to take cost into account, when deciding what treatment to give to your patient.
Click to expand...
I'm confused...did you want us to hate medicine too or nah?
 
reapplicanthelpme2014 said:
I'm confused...did you want us to hate medicine too or nah?
Click to expand...
I could care less whether you hate medicine or not. I don't have a dog in this fight as I am long past the decision point of premed to med school. My point (which you missed) in my post you replied to is that the person was somehow implying that it is a mutually exclusive choice of either one or the other. Which is not only laughable on the face of things, but also shows that he has not well researched the realities of clinical medicine, esp. that practiced in a hospital, in the United States.

The fact that you think that hating or not hating medicine is the underlying motivation with respect to whether one should enter medical school is why having discussions like these, esp. with premeds or "Medical Student (Accepted)"s is fruitless.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
Dr Van Helsing said:
This kid as essentially been pile drived by 90% of posters.
I do hope he learned his lesson.

Edit: Thought you were talking about OP not dermviser
Click to expand...
I'm pretty sure the OP hasn't been pile drived and hasn't "learned his lesson", whatever that is. The premeds who have responded to his post., for 7 pages now, have inadvertently actually supported his point. Just throwing ad hominems and getting 20 likes (from people who would "like" a ham sandwich) doesn't mean much. Much harder to actually comment on the actual substantive arguments he has put forth on reimbursement, etc.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
DermViser said:
I could care less whether you hate medicine or not. I don't have a dog in this fight as I am long past the decision point of premed to med school. My point (which you missed) in my post you replied to is that the person was somehow implying that it is a mutually exclusive choice of either one or the other. Which is not only laughable on the face of things, but also shows that he has not well researched the realities of clinical medicine, esp. that practiced in a hospital, in the United States.

The fact that you think that hating or not hating medicine is the underlying motivation with respect to whether one should enter medical school is why having discussions like these, esp. with premeds or "Medical Student (Accepted)"s is fruitless.
Click to expand...
ZzzzZzZ I'm bored and you talk WAY more than necessary bro. but thanks for the response!
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Dr Van Helsing said:
This kid as essentially been pile drived by 90% of posters.
I do hope he learned his lesson.

Edit: Thought you were talking about OP not dermviser
Click to expand...
I'm pretty sure OP got the message, not sure why this thread is not closed yet.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
reapplicanthelpme2014 said:
ZzzzZzZ I'm bored and you talk WAY more than necessary bro. Anyway, I didn't read it but thanks for the response.
Click to expand...
Not surprised it went above your head, bro. It answered your remark quite well since you felt it necessary to reply to me on a post not to you.

reapplicanthelpme2014 said:
I'm pretty sure OP got the message, not sure why this thread is not closed yet.
Click to expand...
Maybe bc you don't know the criteria needed to meet in order to close a thread?
 
Last edited:
allenlchs said:
wmfrt2.jpg

http://www.human-resources-health.com/content/11/1/11

It is true that the cost of medical education in the US is rising, but this has not always been the case. Physicians who are now retiring were never in astronomical debt.
And as this next article states, "Older physicians are retiring today with around $3M to $8M, with just a few above that", while I am absolutely certain that European doctors retiring with $1M are few and far between.

http://www2.ucsc.edu/whorulesamerica/power/investment_manager.html
Click to expand...
What's your point? You somehow refuse to address the confounders on why it is the way it is but think you're smart bc you post graphs. You're a future Ezra Klein.
 
DermViser said:
Not surprised it went above your head, bro. It answered your remark quite well since you felt it necessary to reply to me on a post not to you.
Click to expand...
LOL at you editing your post to insult me. Go awaaaayyy and stop getting off from arguing with people on an online forum. Don't you have anything better to do then harass lowly "Medical student (accepted)" peasants like myself? Sir, do better.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 users
reapplicanthelpme2014 said:
LOL at you editing your post to insult me. Go awaaaayyy and stop getting off from arguing with people on an online forum. Don't you have anything better to do then harass lowly "Medical student (accepted)" peasants like myself? Sir, do better.
Click to expand...
I edited it to include that it went above your head. Your question TO ME of whether you should hate medicine or not was not even close to the topic at hand. I'll give you a graphical depiction since its easier to understand.

iGvzWJmrmyN9q.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Members don't see this ad :)
DermViser said:
I edited it to include that it went above your head. Your question TO ME of whether you should hate medicine or not was not even close to the topic at hand. I'll give you a graphical depiction since its easier to understand.

iGvzWJmrmyN9q.jpg
Click to expand...
But you're a resident. I'm confused as to how you even have the time to play with pre-meds. On an online forum. Everyday. Lawddd. Anywho, like I said before...zzzzZzzzZ

Do better. Tis all.
 
reapplicanthelpme2014 said:
LOL at you editing your post to insult me. Go awaaaayyy and stop getting off from arguing with people on an online forum. Don't you have anything better to do then harass lowly "Medical student (accepted)" peasants like myself? Sir, do better.
Click to expand...
The subtle Medical Student (accepted) digs are more about the... Relative stupidity, I suppose, of using such a title. You're not a medical student, you're just an undergrad or kid on their gap year or adult that is working who happens to have been accepted to medical school. Your life is no different in practice now than it was prior to getting that acceptance letter, aside from how different you've built it up to be in your head. So seeing the title is kind of eye roll inducing. You missed the major point of what he was saying though, that he doesn't have an agenda, he's just advocating that potential medical students know wtf it is that they are getting into.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 3 users
  • Like
Reactions: 3 users
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Mad Jack said:
Let's be fair, that dermatologist probably didn't even know what the vibratey thingy on his hip did or how to work it, and it wasn't until two days later that tech support actually told them what the hell it was for.
Click to expand...
I kid, I kid. To be fair though I have seen it happen, albeit it in a community setting when the consult was placed at 3-3:30 on a Fri.
 
Last edited:
DermViser said:
I'm pretty sure the OP hasn't been pile drived and hasn't "learned his lesson" whatever that is
Click to expand...
Yes he has been pile drived and yes he has learned his lesson.
You are such a condescending dork.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Dr Van Helsing said:
Yes he has been pile drived and yes he has learned his lesson.
You are such a condescending dork.
Click to expand...
Which post(s) show that? Might want to watch your language considering you're on probation.
 
Mad Jack said:
The subtle Medical Student (accepted) digs are more about the... Relative stupidity, I suppose, of using such a title. You're not a medical student, you're just an undergrad or kid on their gap year or adult that is working who happens to have been accepted to medical school. Your life is no different in practice now than it was prior to getting that acceptance letter, aside from how different you've built it up to be in your head. So seeing the title is kind of eye roll inducing. You missed the major point of what he was saying though, that he doesn't have an agenda, he's just advocating that potential medical students know wtf it is that they are getting into.
Click to expand...
Yes - knowing exactly what you're getting into - that was the entire point (missed by more than what I would have thought), instead of an intellectually lazy argument of whether I, personally, want the person to like or hate medicine.

My response to the original person who was talking about numbers crunching, and that he picked the other one, shows that he didn't research medicine completely, considering the govt., third party payers, medical economists, etc. will be putting cost control blame solely on the shoulders of doctors.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Mad Jack said:
The subtle Medical Student (accepted) digs are more about the... Relative stupidity, I suppose, of using such a title. You're not a medical student, you're just an undergrad or kid on their gap year or adult that is working who happens to have been accepted to medical school. Your life is no different in practice now than it was prior to getting that acceptance letter, aside from how different you've built it up to be in your head. So seeing the title is kind of eye roll inducing. You missed the major point of what he was saying though, that he doesn't have an agenda, he's just advocating that potential medical students know wtf it is that they are getting into.
Click to expand...
It's different! He has been thru interviews and such... He at least knows what the process is about unlike someone who is freshman or whatever...
 
W19 said:
It's different! He has been thru interviews and such... He at least knows what the process is about unlike someone who is freshman or whatever...
Click to expand...
Well I guess we should have a bunch of Medical Student (rejected)s out there too, since they know literally exactly as much as he does.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 3 users
demayette said:
Let us know how well they are doing financially after 15+ years...
Click to expand...


Even if I am a little ahead of them financially when I'm, what... 40, who cares? I'm not in medicine to get into that fancy retirement home.
 
Just so we're clear, a college freshman only 3 months in to their first semester was never "pursuing medicine." ...
 
  • Like
Reactions: 9 users
Old_Mil said:
I congratulate you on taking the red pill...but you can rest assured that you will never convince the majority of premeds that something wonderful doesn't lie on the other side of a gate labeled "Arbeit Macht Frei."
Click to expand...
Okay, than suggest another job. Are you not happy with your choice?
 
W19 said:
You are probably not familiar with @DermViser; he likes to argue for the sake of arguing... I know exactly what you are saying since I lived in two other countries before immigrating to the US.
Click to expand...
:laugh: Yep, this is 100% true........However, I still enjoy reading a lot of what he posts for some reason.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 3 users
DermViser said:
I truly hope you are kidding. Oh, and you mean designation, not denomination.
Click to expand...
Lol.. I meant to say designation or whatever... I don't why I used that word. Maybe Medical student (rejected) designation can be some kind of cult...
 
Last edited:
Rustie said:
I tried to tell myself the same thing (in regards to actuarial salary). I thought that my friend was BS-ing me, and that medicine was surely the superior field. As shown in this link, that is simply not the case. Actuaries are making fantastic gains in the early years of the careers, and according to the research shown, those gains continue to grow.
Click to expand...


OP, I know you mentioned other fields of interest where one can make a decent income; but being an actuary would bore the life out of me. But that you were honest with yourself and looked directed at it and then shared it is fine. Some will agree and others will not. And if fact, as previously stated, many find out medicine is not for them. The sooner one sees this the far, far better. If that is your point, then great. It's strange, I find a lot of people hold on desperately to the "dream of medicine" and then get to residency and beyond, wherein they feel like they only want to be there for a limited duration.

Also in most areas of medicine/healthcare, if you don't really like dealing with people--especially when they can be overwhelmingly stressed, it's so not the profession in which to enter for life. Even if you don't deal with a lot of patients directly, you have to work with a lot of other stressed out people in healthcare as a team member. It sucks when someone from rad. or lab or pharm is just not willing to see the urgency of whatever you need for your patients. Yea, they get inundated too; but they aren't directly facing all the patients and others in the clinical unit. But you have to be so careful, b/c you are dealing with a lot of other people in healthcare, just in general. Some are great people with which to work, and some are just, well, highly stressful individuals with which to interact. Handling people well is a big piece.
 
Thinking about practicing medicine because of the money? LOL
 
W19 said:
Almost everyone here likes @DermViser. I argue with him sometimes, but I still have to read his posts because he most of the time tells the truth and don't BS around.
Click to expand...
Not even close to being true. There are quite a few who find me quite insufferable. :shrug: You can take a wild guess how much I care what they think.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Dr Van Helsing said:
I just envision him as a fat WoW player. I can't help it.
Click to expand...

Except I hate video games, mainly bc video games are for middle schoolers. Unbeknownst to me (until Ark told me) Game of Thrones is a video game, and not just a television series.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
reapplicanthelpme2014 said:
But you're a resident. I'm confused as to how you even have the time to play with pre-meds. On an online forum. Everyday. Lawddd. Anywho, like I said before...zzzzZzzzZ

Do better. Tis all.
Click to expand...

Free Tip - When you start arguing for no reason , you start digging a deeper hole and people on the top start laughing at you.
 
Totally jumping in out of nowhere here, but I'd like to mention that I appreciate DermViser's honesty. Instillment of a bit of realism isn't a bad thing because having unrealistic expectations regarding medical school and life as a physician can be very detrimental, as has already been discussed. It's better to hear it as it is and make an informed decision.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 users
Lysinee said:
Free Tip - When you start arguing for no reason , you start digging a deeper hole and people on the top start laughing at you.
Click to expand...
Esp. when the original post in question that he replied to was actually directed to what litotes said and not to him.
 
Pierre Escargot said:
Totally jumping in out of nowhere here, but I'd like to mention that I appreciate DermViser's honesty. Instillment of a bit of realism isn't a bad thing because having unrealistic expectations regarding medical school and life as a physician can be very detrimental, as has already been discussed. It's better to hear it as it is and make an informed decision.
Click to expand...
And that's the best I can ask for. This is nearly 6 figure (###,###) non-dischargeable student loan debt that you will be making payments on till you have a zero balance. You can bet the govt. and lenders will get every cent. Going in with an informed decision making process on how clinical medicine is practiced now, how it will change in the near future, etc. are very important with respect for you to assess that you like the positives, and are willing to tolerate the negatives, esp. now that Obamacare will change reimbursement schemes - that many third party payers are trying out. You can gain a lot of information on this which is just as valuable, if not more so, as candy-striping at a hospital.

Unmatched or unrealistic expectations are the worst thing you can enter med school with, esp. since there are other alternative avenues to relatively the same destination.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
DermViser said:
Esp. when the original post in question that he replied to was actually directed to what litotes said and not to him.
Click to expand...

Yup, some people gotta jump into everything and make it all about them.
 
DermViser said:
And that's the best I can ask for. This is nearly 6 figure (###,###) non-dischargeable student loan debt that you will be making payments on till you have a zero balance. You can bet the govt. and lenders will get every cent. Going in with an informed decision making process on how clinical medicine is practiced now, how it will change in the near future, etc. are very important with respect for you to assess that you like the positives, and are willing to tolerate the negatives, esp. now that Obamacare will change reimbursement schemes - that many third party payers are trying out. You can gain a lot of information on this which is just as valuable, if not more so, as candy-striping at a hospital.

Unmatched or unrealistic expectations are the worst thing you can enter med school with, esp. since there are other alternative avenues to relatively the same destination.
Click to expand...
Valuable advice from an experienced source. And I think that all students, sooner or later, will come to appreciate what you've mentioned here and elsewhere. Let's just hope that they appreciate it before entering medical school rather than after -- those who know what to expect before entering, I think, will be more prepared to deal with the challenges ahead of them, and consequently happier in the end.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Next unread thread

Similar threads

AvsPearTree
Explaining why I quit my clinical activity in reapp?
Replies
3
Views
390
LizzyM
LizzyM
TheOverthinkingPremed
In 3 research labs. Which would you quit?
Replies
5
Views
685
JAK2-STAT3
J
j_diggity
Should I quit my part-time research job?
Replies
3
Views
597
Mr.Smile12
Mr.Smile12
Hong Freak
Should I quit my MA job for a nonhealth related jobs??
Replies
2
Views
515
volposite
V
R
Overwhelmed - should I quit my job?
Replies
12
Views
919
R2ski2
R
Top