Hi, I am a junior in high school, and I have developed a fondness for science. Right now, I am fairly certain that I want to study to become either an engineer or doctor. But I want to know how doctors today feel about their jobs. For the doctors reading this thread, are you happy with your jobs? Why or why not? If you could restart your education, would you study medicine again? Thanks for your feedback!
Are doctors happy with their jobs?
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I am not a doctor, but I have met many across a few hospitals that I volunteered at. I think you'll find that it's the same as in any profession - there are those who love what they do, and there are those who hate it. Some feel that their job is very interesting and intellectually stimulating; others (even in the same specialty) feel that it's boring and repetitive.
If there were one ultimate job, everyone would go for it. Since we are all different, different jobs are more appealing to different people. The benefit of going into medicine is that there is diversity amongst the specialties. The downside of going into medicine is that it's a huge, huge endeavor - a lot of effort, time, and money is spent in becoming a doctor. If someone becomes a doctor and realizes that they hate the job, they're likely going to feel less able to change jobs. Someone in a job that took less effort and investment would likely feel less constrained.
It's hard to determine which is right for you without working the job yourself. The closest you can get is to see it for yourself and try to decide if it appeals to you. Volunteering at a local hospital and requesting to shadow doctors is one of the easiest ways to get a feel for medicine "from the inside." For engineering you could see if any local engineering firms accept volunteers, or ask if they have an internship program (I've never heard of any for high school students, only for college students, but there's no harm in asking). Be aware that experiences and systems between hospitals (and specialties of medicine) can be quite different; the same goes for different fields of engineering and engineering firms.
If you're soliciting opinions from doctors you should be aware of what level of training the doctor giving feedback is in. Doctors in residency (graduated medical school and are working, but are technically still in training for 3-4 years) are worked hard and receive low pay. I've heard from doctors who love their jobs now that they came very close to throwing in the towel and changing careers because their residency almost broke them. Similarly, medical students in the first and third years tend to be worked very hard and their passion for medicine may slip during those times. (In fact, a good friend of mine now in medical school went from being very gung-ho about medicine to to now telling any pre-med to avoid medicine.) It's the old saying "take it with a grain of salt" - put the opinions in perspective to make them more valuable.
Lastly, I initially went the engineering path and then switched midway through college to medicine. I can't claim to know too much about engineering (especially in the concentrations outside of my own) but if you think there are any specific questions or anything else that I can help you with, it'd be my pleasure to try and help you along. Ultimately, seeing and doing it for yourself is the best way to figure out what appeals the most to you.
Good luck!
If there were one ultimate job, everyone would go for it. Since we are all different, different jobs are more appealing to different people. The benefit of going into medicine is that there is diversity amongst the specialties. The downside of going into medicine is that it's a huge, huge endeavor - a lot of effort, time, and money is spent in becoming a doctor. If someone becomes a doctor and realizes that they hate the job, they're likely going to feel less able to change jobs. Someone in a job that took less effort and investment would likely feel less constrained.
It's hard to determine which is right for you without working the job yourself. The closest you can get is to see it for yourself and try to decide if it appeals to you. Volunteering at a local hospital and requesting to shadow doctors is one of the easiest ways to get a feel for medicine "from the inside." For engineering you could see if any local engineering firms accept volunteers, or ask if they have an internship program (I've never heard of any for high school students, only for college students, but there's no harm in asking). Be aware that experiences and systems between hospitals (and specialties of medicine) can be quite different; the same goes for different fields of engineering and engineering firms.
If you're soliciting opinions from doctors you should be aware of what level of training the doctor giving feedback is in. Doctors in residency (graduated medical school and are working, but are technically still in training for 3-4 years) are worked hard and receive low pay. I've heard from doctors who love their jobs now that they came very close to throwing in the towel and changing careers because their residency almost broke them. Similarly, medical students in the first and third years tend to be worked very hard and their passion for medicine may slip during those times. (In fact, a good friend of mine now in medical school went from being very gung-ho about medicine to to now telling any pre-med to avoid medicine.) It's the old saying "take it with a grain of salt" - put the opinions in perspective to make them more valuable.
Lastly, I initially went the engineering path and then switched midway through college to medicine. I can't claim to know too much about engineering (especially in the concentrations outside of my own) but if you think there are any specific questions or anything else that I can help you with, it'd be my pleasure to try and help you along. Ultimately, seeing and doing it for yourself is the best way to figure out what appeals the most to you.
Good luck!
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I think people often make their own unhappiness. There are very, very few jobs out there where you can get a high salary for minimal work, which I think a lot of people are looking for, not only in medicine but elsewhere. If you accept that you're going to have to work hard and find a way to manage your professional and private life, I think you can be happy--but again, it's what you make of it.
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Be an engineer. A friend of mine is a civil engineer. He has a nice $200,000+ house and takes vacations every few months. I'm almost 30 with no mortgage and my only "vacation" in the past 5 years was to Hawaii -- for a medical school rotation. Engis don't start out as high in salary as physicians (60s-80s depending on what type) but they get there a helluva lot sooner and, by the time docs are making decent money, engineers can get pretty close.
Medicine also isn't "real" science in the sense I think you are referring. It's all about memorizing crap from a book and then being able to spit it out when needed. Diagnosis is merely following an algorithm some specialty body has designed for all physicians to follow. 99% of the time it's really quite boring.
Occasionally you will get something that makes you go, "neat", but I'm still more impressed by work being done in physics and engineering. Surgery is probably the coolest area of medicine, but then you can basically kiss any semblance of free time or a life goodbye for you entire career.
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I'm studying chem e right now (in my 4th year but I'm finishing up prereqs for vet school next year). Feel free to ask me about it, but I can tell you that I'm positive I would be unhappy as an engineer. I love math and physics, but I'd rather be practicing medicine than designing a plant or process. Obviously there are many different types of engineers, and many different engineering jobs, so you may feel differently about it depending on where your interests lie.
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You forgot to mention that engineering is always one of the hardest, if not the hardest subjects to major in. The raw amount of math classes and the labs and upper division courses that link and apply that information to engineering is amazing. At my university(UT Austin), they do about 5 years worth of work, in a 4 year course plan. That's for the ones who actually can handle all of that. Many have to put it off for 5 years. Not to mention, our engi students have almost no free time because they are studying. If you want to make the most out of college, I wouldn't recommend engineering.
And in the real world, engineers put out significant work to get their salaries. They work crazy hours (60+) and they work on an on-call basis similar to physicians. Trust me, engineering is NOT the quick/easy ticket to success like some people on here. I think its because people here have an inferiority complex, and make it seem like what they do is harder compared to other career routes. In reality, doctors(post-residency) have it pretty good compared to other people who make 100K plus.
My stepfather works 13 hours a day, 6 days a week as a GM at a car dealership. He makes about 150,000K yearly. They sold a car to a urologist a couple of weeks ago, who works about as much as him, who makes $60,000 a month! So when you compare it to other careers, such as management, finance, and law; doctors have it pretty good.
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Im not a doctor but I'm planning on becoming one.
I think that if you have the devotion and concentration and perseverance in biology and science in general you can make it in whatever you want to do. But you really have to have that want to be a doctor.
I feel like it'll all be worth it in the end because then you get to be helping people everyday and you'll be so certified because of all the knowledge you'll get from college.
I think that if you have the devotion and concentration and perseverance in biology and science in general you can make it in whatever you want to do. But you really have to have that want to be a doctor.
I feel like it'll all be worth it in the end because then you get to be helping people everyday and you'll be so certified because of all the knowledge you'll get from college.
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Remember that there's more Doctors than just physicians! 
Med, Vet, Dent, Pharm, etc, all are different, and all carry their own attributes that make them like by some and disliked by others. I know I wouldn't be happy as a Pharmacist, but I've got plenty of friends who are - explore your options, and you've still got plenty of time! I also know engineers, and many of them are happy as well! The key is finding what makes you happy, and what you yourself would be happy doing every day for the rest of your working life. I'm sure you could get in contact with your local Engineering association and shadow an engineer for a day or two, and I know you could call up your dentist, (or physcian, etc) and do the same. That's the only way you really can get some insight into what you might like!
Good luck, and remember that money isn't everything!
Med, Vet, Dent, Pharm, etc, all are different, and all carry their own attributes that make them like by some and disliked by others. I know I wouldn't be happy as a Pharmacist, but I've got plenty of friends who are - explore your options, and you've still got plenty of time! I also know engineers, and many of them are happy as well! The key is finding what makes you happy, and what you yourself would be happy doing every day for the rest of your working life. I'm sure you could get in contact with your local Engineering association and shadow an engineer for a day or two, and I know you could call up your dentist, (or physcian, etc) and do the same. That's the only way you really can get some insight into what you might like!Good luck, and remember that money isn't everything!
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I majored in biomedical engineering in Texas.
4 years later I'm about to graduate med school and going into family med.
I have seen both lifestyles. Personally I thought engineering was more difficult, but I'd be happier living my life as an FM doc.
Upper division math/science in engineering does not compare to medicine. Sure med school is hard, but it's just a WHOLE lot of material and memorizing, seeing common scenarios and symptoms and with that knowledge formulate a diagnosis and plan. I have friends in engineering grad school and the stuff they are doing are so outside the box I'm glad I didn't pursue a masters.
But yeah it's ultimately down to personal preference. I didn't regret getting my engineering degree and it made me think differently in med school compared to my other peers. So I saw it as a plus.
4 years later I'm about to graduate med school and going into family med.
I have seen both lifestyles. Personally I thought engineering was more difficult, but I'd be happier living my life as an FM doc.
Upper division math/science in engineering does not compare to medicine. Sure med school is hard, but it's just a WHOLE lot of material and memorizing, seeing common scenarios and symptoms and with that knowledge formulate a diagnosis and plan. I have friends in engineering grad school and the stuff they are doing are so outside the box I'm glad I didn't pursue a masters.
But yeah it's ultimately down to personal preference. I didn't regret getting my engineering degree and it made me think differently in med school compared to my other peers. So I saw it as a plus.
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Being an actual doctor is very different from being a pre-med, med-student, intern, or resident. Each of those stages tests very specific aspects of your durability, intelligence, and perseverance. Each of them sucks in their own way. Each of them also warps your perception of reality to some degree. All those years should not be overlooked, because those are quality years in which sacrifices must be made w/r/t finances, family, friends, and life experience. Some sail through, and some do not. As smart as pre-meds, med-students, and residents think they are, half of them are, by definition, below average, and will have a hard time. Once you get through all of that, being a doctor is not all sunshine and lollipops. This is an important point, because I think many laypeople and pre-meds think that once you get past residency it is comparatively smooth sailing. You have to decide not only if you want to be a doctor, but whether you think the journey to being a doctor is worth the sacrifice in and of itself.
All of that being said, being a doctor is a a rewarding and highly privileged position. We see people at their worst, and they invite us into the most intimate moments of their lives. We bear witness. One can be a douche and downplay this point, but it disrespects the sanctity of the profession. We generally have little difficulty getting jobs, regardless of the state of the economy. We have a lot of autonomy in our practice for the most part, and get to choose how we tackle problems. We actually see how our decisions directly impact people's lives. In general, we get paid pretty well. We still enjoy a fair amount of respect in the eyes of the populous. How you choose to value each of these statements determines a lot of how you feel about the profession.
Yeah, we get sued, and that is very unpleasant. Yeah, we have loans to pay off. Yeah, we get paged in the middle of the night. Yeah, some of us work a lot of hours. If those kind of things are dealbreakers for you, then you probably don't want to become a doctor. Personally, I can't imagine being happy doing anything else. Comparing it to being an engineer seems nonsensical to me, as they are so completely unrelated to make the comparison meaningless. Reducing it to how long it takes to make up the opportunity-cost of salary differences removes all meaningful aspects of the comparison.
All of that being said, being a doctor is a a rewarding and highly privileged position. We see people at their worst, and they invite us into the most intimate moments of their lives. We bear witness. One can be a douche and downplay this point, but it disrespects the sanctity of the profession. We generally have little difficulty getting jobs, regardless of the state of the economy. We have a lot of autonomy in our practice for the most part, and get to choose how we tackle problems. We actually see how our decisions directly impact people's lives. In general, we get paid pretty well. We still enjoy a fair amount of respect in the eyes of the populous. How you choose to value each of these statements determines a lot of how you feel about the profession.
Yeah, we get sued, and that is very unpleasant. Yeah, we have loans to pay off. Yeah, we get paged in the middle of the night. Yeah, some of us work a lot of hours. If those kind of things are dealbreakers for you, then you probably don't want to become a doctor. Personally, I can't imagine being happy doing anything else. Comparing it to being an engineer seems nonsensical to me, as they are so completely unrelated to make the comparison meaningless. Reducing it to how long it takes to make up the opportunity-cost of salary differences removes all meaningful aspects of the comparison.
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Although my days are often filled with paperwork, insurance hassles, rude patients who don't bother to show or cancel their appointments, worries about lawsuits, and wondering how Obamacare will affect my practice,not a day goes by when I don't realize how blessed I am to spend my life as a physician. Everyday a patient enters my office with a problem and trusts that I will be able to solve it and most of the time I can! Not a day goes by when I don't hear a patient say, thank you for your help doctor, thank you for what you did for my daughter, my son, my mother, my father...for me. I am a surgical specialist. After 25 years of being in practice, it still fills me with wonder that patients allow me the privilege of taking them into the operating room and trust that I will take good care of them.
When I look back at the long journey it has been, studying hard in college to earn the A's and high scores on the MCATs, filling out countless applications and going to the interviews, the 4 year grind of medical school, 4 years of internship and then residency, one year fellowship... I can't believe I did it all. Yet the 25 years I have been in practice have flown by. I would do it again in a heartbeat. I have also been fortunate as a woman and a parent. My private practice (and my male partners) have allowed me to be a full time physician yet work my hours around my family's needs. I've been there for every play, every class trip as much as other stay-at-home moms. I don't think I could have done all this as an engineer or in any other profession.
When I look back at the long journey it has been, studying hard in college to earn the A's and high scores on the MCATs, filling out countless applications and going to the interviews, the 4 year grind of medical school, 4 years of internship and then residency, one year fellowship... I can't believe I did it all. Yet the 25 years I have been in practice have flown by. I would do it again in a heartbeat. I have also been fortunate as a woman and a parent. My private practice (and my male partners) have allowed me to be a full time physician yet work my hours around my family's needs. I've been there for every play, every class trip as much as other stay-at-home moms. I don't think I could have done all this as an engineer or in any other profession.
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Been doing it for 10 years - it sucks. Strongly encouraging my children NOT to do medicine. And anyone else who will listen for that matter...
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Dear PhysicianMom:
Welcome to SDN. Thanks for a great first post and on behalf of the mod staff we hope you participate throughout SDN, including the "practicing physician" forum. My academic partners (including the female ones) have allowed me to be a full-time physician and be a dad who attended MOST every play, sporting event, etc. The 28 years since I finished med school have more than exceeded the most I had expected out of medicine and I too switched from engineering.
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Just curious do you plan to come to practice in America? Are you going to stick in Primary care? Getting paid 30 dollars a month seems outrageously low but maybe Mexico is REALLY cheap.
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I didn't read through the whole thread ... but saw the one negative comment, from someone who apparently posts a lot of negative comments.
My job is awesome. It's an honor, it's fun and it's challenging. I was a ChemE major once ... changed over.
I'm a pediatrician (yes, we're all mostly happy) who will start a neonatology fellowship in July.
Go with your gut. If you start something and it stinks, switch. For me, I feel honored to get to do what I do.
My job is awesome. It's an honor, it's fun and it's challenging. I was a ChemE major once ... changed over.
I'm a pediatrician (yes, we're all mostly happy) who will start a neonatology fellowship in July.
Go with your gut. If you start something and it stinks, switch. For me, I feel honored to get to do what I do.
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I just hate my job on weekends
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On the "would you do it again?" question...I feel about vet med school the same as I did about grad school. I was glad I did it, but I wouldn't do it again.
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Having followed a "non-traditional" path to medicine, I had a number of jobs over a period of a decade before going to med school. And these were not "burger flipping" jobs, either; they were very responsible, career-type jobs that many people may have been happy making a lifetime of.
Medicine is far better than any of those. But then, that just means it's far better for me. Other folks, well, I can't really speak for them. They may have loved some of my old jobs . . . It just depends on your particular set of interests, values and priorities.
Medicine is far better than any of those. But then, that just means it's far better for me. Other folks, well, I can't really speak for them. They may have loved some of my old jobs . . . It just depends on your particular set of interests, values and priorities.
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Off topic: I see attendings and residents replying to this thread. That's why I love SDN. You can get the useful information you want.
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I love my job. Is it stressful and sometimes very difficult? Absolutely. So are lots of other jobs out there.
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My personal observation, for what it's worth, is that physicians who have "real world" experience in other fields tend to appreciate the merits of being a physician, and that those who lack this perspective tend to complain more.
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If you are interested in engineer / medicine, you can major in a variety of engineering specialties and still go down a tentative path towards medicine.
If you go down this route, I highly recommend either A Co-Op and/or a summer engineering internship to help with the discernment process. I graduated with a handful of chemical engineers who did just that and are currently residents. You will get an excellent education and you can get some great work experiance.
I completed three internships and each one was a unique experiance and not very represenatative of what a full-time practicing engineer will do in Industry.
If you have more specific questions shoot me a note.
If you go down this route, I highly recommend either A Co-Op and/or a summer engineering internship to help with the discernment process. I graduated with a handful of chemical engineers who did just that and are currently residents. You will get an excellent education and you can get some great work experiance.
I completed three internships and each one was a unique experiance and not very represenatative of what a full-time practicing engineer will do in Industry.
If you have more specific questions shoot me a note.
This is the type of inspiration everyone needs, I want to become a professional practicing physician too and this post has inspired me even more to go after my goal. Thankyou
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This is called bad advice. I did my major in EE and BME and I can tell you it was hard as hell. Currently, med school hasn't even matched the hardness level yet. Even after all that hard work though, do I regret doing engineering? Hell no! Like the guy above said, engineering is amazing and you should pursue what you love regardless of the difficulty. Though what's even cooler is when you take that engineering knowledge and apply it in medicine.
In terms of salaries, I can tell you that most engineers will earn 50-100k. The upper end is after a lot of experience in the field - at least 5 years. Then, as you get management positions, salaries can reach up to $200k max (that's very few). This takes ~10 to 15 years. So in response to the previous comment, docs base salary will always be higher than an eng's base salary, BUT with a lot of hard work, an eng can match and even surpass docs salaries.
Don't choose or not choose a career path b/c someone else says it's harder or easier. Choose it b/c you like it. Almost all of them will have hard work, so suck it up, close your eyes, and ask yourself what the hell you want to do for the rest of your life. You will have your non-biased answer.
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...unless it precludes you from achieving your ultimate goal. Honestly, I wouldn't recommend an engineering degree to anyone not looking to use it professionally.
Good luck with that. About as far as my physics degree has taken me in concrete terms is being able to explain to everyone some basics of how the radiology machines work when a resident dumbed down his presentation too much to be useful and left everyone confused. It's great for conceptual thinking in general, though.
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Medicine is not what you think it is. You may end up liking it, but going to med school will always be leap of faith.
Unless you're rich and can quit whenever you want. In that case, screw you.
Unless you're rich and can quit whenever you want. In that case, screw you.
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LOL, 60 hours is "crazy"? Not only is that not really crazy hours, it's also a lot more than the average engineer works. If I'm wrong, post a statistic that shows otherwise.
They are DEFINITELY not on call the way physicians are, by any stretch of the imagination. A select few might be, but that's a slim minority of the population.
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Agreed. The engineers I know usually work 40-50 hours/week but can get into the 70-ish range when deadlines are coming up. They are certainly not "on call" unless something catastrophic happens, and the firm needs all hands on deck.
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Everything depends on the engineering too. Saying one is an "engineering student" is as vague as saying "foreign language student" or "science student" to me. While math and application permeates throughout, there are pretty big differences between nuclear engineering, chemical engineering, aeronautical engineering, bioengineering, electrical engineering, architectual engineering, etc. Sure, there are certain ones that tend to overlap. (Many of the NucEs I knew tagged on environmental or something.)
The amount of work in undergrad varies as well. Some people truly have to work their butts off every day to get through it and others just "get it" for whatever reason. I was an information science technology and german lit major (started engineering ) and lived with almost all engineering students and for whatever reason, they were out partying a lot more than I ever was. There was usually one or two crunch days a week and then they'd go off the grid for a while before a project was due, but we all did that.
I always felt that what made engineering more challenging than other majors wasn't so much the math as the integration and application they expect from you. Most majors are content with regurgitation early on. Engineering always expects you to understand that stuff and then wants you to take it to the next step and apply it something. This is a big leap for many people to make from HS to undergrad. Similar expectations were involved in my majors as well. Our projects were along the lines of "Design and implement a replacement system for _______ with the following expectations: ". Don't know how to do database stuff? Better teach yourself fast or you are screwed. That kind of trained self directed learning is what nets higher starting salaries coming out of undergrad.
Oh, and it depends what doctor you talk to. I find that their expectations and goals with medicine are the biggest determinant of happiness. If they began with the mindset of enjoying learning, intellectual curiosity, constant improvement and making money to solve puzzles then they tend to be happy. If they entered with a vague notion of "wanting to help people", wanting some kind of status or title or for financial expectations then they tend to be unhappy. Many people don't know they chose it for financial reasons. It is difficult for us to interpret what is genuine excitement for what is going on over what is just a casual interest magnified when you see some doc with a nice car or big house.
The amount of work in undergrad varies as well. Some people truly have to work their butts off every day to get through it and others just "get it" for whatever reason. I was an information science technology and german lit major (started engineering ) and lived with almost all engineering students and for whatever reason, they were out partying a lot more than I ever was. There was usually one or two crunch days a week and then they'd go off the grid for a while before a project was due, but we all did that.
I always felt that what made engineering more challenging than other majors wasn't so much the math as the integration and application they expect from you. Most majors are content with regurgitation early on. Engineering always expects you to understand that stuff and then wants you to take it to the next step and apply it something. This is a big leap for many people to make from HS to undergrad. Similar expectations were involved in my majors as well. Our projects were along the lines of "Design and implement a replacement system for _______ with the following expectations: ". Don't know how to do database stuff? Better teach yourself fast or you are screwed. That kind of trained self directed learning is what nets higher starting salaries coming out of undergrad.
Oh, and it depends what doctor you talk to. I find that their expectations and goals with medicine are the biggest determinant of happiness. If they began with the mindset of enjoying learning, intellectual curiosity, constant improvement and making money to solve puzzles then they tend to be happy. If they entered with a vague notion of "wanting to help people", wanting some kind of status or title or for financial expectations then they tend to be unhappy. Many people don't know they chose it for financial reasons. It is difficult for us to interpret what is genuine excitement for what is going on over what is just a casual interest magnified when you see some doc with a nice car or big house.
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That is if you know what your ultimate goal was in the first place. Sure if you only want to become a doctor, going through engineering may not be the most advantageous route to take. Though, a lot of people like me, did not know what the ultimate goal was and just wanted to explore science and find later in life what they like. Doing BME, imo, however, is not a disadvantage.
The black-box approach to problem solving hasn't failed me so far. Courses like pathology and physiology is where this stuff comes in handy. Anything to do with etiology helps.
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I am an attending physician in Emergency Medicine and truly love my job! I cannot think of another job that would be a better fit for me. I love the intellectual and physical challenge of managing life and death situations. I have the honor of stewarding a team of talented and caring individuals and to hopefully brighten the worst days of the patients I see. I often go home learning something about life or medicine that I did not know when I came on shift and its the best feeling. I also love the days when I feel like I could have done something better because I know the next day I won't make the same errors.
If you have an interest in both Engineering and medicine there is not a true need to choose only one. Biomedical engineering is an exploding field and your background in either one will enhance your ability to succeed in the other. As for the discussion above about the difficulties of each, my humble opinion is that either route is a challenge if you care to pursue excellence. It is easy to accomplish anything if you accept mediocrity, but to pursue excellence everyday and in everything is always challenging. Steer clear of this debate and study engineering in college while meeting the pre-med requisites, then make your best decision.
Lastly, I know in medicine and presume in engineering that if you aren't fully satisfied with your chosen subspecialty, don't hesitate to change. I was a psychiatrist before Emergency Medicine and was not nearly as satisfied. I can tell you that the decision to restart residency in a different field was the best career move of my life!
Good luck in all your endeavors,
TL
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Wow, this topic was amazing.
Thanks for asking it Yolk.
Speaking about salary, I think Engineers make similar amounts of money as physicians by the time they become attending because Engineers get pay hikes per year.
However, I am simply an undergraduate student. But, my only source is my dad who is an computer engineer. He works for 40 hours a week, max, and he has never been on call in the 20 years he has been an engineer.
Anyways, I was really inspired by this thread. Thank you.
Thanks for asking it Yolk.
Speaking about salary, I think Engineers make similar amounts of money as physicians by the time they become attending because Engineers get pay hikes per year.
However, I am simply an undergraduate student. But, my only source is my dad who is an computer engineer. He works for 40 hours a week, max, and he has never been on call in the 20 years he has been an engineer.
Anyways, I was really inspired by this thread. Thank you.
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I'm happy that you are happy... but a couple of disclaimers:
- the 25 years through which you practiced are appreciably different than the 25 years facing current and future docs
- it is much easier to be content with ones career once a significant amount of financial stability and independence has been achieved; it is in the prospect of servicing debts with an uncontrollable revenue and environment (such as we face now) that angst and demoralization arise
- to compare current and historic practice with the outlined future practice does a great disservice to those who are trying to make an informed decision about their personal future.... and to provide them with potentially false high hopes may not be the most helpful way to go about it.
If the practice of medicine had remained what it was when I made the choice to pursue the path -- or even what it was when I started practice a few short years ago -- my tune would be different. As it did (and will continue to) not, some very frank and serious discussion should be had with the aspiring hopefuls if we are to have any hope in the avoidance of needless discontent and disappointment.
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I was in the same situation as you a few years back, engineer vs health professional. I turned down an acceptance to a very presitgious Biomed Engineer program to go to a small liberal arts school for pre-med. I am currently a 3rd year med student and very happy with my choice. I'm too much of a people person to be an engineer. And as far as not having a life, I think there are many fields of medicine that you can practice and still have a life outside the hospital. You may not make 300K, but if lifestyle is important to you, you can make it happen. Not everyone is a slave to their beeper.
