Are Doctor's the Most Fulfilled?

[deleted862527]

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Despite Physicians currently in practice having a significantly higher risk of suicide then the general public, do they feel the most fulfilled? I would say yes because they fulfilled their dream of becoming a Doctor because that itself is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and because of the excellent pay and social status and the type of impact you can have on your patients and community.

However, before I get involved with this I'm sort of afraid (in some ways) to pursue it. I see a lot of negative threads on SDN, advising if they had to do it again they wouldn't. I find that unfortunate, as to spend 13+ years of hardcore training and stress to end up regretting it in the end? I fear if I was to actually make it through med school and residency that I'd end up being incredibly burned out and miserable. Sorry guys for making this pretty negative, but I realize this job entails A LOT of sacrifices as you have patient's lives on the line, but at the same time I want to be realistic about the lifestyle in general. Doc's who I have talked to say go PA, or NP because pay is great and less hours and no call, but I find this discouraging because being an M.D. is what I want to really do and it seems like people who I talk to always advise me not to do it! lol. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I'm just afraid of ending up forgetting the reason(s) behind why I want to be an M.D. after med school + residency and being miserable like some people in practice who I wish were a lot happier. Thanks again!

 

[Lifeblood_20]

That's why it's important to consider other careers before setting your heart on medicine... Medicine is NOT an easy career and a lot of doctors are unhappy. While it's certainly fulfilling it is NOT for everyone.

 

[SpartanWolverine]

Do your due diligence before getting into the medical field. Know what you're getting into and know what to expect (as much as is possible) for the near future in the field. Is it different than it was when current senior attendings started? Absolutely. Are there pros and cons to being a physician vs. mid-level? Absolutely.

Your question of whether physicians are the "most fulfilled" because of dreams, opportunities, pay, and status is uninformed. It's a tough job with a lot of training. In a strict sense, yes, there's some pleasure to be had from feeling like I've attained a significant level of medical knowledge and diagnostic skill. I also know what I'm getting into and sincerely look forward to my next 6-7 years of residency + fellowship.

... I'm just afraid of ending up forgetting the reason(s) behind why I want to be an M.D. after med school + residency and being miserable like some people in practice who I wish were a lot happier. Thanks again!

The reasons you go into medicine shouldn't be romantic thoughts of fulfillment, dreams, opportunities, and status. They should be things that are reinforced, as opposed to forgotten, as you train. Again -- take your time and be thorough in exploring your interests. Hopefully this will give you concrete reasons why you like medicine.

TL;DR: Spend lots of time exploring the different sides of medicine and the current reality of what the field is like. A well-informed view of the profession will be invaluable. Get into medicine for concrete reasons.

 

[deleted862527]

Do your due diligence before getting into the medical field. Know what you're getting into and know what to expect (as much as is possible) for the near future in the field. Is it different than it was when current senior attendings started? Absolutely. Are there pros and cons to being a physician vs. mid-level? Absolutely.

Your question of whether physicians are the "most fulfilled" because of dreams, opportunities, pay, and status is uninformed. It's a tough job with a lot of training. In a strict sense, yes, there's some pleasure to be had from feeling like I've attained a significant level of medical knowledge and diagnostic skill. I also know what I'm getting into and sincerely look forward to my next 6-7 years of residency + fellowship.


The reasons you go into medicine shouldn't be romantic thoughts of fulfillment, dreams, opportunities, and status. They should be things that are reinforced, as opposed to forgotten, as you train. Again -- take your time and be thorough in exploring your interests. Hopefully this will give you concrete reasons why you like medicine.

TL;DR: Spend lots of time exploring the different sides of medicine and the current reality of what the field is like. A well-informed view of the profession will be invaluable. Get into medicine for concrete reasons.

Thank you!

My reasons for medicine include my desire, love and passion for medical science. I would love to not only research, but also apply knowledge in the clinical setting to help improve patient outcomes and help patients directly. I also would love to attend meetings and conventions where Physicians discuss, conduct, and review new research results.

I have tried shadowing Doctors but I either get no reply or a rejection. I feel that HIPAA violations are the reason why or because they don't want a College student distracting them which is super understandable.

 

[Styrene]

Despite Physicians currently in practice having a significantly higher risk of suicide then the general public, do they feel the most fulfilled? I would say yes because they fulfilled their dream of becoming a Doctor because that itself is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and because of the excellent pay and social status and the type of impact you can have on your patients and community.

However, before I get involved with this I'm sort of afraid (in some ways) to pursue it. I see a lot of negative threads on SDN, advising if they had to do it again they wouldn't. I find that unfortunate, as to spend 13+ years of hardcore training and stress to end up regretting it in the end? I fear if I was to actually make it through med school and residency that I'd end up being incredibly burned out and miserable. Sorry guys for making this pretty negative, but I realize this job entails A LOT of sacrifices as you have patient's lives on the line, but at the same time I want to be realistic about the lifestyle in general. Doc's who I have talked to say go PA, or NP because pay is great and less hours and no call, but I find this discouraging because being an M.D. is what I want to really do and it seems like people who I talk to always advise me not to do it! lol. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I'm just afraid of ending up forgetting the reason(s) behind why I want to be an M.D. after med school + residency and being miserable like some people in practice who I wish were a lot happier. Thanks again!

Doctors may earn high salary compared to most other people, but the long training and high monetary cost of medical school and related things causes many physicians to lack financial security for the future based on many surveys. Also, there are high rates of divorce and other family dysfunction among physicians with spouses/children, so one can also make the argument that physicians may feel fulfilled at work (especially senior-level attendings) but with a trade-off of missing out on more universally human fulfilling life experiences. All this based on personal experience, vicarious experience, and physician surveys.

 

[armybound]

The grass is always greener.

I think you'll find that the next step in the journey always seems to awesome, but once you're there it's nothing special.

Thus the dissatisfaction.

 

[Planes2Doc]

It really depends. Medicine is incredibly broad, with lots of different specialties. They can be incredibly polarizing, love it or hate it. When people fail to match into their desired specialty, things can go downhill very fast. Sometimes medicine isn't what people think it is when becoming attending physicians. Just like any other job, you'll have people at both ends of the spectrum and everywhere in between.