Are you in for the $$$? Don't lie, I won't tell adcoms!

[phar]

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In my opinion, at least 80% of doctor wannabe are in money and so called "superiority crap". Do you belong to that category? Am i right?


For the guys:
Oh yaa dude, pretty much any chick will throw herself at you.😉

For the gals:
Kick those broke ass dudes to the curve. You are now the queen of the $$$. Maybe, you should start becoming friends with oprah.

This thread may get hot or become icy.

Nevertheless, it reveals the current lifestyles of most doctors.

 

[Chronotropic]

If I wanted money I would just get a masters in bio then grab a MBA. Very good pay and only about half the workload and stress of a doc.

 

[samenewme]

...to be in it for the money. I'm making well above the median in my field (as a systems librarian). I'll be out of the workforce for four years, rack up substantial debt, make piddly money as a resident and not quite double my current salary as a doctor. Oh, and I'm 39. Between lost income and loans, I'll be lucky to make up the difference by the time I retire.

I'm doing it because I can't stand not to anymore.

 

[Brewster]

There are much better ways to make money these days than being a doctor.

 

[Adcadet]

anybody smart enough to become a doctor could make a killing (pun intended) elsewhere.

I'm making more money now than I will as a resident.

 

[2badr]

Originally posted by Brewster
There are much better ways to make money these days than being a doctor.

ahem....i think about the money,but it certainly is not the driving force for me.I personally would feel really stupid doing something I hate and trying to convince myself it was okay because the money is good....

 

[pillowhead]

Originally posted by phar
In my opinion, at least 80% of doctor wannabe are in money and so called "superiority crap". Do you belong to that category? Am i right?

For the gals:
Kick those broke ass dudes to the curve. You are now the queen of the $$$. Maybe, you should start becoming friends with oprah.

Why do you think this is true? I think this idea is an old stereotype that is way unfairly put on premeds and medical students. My sister and her husband are an accountant and lawyer and already make close to $200,000/yr at the ripe old age of 24 and 28. I'd be going that route if money was truly the most important thing.

And as far as your male/female stereotypes..I can't speak for the guys, nor all girls, but I know I will like earn two, possibly even three times what my likely future husband will earn. I'm not kicking him to the curb any time soon.

All that said, I would not be a doctor if they earned say, $8.50 an hour which is what I currently make. Doctors should earn a lot as they have to make up for many lost years of potential income since they don't start earning until later in life, and the average debt of medical students is $130,000. Plus they perform a damn important role that not many people can. But this is not the same as going into medicine for the money. I want to be able to live a comfortable lifestyle, pay off my debt in a reasonable time, and support a spouse and kids, maybe parents if it later becomes necessary. That is not unreasonable, and quite frankly, totally ignoring what you'll make in any career is silly and out of touch with reality. To reiterate, wanting to make sure you'll be comfortable later in life and able to pay off your debts is NOT the same thing as choosing a profession for the money and prestige.

I think the people who keep pushing this BS stereotype probably need re-examine their own motives for medicine and make sure they will be okay when they realize there's a lot more business and paperwork in medicine and that it's not all making sick people happy and wonderful again, and oh, won't they be so grateful and aren't I wonderful for saving the world 🙄

That's my diatribe...feel free to respond. Could get very interesting...

 

[Zoobaby]

I wish I could kick things to the curve. 😉

Money is overrated. I went into business when I graduated college 5 years ago. I did that for the money. Since then I've been paid quite well for my time. I've been able to travel, party, nice car, nice house etc. It didn't take long before I was bored and unsatisfied with work. Considering most of us will spend the lion's share of our waking hours at our place of employment, it's probably best to go with a career that will be interesting. Like samenewne, I just can't hold out any longer. I've known for a long time I should move toward medicine as a career. I'm glad I'm finally doing it.

BTW, I think most residents make about minimum wage when you do the math between hours and salary. Even as an attending what's a decent number, $200k? That's good money, but I could make it more easily in business.

 

[Woots32]

I'd be lying if I said that earning potential didn't enter into my decisions. Bottom line is, I want to have a family someday, and I want to make sure that I'll have enough money to give my children at least as good of a life as I've had (in terms of opportunities, at least). And I think a career in medicine would accomplish that.

However, I wouldn't dream of going through all the BS of med school and residency if this wasn't something I truly wanted to do, that I thought I could be good at and enjoy, and is rewarding.

So med school it is. 😀

 

[neofight]

Ditto. There are definitely many more ways of making money in other careers. If you do the math, it's not worth becoming a doctor for the average doctor salary (although those pursuing higher paying specialties will tend to come out ahead). Those who are doing it for the money will experience the delayed gratification of making big money later than just making some money now. It's just a matter of what you'd rather have: live a better life now or live a better life later.

 

[mellotron]

When I was an undergrad senior weighing medicine vs. engineering, I chose to try engineering for awhile after graduation because it was the path of least resistance and a quicker return-on-investment.

My plan was to test it out for awhile, then reevaluate my position. The truth of the matter is, if doctors made $65k/year, then practically speaking does it make sense to forfeit 4 years of income plus $100k debt to finally make the same return? From strictly a financial standpoint it doesn't make any sense. Plus I come from a family of engineers, so this was a reasonable place to "settle" (literally and figuratively). But the truth is, a medical career is a positive return on investment relative to the average engineering income. So it does make sense economically.

That was my thinking a year ago. Pretty business-like, but practical.

Fast forward to today and now I can't fathom working as an engineer any longer than I absolutely have to. So throw all the "future earning potential" arguments and crap like that out the window. It was eerily like something out of Office Space. You wake up one morning and you realize that it just doesn't f*cking matter. The technological challenges of the business I'm in sustained interest in me for about 2.5 years. Then I started seeing the forest from the trees, and realized that I let a nice salary basically held me hostage in this position. It's a weird feeling.

So after that, thoughts like "you only live once" and "do you want your life to mean something?" start arising. So I started shadowing and catching back up on things, frequenting joints like SDN, and people have noticed quite a change in my demeanor. I am so excited for August to come and it is 100% from the fact that I'm off to learn how to do something that TRULY has meaning, and it's a great feeling!

Though the last 2.5 years have been unfullfilling (to say the least), I wouldn't do it differently if I had the chance. To have jumped into medicine at 22, I might have always wondered what the other path was like. But now I'm going in at 26 having tried the other path and what it did was highlight just how magical, but more importantly MEANINGFUL the path of medicine is!

 

[Maple]

Of course, I am in it for the money! What else is there?!?😎

 

[synapse lapse]

I have to agree that it you would be insane to go into medicine only for the money. I think that anyone that does so has a very limited view of what the job entail. If you are smart enough to become a doctor, and financial gain is your only career goal, you would be better of in business, law, or finance. It just wouldn't be worth the years of self-sacrifice and low pay, as well as the emotional and psychological stress, all for money. I don't think anyone that really know what a doctors training is like would do it just for money, there are just too many other simpler routes.

 

[MSTP boy]

Originally posted by phaeton_1
I have to agree that it you would be insane to go into medicine only for the money. I think that anyone that does so has a very limited view of what the job entail. If you are smart enough to become a doctor, and financial gain is your only career goal, you would be better of in business, law, or finance. It just wouldn't be worth the years of self-sacrifice and low pay, as well as the emotional and psychological stress, all for money. I don't think anyone that really know what a doctors training is like would do it just for money, there are just too many other simpler routes.

w3rd - going in for the $$ shows that someone doesn't know what he/she is getting into.

 

[Retro]

Money is not a main factor for me; but rather, job stability and personal career enjoyment. Honestly, going into business now is risky business, with the economy going down hill, I heard many of the MBA graduates from top schools are unable to find job. Biotech and computer companies are laying off people like cutting down grass. So when it comes down to it financially, only medicine guarrantees job stability. As with lawyers, there are so many of them and I don't think all of them are making big money; besides, do you enjoy reading those federal instructions when working on your tax return? Imagine doing that everyday of your life. I will rather shoot myself. Therefore, medicine is the answer.

 

[pathdr2b]

Let's get real here. The people in it for the money aren't going to respond to this thread. But I've got some ways you can tell:

1) They're from a family of physicians, as in they're going to be an 8th generation doctor.

2) They must get into a top ten school. Top ten school=top residency=top salary!

3) They treat the lower income posters on SDN as if they have the plague. They'ed say something like "if you really want to get into medical school, you'll send your application to 900 schools financed by dear ol' Dad, of course"!

4) They're only interested in dermatology as a speciality. "The entire world needs beautiful skin, dahling!!"

OK, I'm just kidding

 

[Asclepius]

Here are my criteria - pick a career where you actually do what you want to do...

if you want to help people, be a social worker...
if you want to help heal suffering/sick people, have personal contact...be a nurse...
If you enjoy science, be a researcher or academic...
if you want money, be a financial-type (not a lawyer)
if you want a grueling, competitive education, the power to make decisions that can save people's lives and the responisbility that you will bury your mistakes, be a doctor

okay, so this was a little trite...

 

[Street Philosopher]

Only a fool would go into medicine just for the money. And let me tell you something brother, I am not a fool. So I'm not in it just for the paper. No, I'm in it for all the things money can buy! Hell yeah. I'm talking about respect, women, cars, and happiness. Throw a few benjamins, floss a few jewels, and all those things are mine. Word.

 

[johnstoner]

I want to be a doctor to have control over people's lives and if they live and die...in other words...its not about the money

(by the way that was a joke)

 

[kito]

ask the docs on strike if the money's good.

but i will give you one thing; chicks dig the coat!

 

[MichiMO]

To be honest, I did not know just how much money the average doctor makes until I saw a post on SDN listing average doctor's anual salaries. It is a lot of money, even in the "lower end" specialties!

I can't say that the prospect of being that well off doesn't appeal to me. While I don't think I could ever be one of those people who went out and bought the new BMW (could be wrong...but I just don't see it with some of the life experiences I have had), having that sort of income would give me options that I can't even conceive of. However, that has never been the driving reason behind my desire to be a doctor. Yes, it does make up part of the picture ( I don't know how anyone could say it doesn't), but the process of becoming a doctor is going to be very hard, for a very long time and that motivation would quickly wear thin.

If I am to look at myself completely honestly, I think the "prestige" is probably a much bigger motivation than money. Also, it is one profession where you can be respected, earn a good living, and still be doing good in the world, to be making a difference. This was not a part of my conscious thinking when I began to want to be a doctor (I am one of those "I have wanted to be a doctor for as long as I can remember types"), but it would be a lie to say it does not make up part of why I want to be a doctor today. Not the entire reason or even close to the entire reason...but definitly an integral part, which if absent from the doctor picture might make it less appealing.

 

[almostMD]

I'll be honest and tell you that if doctors made $60,000 a year, I wouldn't have gone into medicine. I am very happy that I did go into medicine and I look forward to earning big money. And yes, it is big money now that the wall street and financial jobs are bust. Starting at $150,000 a year after fellowship and having that eventually turn into 300K and above once I've gotten settled will be a fabulous income.

Let's look at the facts, I-banking and finance related jobs are in the toilet. Good luck with that MBA cause it won't be worth squat when you're unemployed after B-school. If you do manage to scrapw out a job nowadays, you won't be living high on the hog like in the late 90's. forget those million dollar bonuses.

Law is a viable option, but lawyers do not make as much as doctors, so if you're in it strictly for the money, law is second rate. Also, in bad financial times, law firms do lay off lawyers (they're definitely not immune to downturns in the econoy).

Medicine gives you a consistent, high salary. and judging by demographics and the recent emasculinization of the HMO's, doctors willl be in even more demand in the next 25 years. Our population is aging and people are living longer...you do the math. Doctors will probably unionize to a greater extent in the future which will lead to better bargaining with insurance companies. The future, although not as rosey as it was in the heyday of medicine, still looks very good for MD's.

Wanting to go into medicine at least partly for the money and power is not wrong...it is reality. If work was so much fun, they wouldn't have to pay you to do it. words to live by.

 

[synapse lapse]

Let's not overlook the other big money making careers. Pharmacists start at 90k and have a lot less schoolong than doctors do. Dentists average 150k - 250k a year and they have either a much shorter, less intensive less competitive than medical school. wanna make big bucks guearenteed with little schooling and investment, be a pharmacist. wanna work your a** off for some patients that don't care and don't listen to you, get thrown up and s*** on, and put in a hundred hours a week, then be a doctor. yes, physicians do get paid paper one day, but they definitely deserve. I honestly would not be a doctor either if it paid only 60k a year, it wouldn't be worth the sacrifice. Thank God it doesn't, atleast the salary is not that low yet 🙂. Just my 2 cents.

 

[UCSBMed1]

Pharmacists having little schooling?

True, there is no residency after graduation, but at last I checked, Pharmacy school is 4 years long just like med school is, with the exception of the accelerated 3 year programs.

I'd hardly call that little schooling.

 

[AznTrojan]

trust me on this.. the parents like the white coat much more than their daughter..

Originally posted by ColoradoCCT
I keep reading stuff about chicks digging the white coat....tell me does it work the other way around? Do guys dig the white coat? 🙂

 

[phar]

Originally posted by ColoradoCCT
I keep reading stuff about chicks digging the white coat....tell me does it work the other way around? Do guys dig the white coat? 🙂

No!. It doesn't work the other way around.

 

[Adcadet]

actually, some pharmacists do a 1-year residency after their PharmD. I work with one who's going to JHU this summer.

 

[dakotaman]

I agree with a lot of what almostMD said.

However, being in it solely for the money is pretty stupid. (I would say that FEW physicians fall into that category.) You'd make a horrible doctor. Medicine, in my humble opinion, is a career for capable individuals who genuinely care for people. It produces a sense of accomplishment, autonomy, respect, and a good living. All of those things add up to a wonderful career.

(And, hey, if you get some chicks along the way, don't you deserve it for all your hard work?) 😉

 

[Gumshoe]

I would say that those people "in it for the money" aren't in it just for that as much as they are there for the challenge, power, and PRESTIGE ---> it's to feed their egos and feel like they have more knowledge than other people in any given thing. They go in because they want people to know that they are the **** and everything else that comes with it. It's pure ego, only a little loot.

As for ColoradoCCT, of COURSE it doesn't work the other way around. Don't try to make the sexes the same. Sure, guys like smart females (but only certain kinds of smart females) ... and remember, to females, stability, and worriless, carefree lives are MUCH more desirable than the same characterstics to men. That's how they ARE. That's why young women marry OLD men. Men in general have more instincts to go after physical visual things, and while women have this to a certain point, they are much more prone to let the physical things go for more on the stability side.

Yes, the summary is chicks are all about money, and if you deny this, you are just kidding yourself.

Hahaha.

If you reply I'll give a former post of some really funny logic.
Holla

Gumshoe

 

[LUBDUBB]

I think Gumshoe hit the nail on the somewhere on the head.

For some people it's pure ego stroking (money included in the equation)....We live in a society where people like to show off, fancy cars, name brands...etc..very shallow

HOWEVER, when you weed out all the rich kids who want to maintain their standard of living, and weed out all the poor kids who wanna break out of poverty, there is still a group of people who geniunely want to do it for the medicine. Those people will be passionate about medicine, and the money will follow as a byproduct.

If one can become doctor, but manage to not live ultra-luxuriously (i.e. million dolla house, BMW, boat..etc)...then I can say that person did it for the purest reasons.

~Lubdubb

P.S. I admire the lady who said she could never see herself with a new BMW even if she could afford it.

 

[HouseHead]

Originally posted by Gumshoe
and remember, to females, stability, and worriless, carefree lives are MUCH more desirable than the same characterstics to men. That's how they ARE. That's why young women marry OLD men. Men in general have more instincts to go after physical visual things, and while women have this to a certain point, they are much more prone to let the physical things go for more on the stability side.

Yes, the summary is chicks are all about money, and if you deny this, you are just kidding yourself.

I wouldn't know. If I wanted a worriless, carefree life, I sure wouldn't be going into medicine. I tried worriless and carefree; it bored the crap out of me.
Several times a day my fiance gazes at me with starry eyes and gushes, "You're going to be a DOCTOR!"
Sex-based generalizations aside, I think that everyone enjoys good looks, good money, and power, but everyone has to reconcile those things in a partner with those things in themselves, and how they co-exist.

 

[surge]

Oh-oh. Guys, I think phar is on to us, yet again. 🙄
I really don't think I gave you enough credit before phar. Clearly you are brilliant - you saw right through us and our money-making scheme.
I mean how else could you've figured out the most efficient way of making money: eight years (or twelve in some cases, including mine [I'll be extra rich]) of rigorous, competitive, psychologically and physically draining schooling that results in $150,000 worth of debt, only to be followed by another 3-7 years of minimum wage work.

Seriously, people, is there an easier way to make money?!?!? OF COURSE that's why we're in it! And for adcom members reading this: WE'RE PROUD, TOO! 😀

 

[kito]

sugar mommas rule

buuuuuuuuummmmmmmp

 

[jennie 21]

Well, I can say that I would go into medicine even if doctors only made $60,000 a year. Sure, money is nice, but it's not the main reason I'm going into medicine. I want to provide care to underserved populations and I envision myself working in a government clinic or free clinic, and those places don't pay much (probably about $60K?). Yeah, I could be making more doing something else but what matters to me is to come home at the end of the day and know I've done something meaningful.

I'm not saying there's anything wrong with earning a nice salary or that you can't earn a nice salary AND make a difference, because you certainly can.

I have to say that I do care somewhat about prestige and medicine probably wouldn't be as attractive to me without that. But the main attractions to me are: 1) the chance to help people
2) the chance to do something that I find personally interesting and challenging. When people say "why a doctor instead of a social worker" for me the answer is that being a doctor is a lot more intellectually challenging and interesting.

 

[Biodude]

I guess I should have replied to this thread a while ago. phar, you should realize that most of the people who go into medicine do not do it primarily for the money. You've seen the posts here.

With that said...

I admit that my motivation to go into this field used to be the money. After all, it's pretty sweet that doctors have six-figure incomes (even if it is on the low end) for almost their entire careers. BUT, that was before I learned about greedy HMO's, frivolous lawsuits, malpractice insurance, and the percentage of taxes that physicians have to shell out.

With all those factors working against me, I should have just gone into another career if all I wanted was money. My friends and family tried (and still try 🙄 ) to persuade me to go into another field if all I wanted was the money.

Let's face it...med school applications have been down for a while (though they are beginning to go up again), because of all the cons that medicine has. Many of the doctors that I've talked to said that if they could do it over again, they would have gone into different careers. So, why am I still putting myself through the pain and torture of pre-med, you might ask?

Well...there's really nothing like the feeling of knowing that you've helped someone. Plus, it's great to be able to solve intellectually challenging problems and help somebody at the same time. Then there is continuing education. I love learning, and would be glad to be in a job that allows me to learn for the rest of my life.

I am not above greed though. The money still looks enticing, and yes, that is one of the reasons I am studying to go into medicine...otherwise I guess I would have studied to be a nurse, or a PA.

On my list of reasons for wanting to become a doctor, money wouldn't even make the top ten...oh wait, there are 11

But, then again, I would like to practice in an underserved area...I would be able to see more patients that way! 🙂

Finally, I would like to address going into medicine for chicks. I am certainly NOT doing this to pick up chicks. I mean, the only ones that I would find that would be "attracted" to me would be gold diggers. And y'all probably know my opinions on gold diggers...if not then use some common sense here 😀

 

[dreaminOfMD>.<]

Nope, money's not the reason for going into it for me. Of course, the job security sounds good but hey, I've got my man to make the money...😉

It's just simply something that I wanna do and money doesn't really play a part. I think if you go into a field like this simply for the sake of gettin yourself rich, then you won't go very long with liking your job. If money's your only concern, then I truly think you'll end up hating your career. That's b/c a field like this needs people who are passionate for medicine, dedicated to patients, and compassionate individuals and if money's your only agenda, then you probably don't fit into any of the categories I listed above...

 

[dreaminOfMD>.<]

Let's look at the facts, I-banking and finance related jobs are in the toilet. Good luck with that MBA cause it won't be worth squat when you're unemployed after B-school. If you do manage to scrapw out a job nowadays, you won't be living high on the hog like in the late 90's. forget those million dollar bonuses.

It's true that that field is a bit more risky than others, but I don't agree with what you're saying here. People who are determined in persuing this field should stick with it and they'll eventually do good for themselves. Don't just assume that all is lost in that field simply b/c the economy is at a low...it's gonna have to go up sooner or later and with that, plenty of people who have gotten their MBA for instance WILL be worth something...

 

[synapse lapse]

Originally posted by UCSBPre-Med1
Pharmacists having little schooling?

True, there is no residency after graduation, but at last I checked, Pharmacy school is 4 years long just like med school is, with the exception of the accelerated 3 year programs.

I'd hardly call that little schooling.

Yes, but you only need to complete pre-pharmacy courses for 2 years, and can get your PharmD in 6 years. Yes there is a residenyce of 1 or 2 years if you are going to work in a cliniacl setting, but the schooling is still less.

 

[FZISHN]

Posted by Phar-
In my opinion, at least 80% of doctor wannabe are in money and so called "superiority crap". Do you belong to that category? Am i right?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Phar-Why are you going into either Pharmacy or Medicine? I would love to hear your reasons esp given your answer to the "why pharmacy" thread.

 

[phar]

Originally posted by FZISHN
Posted by Phar-
In my opinion, at least 80% of doctor wannabe are in money and so called "superiority crap". Do you belong to that category? Am i right?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Phar-Why are you going into either Pharmacy or Medicine? I would love to hear your reasons esp given your answer to the "why pharmacy" thread.

i have 300+ posts....get some popcorn and begin to read each one of them, clearly....get your comprehension and logical reasoning skills updated. Then, i will begin to answer your questions.

 

[FZISHN]

I did read the posts pertinent to this discussion and money seems to be a huge driving factor for you too esp since you whine about malpractice and physician salaries numerous times.

Don't answer any of my questions. That's fine with me.