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I recently got a ton of absurdly high paying offers and more interviews on the horizon, so Im making an about face: pathology rocks, carry on.
Being a pathologist...
- Thread starter LADoc00
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I think a lot of what you describe is true with every branch of medicine. Salaries are down, work requirements are up. The golden age is over. In a sense, though, it's true for every career. Teachers have to work harder now, investment bankers have to work harder, even lawyers at least at first. Life is more expensive these days as well. Expensive to travel, to eat, to have the necessary accoutrements (which are increasing in #s since the advent of the internet age and cable tv).
Thus, you have to have a career you enjoy, or at the very least, one that you can tolerate. I am happy I found pathology - as my ideas of a happy future and inspiring career upon entering med school were pretty much dashed by clinical experiences. If i had to be a clinician, I guess I could have, but I would have been counting the days until retirement probably from day 1. I would have found my niche, enjoyed my days, etc, but probably never would have been happy with my work. Pathology, at least so far, makes me happy. I enjoy going into work and seeing what I am going to learn today.
Thus, you have to have a career you enjoy, or at the very least, one that you can tolerate. I am happy I found pathology - as my ideas of a happy future and inspiring career upon entering med school were pretty much dashed by clinical experiences. If i had to be a clinician, I guess I could have, but I would have been counting the days until retirement probably from day 1. I would have found my niche, enjoyed my days, etc, but probably never would have been happy with my work. Pathology, at least so far, makes me happy. I enjoy going into work and seeing what I am going to learn today.
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Do you all remember the disheartened tripod website pathologist who seemed to dedicate his life to trying to talk people out of pathology? I am certain this is the same guy (or at least a close relative!)
Mindy
P.S. LA, if this is NOT a line of crap, and you really are this depressed, I am actually very worried about you and think you could use some help. Feel free to PM me if you are actually looking for someone to vent on. If you are simply trying to discourage people for your own gain, I wish you would stop--there is room in pathology for everyone who wants to be there.
Mindy
P.S. LA, if this is NOT a line of crap, and you really are this depressed, I am actually very worried about you and think you could use some help. Feel free to PM me if you are actually looking for someone to vent on. If you are simply trying to discourage people for your own gain, I wish you would stop--there is room in pathology for everyone who wants to be there.
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Sadly, I've head stories like LADoc00's a few too many times. It reminds me of that Peggy Lee song: "Is that all there is?". You spend virtually all of your youth prepping for med school, making med school, deciding on your future (residency), taking into account everything you can and then.... nothing.
It can be hard to understand that feeling when you're young and eager to go. And that's probably a good thing, because otherwise many people would perhaps choose differently.
But if you're in your 40s, and work just isn't what you thought it would be, or what it was, it's a problem. And it gets no smaller due to the fact that friends, family and even sometimes colleagues just don't get what the problem is. After all, you're a doc. Board certified 'n' all. But it's just that it can easily seem to be not worth the effort that one has put into it -- and sometimes it isn't.
Medicine is a highly rewarding career (and no, I'm NOT really thinking about the financials -- if that's your thing investment banking or lawyering is way better). But you CAN really make a difference on a lot of different levels. However, it's also a ruthless world, where one can easily be shot down by nasty attendings, bureaucratic nightmares or medical malpractise gunslingers. Or plain bad luck. And if you find yourself up a career-wise back alley, it can be very difficult to back out and find your bearings again.
Obviously, I'm not saying that it's something that will necessarily happen. But if it does, after spending so much large amounts of time, energy and greenbacks, one does have a pretty incurable problem. It's not like you'd be looking happily at starting all over with another residency, or explaining to everybody why you want to quit being a doc.
Bottom line, I guess, is that while it's impossible to guard against the unexpected, the least one can do is to choose what really feels right. Abandoning pathology because your friends think it's "low status" or choosing rads for the money or ortho for the competition is just not the way to go. I chose pathology, and am happy with it. But I understand where LADoc00 is coming from.
It can be hard to understand that feeling when you're young and eager to go. And that's probably a good thing, because otherwise many people would perhaps choose differently.
But if you're in your 40s, and work just isn't what you thought it would be, or what it was, it's a problem. And it gets no smaller due to the fact that friends, family and even sometimes colleagues just don't get what the problem is. After all, you're a doc. Board certified 'n' all. But it's just that it can easily seem to be not worth the effort that one has put into it -- and sometimes it isn't.
Medicine is a highly rewarding career (and no, I'm NOT really thinking about the financials -- if that's your thing investment banking or lawyering is way better). But you CAN really make a difference on a lot of different levels. However, it's also a ruthless world, where one can easily be shot down by nasty attendings, bureaucratic nightmares or medical malpractise gunslingers. Or plain bad luck. And if you find yourself up a career-wise back alley, it can be very difficult to back out and find your bearings again.
Obviously, I'm not saying that it's something that will necessarily happen. But if it does, after spending so much large amounts of time, energy and greenbacks, one does have a pretty incurable problem. It's not like you'd be looking happily at starting all over with another residency, or explaining to everybody why you want to quit being a doc.
Bottom line, I guess, is that while it's impossible to guard against the unexpected, the least one can do is to choose what really feels right. Abandoning pathology because your friends think it's "low status" or choosing rads for the money or ortho for the competition is just not the way to go. I chose pathology, and am happy with it. But I understand where LADoc00 is coming from.
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Mindy said:
I agree that LADOC sounds lonely and truly depressed. His personal life seems more of a problem than his professional one. Anyone know any nice single women in LA looking for a disgruntled pathologist 😍 ?
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Anyone know any nice single women in Ann Arbor looking for a non-disgruntled pathologist? 😉
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salt said:
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Can't you just picture Dean and Bogart leanin' over a 'scope at that bar?
In truth, I can understand how a career choice can seem difficult once you're in it. Time for a gut check, because if you don't like path, there truly are a WHOLE LOT of other options. You just have to think a bit outside the box: industry, management consulting, fly-fishing guide, flight instructor - OK, the last two make it onto my personal wish list, but the first two are very reasonable alternatives for which a board certified pathologist would be attractive (he!!, even a recent MD grad would be seriously considered). Not attractive in the way people always refer to Yaah (bulging biceps, apparently 😱 ), but attractive as in "we like well qualified/trained applicants."
I feel your pain. Ironic that just such feelings would lead me FROM a managerial career INTO path. Who'd'a thunk it?
P
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The grass is always greener no matter what field of medicine you choose. I am a surgery resident (whose also enjoys path) and am definitely guilty of being disgruntled at times. Sometimes, I get very burnt out on hostile patients/families, beligerent staff, long hours, and lawsuits. You have to love something about what you do to keep yourself grounded; if you don't (in my opinion) you need to make a switch. Medical school debt is very frusterating to me as well; however, there are good and bads to any field and it is easy to idealize the ones that you are not in.
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That was a very well written thread, I think I found your true calling. You should write depressing short stories... or a novel of some sort.
But I think many attendings dislike what they currently do. To each clerkship I rotated through, I remember vividly attendings telling me, not to go into a specific field (their field).
I know of pathologists that discourage it, heck my own mother (a physician) didn't want me to attend medical school. And dating a PGY2, I get to hear 100% of the complaints of residency through her, and many of my medical colleagues.
I personally struggled with what I wanted to do, and why medicine (it affected my scores, b/c my heart wasn't into it). But I've come to realize that pathology is my calling. The lab atmosphere, the 9-5 hours (roughly), no calls (depending), quality of life, high pay, and definitely not associated with the stresses of being on the floors (med, FP, peds, etc...).
There's a reason why Path is becoming more competitive. Probably some of the same reasons why Radio wasn't anything 5-10 years ago (any IMG could get it easily). Quality of life has now taken importance.
Maybe medicine isn't for you, maybe its another "path" that seeks your calling. But first and foremost, your personal happiness is what is most important, b/c then you can ulitimately be content with whatever you do. A happy bathroom attendant is better than an unhappy pathologist.
I wish you the best, in your quest to find pleasure in life... and recommend that you see someone (physicians always make the worst patients).
But I think many attendings dislike what they currently do. To each clerkship I rotated through, I remember vividly attendings telling me, not to go into a specific field (their field).
I know of pathologists that discourage it, heck my own mother (a physician) didn't want me to attend medical school. And dating a PGY2, I get to hear 100% of the complaints of residency through her, and many of my medical colleagues.
I personally struggled with what I wanted to do, and why medicine (it affected my scores, b/c my heart wasn't into it). But I've come to realize that pathology is my calling. The lab atmosphere, the 9-5 hours (roughly), no calls (depending), quality of life, high pay, and definitely not associated with the stresses of being on the floors (med, FP, peds, etc...).
There's a reason why Path is becoming more competitive. Probably some of the same reasons why Radio wasn't anything 5-10 years ago (any IMG could get it easily). Quality of life has now taken importance.
Maybe medicine isn't for you, maybe its another "path" that seeks your calling. But first and foremost, your personal happiness is what is most important, b/c then you can ulitimately be content with whatever you do. A happy bathroom attendant is better than an unhappy pathologist.
I wish you the best, in your quest to find pleasure in life... and recommend that you see someone (physicians always make the worst patients).
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🙂 Bump 🙂
