Ever Think That Maybe You're Helping LESS People By Becoming a Doctor

[muffeoniv]

this will get ultra-flamed but whatever:

have you ever thought about going to business school instead and starting the next facebook or microsoft and then doing what bill gates does instead of becoming a doctor... sure bill gates is rich ect. and most people aren't guna start the next facebook but you could help a lot more people starting a huge non-profit than if you were a doctor

just saying

we need doctors though obviously lol

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[moxche]

Nice try, competing applicant.

 

[ukrainian]

assuming you start a non-profit for medical-related things, who do you think is going to help you out there? oh, that's right, doctors and nurses. non-MD/RN volunteers can only do so much... but hey, i guess facebook and microsoft will save everyone anyways.

that being said....
/apple user
/<3 steve jobs

 

[MeowMeowCAT]

I think as a doctor you would have more direct impact on people's lives than you would through tons of money.

As a doctor, say you perform heart surgery on a person and as a result that person is able to continue living their life with a better health.

Basically, your personal contribution and work has a known product.

...

When you are using your money to "do good" then most of the time you never really see the resulting product. Say you create some nice "huge non-profit" with your money, but what guarantee that said non-profit actually benefits anyone? You might end up being just as successful as those countless "Money for Africa" funds that seem to always go into the wrong people' hands in the end.

Basically, with money you do not always have the full control over whom it goes to and how well it is being used. You will end up having issues with politics getting in the way, and then things like poor education.

You give money to some popular-in-poverty country, then the money goes wasted because of corrupt politicians, or is wasted on schools that are ineffective because the country is high in crimes, etc.

...

So by a being a doctor, you kind of getting to cut out all that bull**** and work assured that you are indeed helping someone since you can literally see your work doing good for someone' life.

 

[DaisyBuchanan]

Oh goody, another muffeoniv thread

 

[muffeoniv]

I think as a doctor you would have more direct impact on people's lives than you would through tons of money.

As a doctor, say you perform heart surgery on a person and as a result that person is able to continue living their life with a better health.

Basically, your personal contribution and work has a known product.

...

When you are using your money to "do good" then most of the time you never really see the resulting product. Say you create some nice "huge non-profit" with your money, but what guarantee that said non-profit actually benefits anyone? You might end up being just as successful as those countless "Money for Africa" funds that seem to always go into the wrong people' hands in the end.

Basically, with money you do not always have the full control over whom it goes to and how well it is being used. You will end up having issues with politics getting in the way, and then things like poor education.

You give money to some popular-in-poverty country, then the money goes wasted because of corrupt politicians, or is wasted on schools that are ineffective because the country is high in crimes, etc.

...

So by a being a doctor, you kind of getting to cut out all that bull**** and work assured that you are indeed helping someone since you can literally see your work doing good for someone' life.

well said lol

 

[gettheleadout]

Oh goody, another muffeoniv thread

Y ppl r respond??

 

[MCAT guy]

 

[BF2BC EMT]

hahaha

 

[wolverinepwns]

Yay another muffeoniv thread! It amazes me that you are not banned yet!

 

[Hejman]

Veni, vidi, vici. Well done.

 

[wristbandMD]

+1

 

[ILikeDrugs]

Go to business school to start the next facebook or microsoft? Zuckerberg studied computer science and psychology and Gates was pre-law with no major and both were both drop-outs.

 

[MeowMeowCAT]

both were both drop-outs.

But, both were smart enough to get in to Harvard though, so their success is not really surprising, as they were already pretty bright people.

If they were some Community College drop-outs and then went on to create Microsoft and Facebook, than that would be something amazing. But the fact that they got into Harvard, means that they already were rather intelligent to begin with. I mean Gates got 1590 out of 1600; and even Zuckerberg, according to his Wikipedia page, did pretty well for himself in terms of education as well.

 

[TropicalKitty]

Go to business school to start the next facebook or microsoft? Zuckerberg studied computer science and psychology and Gates was pre-law with no major and both were both drop-outs.

Exactly...everyone I can think of pretty much gets ahead by not doing things "the right way."

Ingeniousness is not something you'll find in a classroom.

Eeeep, I just responded to a muffeoniv thread.

 

[slowbutsteady]

OMG, it's FEWER people not LESS people.

Premeds: Get out of the lab and take a goddam English class.

 

[Ursa]

OMG, it's FEWER people not LESS people.

Premeds: Get out of the lab and take a goddam English class.

I think it's goddamn, not goddam. Not that I condone using the Lord's name in vain, just sayin'.

And muffie, the answer should be "yes" in your case. You would probably be sparing SO many people if you don't become a doctor. Please heavily consider this.

The only reason I'm reading this thread is to see how bad muff gets it this time. Let the games begin.

 

[mtbtx]

Idea: go to business school AND med school so you can make money off of people's medical problems. Ka-ching!

 

[WorldChanger36]

Hey guys play nice... He gave it some time before starting another thread so give the guy a chance.

Most people have alot of different factors influencing the reasons why they wish to be docs and Wanting to help people is mostly a subfactor at best. Most people want to be doctors because the field interests them and helping people is a nice addition to the job. Now there is a rare breed around these parts that does actually have doing the most good on their minds and are led to medicine because of it. I myself feel that being a part of medicine is the path the will do the most good for others and myself. So no I do not think by becoming a doctor I am doing less then I could be. If I follow the Hippocratic principle in my practice of medicine then I will be doing much more good then I was.

 

[Barcu]

I considered it.

But then decided it really didn't bother me.

Quality > Quanity in my book.

This is a major difference between becoming a doctor and working in the public health field.

 

[CaptainSSO]

What is it with pre-meds (and many professors, IMO) always trying to convince others not to become doctors?

 

[MeowMeowCAT]

What is it with pre-meds (and many professors, IMO) always trying to convince others not to become doctors?

Less competition?

 

[rafflecopter]

have you ever thought about going to business school instead and starting the next facebook or microsoft and then doing what bill gates does instead of becoming a doctor... sure bill gates is rich ect. and most people aren't guna start the next facebook but you could help a lot more people starting a huge non-profit than if you were a doctor

No, I never thought about it.

Nice try, competing applicant.

 

[surftheiop]

I'm surprised people are ridiculing this thread, its actually something I've thought about pretty hard before.

I came to the conclusion that becoming a physician is a good way to "hedge your bets" in respect to helping people, unless your completely incompetent your assured to help good number of people.

On the other hand, its people like PhD's/MBA's/engineers/Diplomats/Politicians who really have the opportunity to impact nearly the entire world. (Stuff like the Haber process for example, or imagine if some politician managed to keep us out of Vietnam/Iraq). But its extremely rare for the professions I listed above to actually "hit it big" and actually is fairly common for them to lead to results that might actually not be beneficial to people.

So if your ultimate goal is to "help the most people" then being a physician assures you a certain level of success, while some other careers may have more possible upside. I'm risk averse, so I chose medicine.

 

[Daychun]

I plan on helping others as a doctor. I don't need much money to survive, so I hope I'll be able to use some of the money I end up getting to donate to non-profit organizations and I hope I can put money set aside to do my own illustrations (a book? a movie?) full of inspiration for children.

 

[rafflecopter]

I think for me I need see the results of "me helping people." If I am a writer and I make an inspirational book, its really impossible to see the difference I made in other people's lives. As a teacher, unless a former student returns years later or I hear about them in the news, its really difficult to see "how" I impacted their lives. As a doctor, this is not true. A person comes into the hospital, I treat them, and they get better or they don't. Either way I know how my help affected that person.

 

[orthomyxo]

*Reads thread title and OP*

I wat'd hard

 

[marble30]

Nice try, competing applicant.

 

[apumic]

this will get ultra-flamed but whatever:

have you ever thought about going to business school instead and starting the next facebook or microsoft and then doing what bill gates does instead of becoming a doctor... sure bill gates is rich ect. and most people aren't guna start the next facebook but you could help a lot more people starting a huge non-profit than if you were a doctor

just saying

we need doctors though obviously lol

You WOULD put a post up like this.... LOL.

You're ridiculous. How would founding "the next" FB or MS benefit anyone (besides you)?

Methinks you should think through your posts prior to posting or you're going to end up "THAT" med student -- you know? The one put on "silent duty" by the attendings and/or residents...and later by the charge nurse of the unit (assuming your lack of restraint doesn't p*ss off the wrong person and get you thrown out for being ridiculously annoying and unable to learn normal social skills)....

 

[VikingLegacy]

baleeted

 

[Cleavername]

this will get ultra-flamed but whatever:

have you ever thought about going to business school instead and starting the next facebook or microsoft and then doing what bill gates does instead of becoming a doctor... sure bill gates is rich ect. and most people aren't guna start the next facebook but you could help a lot more people starting a huge non-profit than if you were a doctor

just saying

we need doctors though obviously lol

...it just magically disappeared .

 

[Drhenney3]

Special Request Chits are to be filled out by OP before posts are made.

 

[Silverman780]

I remember my first beer.

Sounds like a sound theory, why don't you go ahead and test it out? Start now.

http://gmatclub.com/forum/

here ya go.

 

[Iso4ane]

Maybe I saw it differently than others, but in a very indirect way the OP is asking why becoming a doctor is better that other occupations.

 

[Ursa]

Maybe I saw it differently than others, but in a very indirect way the OP is asking why becoming a doctor is better that other occupations.

Please don't give the OP any credit. it's like giving a thumb's up to the UniBomber

 

[Cleavername]

Please don't give the OP any credit. it's like giving a thumb's up to the UniBomber

i have thought of what op said long befoe he even showed up on here. its an interesting idea if u ever look into it more carefully. u might enjoy what u find. just saying.

 

[apumic]

this will get ultra-flamed but whatever:

have you ever thought about going to business school instead and starting the next facebook or microsoft and then doing what bill gates does instead of becoming a doctor... sure bill gates is rich ect. and most people aren't guna start the next facebook but you could help a lot more people starting a huge non-profit than if you were a doctor



just saying

we need doctors though obviously lol

You know, muffintop, I might have at one point, but then I remember that by becoming physicians we prevent YOU from ever touching a pt and the moment I remember that, I realize there is simply no better way of protecting a vulnerable human being (i.e., a pt).

 

[Ursa]

i have thought of what op said long befoe he even showed up on here. its an interesting idea if u ever look into it more carefully. u might enjoy what u find. just saying.

says the same person who said:

rofl i am so perfectly fine with this that i cant be more fine with this. after all, i dont look forward to the saving people part of being a doc i am looking for ward to the part where i get to spend mah ca......oh wait, i mean, i wanna change the world by saving 1 person at a time, and cure cancer so every one can be happy and live an awesome life, yayyyyyyy.

not. go away already muffins.

 

[phltz]

No, you'd be helping fewer people as a doctor. And presumably fewer still as anything that involves literacy.

 

[Cleavername]

says the same person who said:

fixed foo!

 

[Ursa]

fixed foo!

not before i could quote it!!