How Much Good Does A Physician Do? Or, The Social Impact Of A Medical Career

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mhutch

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I came across this article in a career blog called 80,000 Hours and I think it's an important issue for any physician or physician-hopeful to think about. Furthermore, I'd like to hear what other people have to say as a response to this idea. So much of this forum and any similar resource is about the "how" of getting into medical school that sometimes I feel there is neglect for the "why".

https://80000hours.org/2015/08/how-can-doctors-do-the-most-good-an-interview-with-dr-gregory-lewis/

For those unfamiliar, 80,000 Hours is an organization/blog made with the "aim...to help as many people as possible lead high-impact careers." Their "About Us" page alone is worth reading, for those who don't have the time to read further. The creators are very good about being principled and fact-based in their evaluation of different career paths. They have a pretty clear bias against medicine as a career but for pretty good reasons honestly. Obviously many here will disagree with their analysis of a medical career but even if you do it is important to have good reasoning behind your disagreement and that is where I hope this discussion will take place.

I hope others find this as useful as I have.

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If your goal is to affect as many lives as possible, then certainly philanthropy is the way to go (and it always has been). Public health projects like clean water, sewage, etc. will improve more lives than a single physician could. There are lots of ways to help people and medicine isn't necessarily going to be the best or most efficient way to do so. Social workers do good. So do high school teachers. Kids would argue the ice cream man is more important than their teachers...

I'm all for people doing whatever they're called to do. It sounds like the author is still a practicing physician and also using the financial rewards of being a physician to give back (he's donating half his salary). Sounds like a win-win argument situation there, though he obviously is more of a "small-time" philanthropist compared to the Bill and Melinda Gates of the world.

I still wouldn't give up becoming a physician for some higher-paying job just so I could give more money away. I think it's important to do something you find meaningful--you're going to be doing it everyday for most of your adult life. Many people find immense meaning from being a janitor and being able to send their kids to school, so it's not like you have to save lives to find meaning. I'd argue our ability to find happiness and meaning in what we do is far more important than the freedom we have to pursue whatever career we want--relying on a job/external thing to bring happiness is a recipe for failure because it just isn't sustainable.
 
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