If you won the lottery, would you still want to be a doctor?

[deleted647690]

I'd buy the AAMC...if that is even possible.

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[Glandzburg]

Haha this is what is playing in my head when I read through this thread:

Spoiler: WARNING: Explicit audio

 

[lalex]

Of course. I just wouldn't need to worry about loans and bills.

What are you implying, OP?

For me, I wouldn't mind spending all my time traveling the world and in the process just give out money like candy. Obviously that's not an option so that's why I want to be a physician. Guess it sounds selfish but YOLO.

 

[Dolly96]

I was secretly hoping I wouldn't win because at this point I don't want anything interfering with my plans of getting into medical school.

 

[lalex]

I was secretly hoping I wouldn't win because at this point I don't want anything interfering with my plans of getting into medical school.

Yeah.. no loans would definitely interfere with them plans.

 

[Dolly96]

Yeah.. no loans would definitely interfere with them plans.

Traveling and whatever else I've always wanted to would interfere with my plans though

 

[MiniMD]

I had a dream I won and that the first thing I was going to buy was the most expensive MCAT class...

 

[PugsAndHugs]

Funny- I'd be more motivated than ever, to do so many things, and none of them related to medicine. I enjoy medicine, but given the choice? I'd pursue a PhD in astrophysics and try to be the next Carl Sagan/Neil DeGrass Tyson.

It really is impossible to tell because of perception. What I WOULD do if I won the lottery can be very different than if I was IN the lottery winning experience. But who knows maybe I would become more motivated than ever also, but I'm happy with where I am now so I would rather not take the risk. Then again that varies with everyone's situation. If I was millions of dollars in debt, I would take it.

 

[PugsAndHugs]

Yeah.. no loans would definitely interfere with them plans.

It's not only no loans... It's $500 million after taxes and loans... This can DEFINETLY interfere with those plans, maybe not directly, but indirectly. I would almost rather want to win $1 million. Enough to pay loans, take care of family, and have a little spending money, but not too much where I don't have to work.

 

[Terry Toma]

I'd probably go back into real estate development. Having $1b in my own cash to work with would allow a level of creativity that was never possible when I was working with other people's money.

I'd stay involved with healthcare in some capacity, but probably on the business or philanthropy side rather than the clinical side. I'm an entrepreneurial person by nature, and having that kind of cash would allow me to put a ton of ideas into action.

 

[lalex]

It's not only no loans... It's $500 million after taxes and loans... This can DEFINETLY interfere with those plans, maybe not directly, but indirectly. I would almost rather want to win $1 million. Enough to pay loans, take care of family, and have a little spending money, but not too much where I don't have to work.

I see your point, that's why I would get rid of 495 million before getting back to reality.

 

[Goro]

I'd still want to teach, but I enjoy thinking about how many scholarships I'd endow upon my students, the number of endowed Chairs I'd award to my Faculty colleagues, and the lab building I'd have built with my name on it. First piece of lab equipment? A baby 96-well flow cytometer with 6 color laser.

 

[musicalfeet]

Someone in California won it! Hoping it goes to someone who needs it.

WOW just 10 min from where I'm at. I ALMOST fell for it and got a ticket too.

 

[lalex]

WOW just 10 min from where I'm at. I ALMOST fell for it and got a ticket too.

Could have been you. And if I bet on mama's birthday I'd be 100$ richer.

 

[21Rush12]

I'd still want to teach, but I enjoy thinking about how many scholarships I'd endow upon my students, the number of endowed Chairs I'd award to my Faculty colleagues, and the lab building I'd have built with my name on it. First piece of lab equipment? A baby 96-well flow cytometer with 6 color laser.

I'd be psyched to do anatomy lab in Goro hall...I hope you win.

 

[The Buff OP]

Si.

 

[Lost in Translation]

Si.

Sí.

 

[CarmenCygni]

4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42

Hahahahaha

 

[musicalfeet]

Could have been you. And if I bet on mama's birthday I'd be 100$ richer.

It totally would be after I just logic-ed to myself "Whatever, what's the chance the winning ticket would be around here anyway? It'd probably be from Kansas or something" earlier this morning when I was thinking about buying a ticket. Oh Life, you troll

 

[whatever5]

This week when everyone was talking about the power ball, it almost always followed with quitting work after, which is kind of sad to me.

This might sound corny, but for some reason I realized this past week that at this point in my life, at my specific age (low 20s) I would not want to win the lottery. I feel like I would become the most unmotivated person ever and I would not achieve my end goal of becoming a doctor because it will be so easy to give up when times are tough (which is very frequent in medical school) knowing that I have millions of dollars to fall back on.

I do think that the powerball can be detrimental to people before a certain age or time in your life. For middle aged/elderly people, the millions can probably only be beneficial to their lives, but I think for young and ambitious people who haven't reached their peak yet, winning the millions can be harmful IN THE LONG RUN. So don't feel down for not winning, consider yourself lucky Just my 0.02c.

I totally feel you. If i ever won the lottery, you'd need to bring in one of those industrial spatulas they use to scrape dead motorcyclists off the highway just to get me off the couch.

 

[deleted731525]

If I won the powerball I would either fund research to make witcher mutations a reality or just be batman.

 

[w0rldw3y3d]

Hell yes. I would go debt free, my SO would finish her professional program debt free, and my momma would retire from her crappy miserable job and be taken care of for the rest of her life!

 

[deleted647690]

I'd still want to teach, but I enjoy thinking about how many scholarships I'd endow upon my students, the number of endowed Chairs I'd award to my Faculty colleagues, and the lab building I'd have built with my name on it. First piece of lab equipment? A baby 96-well flow cytometer with 6 color laser.

I thought you'd buy more cats

 

[Lucca]

I would give all of the money to the Large Hadron Collider collaboration to have it named after me. Failing that, I'd use the money to start building the Very Large Hadron Collider and name that after me.

Given how expensive the LHC was, I don't think I could afford this even with 1.5 B lol.

 

[Stagg737]

I'd still want to be a doc, I'd just work part time in free clinics whenever I felt like it and do international mission trips. Probably get involved in some administrative position for a charity/mission group and use the money to fund missions or research. I'd still want to practice, it would just be 100% on my terms.

Nopenopenopenope

Being a billionaire physician basically makes you a pinata for malpractice attorneys, given that you'd be making well over eight figures a year in interest. Not worth painting a target on your back for, nor spending 10+ years of your life on.

I mean, with that much money though you could make all your patients sign an "I won't sue no matter what" contract and then treat them for free. I'd think it would be pretty hard for someone to successfully sue when you're treating them for free. Especially if you've got some crazy expensive lawyers on retainer.

4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42

This needs to get to 108 likes...

 

[QofQuimica]

I'm taking financial planning classes, and I've thought about what I would do with windfalls of various amounts.

-$10,000: I already save more than this per month, so it would easily get absorbed into my current savings plans
-$100,000: half would be used to finish funding my niece's and nephew's college funds, and the other half would be saved/invested
-$1,000,000: now we're reaching the point where I don't really need all this money for myself. Would fund the kids' colleges, invest/save half so I could be fully financially independent, and use the other half to endow scholarships for state residents at the college where I got my BA.
-$10,000,000: all the above and the last $9 million to endow scholarships at the state med school that currently employs me and at the fancy overpriced private medical school I attended
-$100,000,000: all the above and the last $90 million to give research grants for science projects that have no obvious usefulness but that I think sound cool and interesting. I would spend my days reading the proposals, which would be required to be limited to three pages max. Goro and his minions are welcome to apply.
-$1 billion: all the above, and the last $900 million to start the world's first nonprofit drug company. Any of you premeds who want to volunteer in return for a LOR for med school and some amazing (and awesome) research experience are welcome to join.
-$10 billion: all of the above, and run for President a la Donald Trump. THEN you'd see some good Fox News debates.

 

[Dr Tony T. Chopper]

HELLS YES. Are you kidding me? I get to pay off my damn loans immediately AND have enough dough for a nice, fully-paid off house by the time I am PGY-1? I'd probably wipe my tears during residency with my hundred dollar bills then work 20 hr weeks as a PM&R attending while biking, running and lifting as much as I can, and taking monthly vacation trips with my family.

oh, and I wouldn't want to tell any of my friends in Hong Kong about the powerball winnings though because they are all dirty gold diggers

 

[Officer Farva]

Probably would start my own hedge fund. Farva Capital Management LLC

 

[Halcyon32]

I thought about this too a few days ago and my immediate thought was "oh man it would be great not worrying about financing med school". Then I felt a quick moment of contentment realizing I didn't even consider not becoming a doctor for a second.

 

[Lucca]

I'm taking financial planning classes, and I've thought about what I would do with windfalls of various amounts.

-$10,000: I already save more than this per month, so it would easily get absorbed into my current savings plans
-$100,000: half would be used to finish funding my niece's and nephew's college funds, and the other half would be saved/invested
-$1,000,000: now we're reaching the point where I don't really need all this money for myself. Would fund the kids' colleges, invest/save half so I could be fully financially independent, and use the other half to endow scholarships for state residents at the college where I got my BA.
-$10,000,000: all the above and the last $9 million to endow scholarships at the state med school that currently employs me and at the fancy overpriced private medical school I attended
-$100,000,000: all the above and the last $90 million to give research grants for science projects that have no obvious usefulness but that I think sound cool and interesting. I would spend my days reading the proposals, which would be required to be limited to three pages max. Goro and his minions are welcome to apply.
-$1 billion: all the above, and the last $900 million to start the world's first nonprofit drug company. Any of you premeds who want to volunteer in return for a LOR for med school and some amazing (and awesome) research experience are welcome to join.
-$10 billion: all of the above, and run for President a la Donald Trump. THEN you'd see some good Fox News debates.

If you ever need a physical chemist for that company Q....hmu

 

[JustAPhD]

I would still do research/teach. Having an almost endless supply of funds without having to write R01s would be something like a paradise. I'd probably start up either a research institute a la Scripps or just dump loads into the current institution.

...and now I'm daydreaming about all the equipment I would buy. All Zeiss because why not?

 

[baratheonfire]

Yes, but I'd have a lot less stress. I could apply as many cycles as I wanted.
I'd feel guilty if I was less educated than my parents (both got masters degrees)

 

[LuluLovesMe]

I'd still want to be a doctor. But I'd want to work part time instead of full time.

 

[Old_Mil]

Having suddenly come into assets that were 5x, 10x, or 100x in excess of my malpractice policy would I ever see a potential lawsuit again?

Hell no.

Every malpractice attorney in the country would be after you until you were dead and gone...and don't think they wouldn't be checking your name against a very public list of lottery winners before deciding to sue.


I wouldn't pick up another chart even if it meant paying a locums to finish out my contract.

In fact if I found out that I had the winning numbers in the middle of a shift I would discharge my panel of patients and stop picking up charts. I probably would go home early so I couldn't get sued for something that happened in the waiting room.

 

[Goro]

"Goro Hall"

Oh, I LOVE the sound of that!

I'd be psyched to do anatomy lab in Goro hall...I hope you win.

 

[bunchesonothing]

Yes.

 

[Goro]

There's a local animal shelter I'd support!!

I thought you'd buy more cats

 

[The Buff OP]

Sí.

No

 

[zaztong]

Yes, because money is an enabler. You can easily open a hospital and help becoming a changing force in the healthcare industry with that amount of money by donation with just the taxes. Apparently, legal fees are in the millions.

I won't be winning though, I don't buy lotto tickets. If you gamble, you're better off with blackjack.

 

[TallPreMed]

I actually talked to my fiancé about this. I would absolutely keep trying. Drop down to part time at my job, go to class full time instead of part time, and pay off my student loans/debt. Get my knee surgery that I need after 15 years of pounding a gym floor 6 days a week, get my foot surgery I need after breaking it and playing on it two weeks after I broke it, get laser eye surgery, braces, get a nicer car, start a fund for my brother and sister to go to college, pick up horseback riding again.

AND fill my closet with Jordans. #priorities

 

[Styrene]

I would move to a 10,000 square foot mansion in Colorado and ski 200 days per year while becoming the best Call of Duty player in the world. I would also commission a new bespoke suit every couple of weeks. I'd make huge donations to the labs of my former professors and mentors who helped me so much. Then I'd buy a lot of stuff. Then I'd start my own hedge fund.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

 

[Officer Farva]

Having suddenly come into assets that were 5x, 10x, or 100x in excess of my malpractice policy would I ever see a potential lawsuit again?

Hell no.

Every malpractice attorney in the country would be after you until you were dead and gone...and don't think they wouldn't be checking your name against a very public list of lottery winners before deciding to sue.


I wouldn't pick up another chart even if it meant paying a locums to finish out my contract.

In fact if I found out that I had the winning numbers in the middle of a shift I would discharge my panel of patients and stop picking up charts. I probably would go home early so I couldn't get sued for something that happened in the waiting room.

Exactly. Even the academic docs who I have done research with debated the same thing and basically said the same thing as you. Maybe they would continue conducting research, but otherwise they would go get a random PhD without the pressure of publishing, consider a career in equity research/pharma/biotech, or just start a business.

 

[eteshoe]

At this point, I'm too far down the rabbit hole to not live out my goal of being a physician scientist. If I won billions, I'd still keep my small dreams/goals BUT I could realistically work the hrs that are necessary to be productive in research while not spending all my waking moments writing R01s, and keeping a realistic 80/20 split. Then I'd pay off my debts, my sibling's debts, and my parents' debts. Finally I'd build a small proteomics core and research wing at my undergrad (nothing too special for my current institute since they're pulling in billions every year), invest, travel to some of the more exotic places on this planet.

 

[Turkishking]

Why is she banned?