mentioning lifestyle in an interview for "why medicine?"

[patel2]

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In terms of creating an honest answer and coming across as genuine to an interviewer, is it necessarily bad to mention "lifestyle" as one factor in medicine? To say that medicine is a stable job unlike many other careers in this economy, and how that is one factor, among many, that plays into the decision to pursue medicine.

 

[muhali3]

Not a good answer. Medicine does not have good lifestyle in terms of hours/week. It is financially stable but you can find that in many other professions too. They'll probably ask you why don't you just apply to pharmacy, dental, physical therapy, or PA programs then?

 

[AceXIII]

I can tell you one thing, if I were your interviewer that explanation would not convince me that you're passionate about the field of medicine, science, or people in any way. Most medical schools want to accept students who they're confident will make exceptional doctors, not just people looking to secure their own lifestyles.

 

[patel2]

Not a good answer. Medicine does not have good lifestyle in terms of hours/week. It is financially stable but you can find that in many other professions too. They'll probably ask you why don't you just apply to pharmacy, dental, physical therapy, or PA programs then?

my point wasn't that this is the only factor. I would have all the usual why medicine (which would answer why those careers are ruled out), but supplement my answer with the fact that you will always have a job as a physician, unlike in law and finance. I'm not really talking about salary, just that you will have work and a demand for your position.

 

[muhali3]

Yes, it is a legitimate reason to have, but I think it can be misconstrued if you don't phrase it correctly. So I think its best to leave it out if you have enough other reasons to answer why medicine.

 

[DrYoda]

Your reasoning is sound. However, ADCOMs usually want something more along these lines.

 

[ucsfstudents]

I wouldn't recommend mentioning that. There are plenty of jobs that offer security and lifestyle that are not in medicine. I would focus on things that are unique to medicine.

 

[apumic]

Sure! Lifestyle is a great reason to enter medicine if:

• You enjoy be woken up several times for "minor" things between the hours of 12 and 5 several nights per week.
• You would prefer to work weekends -- as well as all week.
• You prefer to work with people who are often agitated, demanding, and sometimes impossible to please. (To whom am I referring here? Your pts? Your colleagues? Your nurses & techs? Your attendings/residents?)
• You enjoy making money you'll never get to spend (but someone else will)
• You enjoy giving away as much as 60-70% of your earnings in taxes (income + sales + property, etc.).
• You really want to spend the next 15-30 years of your life digging yourself out of a debt that exceeds $200k before interest -- and that doesn't even include your mortgage!
• You want to delay beginning your professional life until you're almost "at the top of the hill" (in terms of age).

If you really are considering medicine "for the lifestyle," I think you should probably consider working in a hospital setting for a few years and not just "shadow" physicians. Someone entering medicine "for the lifestyle" has been watching a little too much TV and probably hasn't actually gotten much legitimate clinical experience.

 

[FIREitUP]

Your reasoning is sound. However, ADCOMs usually want something more along these lines.

LOL!!!!! so true...

 

[DrJonesss]

Don't say it. I'm sure adcoms know that job stability of this profession factored into all of our decisions. But none of us wrote about it, and neither should you. It will make you come across as caring about lifestyle more than the average applicant, which isn't true, but thats the way it is.