Unsure and could use your opinion

[MzzMisty]

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Hi everyone, so I've been wondering if any of the current doctors out there think that it was worth going to medical school? or if they would have chosen a different route in the medical field? Nowadays, it seems that a doctor can't even touch a patient without some kind of "red tape" issue. Medicine isn't practiced how it used to be, with your physician not having to worry about the insurance company, malpractice, or the government. I know that things change, I was just wondering if anyone thought about doing something else, and what kind of tedious things do you guys need to put up with while practicing medicine these days? Is malpractice a common issue? How about the amount of patients that have to be seen? The time you have with patients? How many surgeries, if you’re in that field? How many hours are typically worked during the week? Do you have a family life? The problem I feel that I'm facing is that I do want to be a doctor because of the interaction, knowledge, and hands on decision making. I would like to be thoroughly involved in patient care but I am unsure if this is how it works nowadays, more and more I hear of doctors that have regrets. I know that there are regrets as well as things that one might not want to put up with in every profession. I'm just having doubts and I am not sure if it is worth the time and effort and cost that you have to put into it. I still have to go to a 4 yr University, I am currently at a community college then I would have to apply to med school which I'm looking at another 8/9 years I suppose till I would graduate med school!! That would make me 36/37 when I graduate med school then I would have residency. I am single and I don't have any kids right now, I'm also not sure if I want any, but then I would have to go through another 5 years or more of residency leaving me around 42 by the time I’m done with residency (maybe) all the while making a measly amount of money to sustain me through residency.. Then maybe... after I'm a "Doctor" I could make a decent amount to pay off any loans, etc.. I'm just feeling a bit unsure and could use others opinions. If there is anyone out there that could post some input it would be greatly appreciated. Thank You

 

[GuP]

I think this has been discussed at length in here already. Try searching for would you do it again. As for your situation, I would say shadow a doc and see what he/she does and talk to them in person. You bring up very good points and I think it would be best to have a long talk with someone in person. Although this forum is an excellent venue for advice, I would take everything with a grain of salt. Good luck!

 

[MzzMisty]

thanks

 

[mlw03]

you ask an incredibly loaded question - while you may get some good ideas here, in the end you have to decide if being a doctor is worth the sacrafice. make no doubt - it is hard. i think a short answer is that you will work incredibly hard during medical school and residency, no matter what field you pick. beyond that, it's up to you. some docs work a million hours, while others work "part-time" in a group practice and in exchange for a lesser salary have more time. but there's no way around working very hard and very demanding hours until you complete residency, which is at least 7 years. i would caution that once someone starts medical school, it's tough to stop. once you begin to accrue that level of debt, unless you can fall back on law, business, or something else very well-paying, starting medical school almost necesitates completing it and then completing residency just so you can make enough money to pay off your debt. this isn't a big deal if you know you're willing to do what it takes to get through, but this isn't something you can "sorta" committ to, in part because of the massive financial leap you take just by starting out. best of luck making a tough decision.

 

[Winged Scapula]

You might find this helpful:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=389599

There is also another thread around here on a similar topic, but I haven't had a chance to look for it. You might do a search in this forum.

 

[tum]

kimberli's link is a good one. there's another thread that discusses this at length as well. at a surgery m&m during our third year, one of the attendings showed a study that said of chief residents polled nationally across all fields, the percent of 'yes' answers for 'would you do this over again' had decreased over the last 15 years from 99% to ~65%.

we discussed it as being a combination of declining reimbursements, diminished respect, increased litigation, and loss of personal control as a result of the socialization of medicine. i also pointed out that nurses were no longer young, 20somethings obsessed with doctors, as i was led to believe during my upbringing on james bond and austin powers.