What do you think you will like least about being a physician?

[sunshinecrayon]

What do you think you will like least about being a physician? In all reality, there has to be some downfalls to this profession. What is the situation you most dread encountering?

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[Scooby Doo]

Lawsuits that will waste my time and money and keep me from serving my patients...

 

[choker]

definitely the people. no wait, the science.

 

[none]

I tend to think having a well paying job that doesn't leave you the time to spend the money you make...could become annoying.

 

[racergirl]

The application process.

 

[UCMonkey]

Depending on what type of practice I go into, the potential for miles of red tape and paperwork that will take time away from patients.

 

[Mystique]

I dread trying to find the balance between family and practice...I've heard too many stories.

 

[Coalboy]

I'm not really looking forward to the "dead on my feet" 36 hour shifts. I don't think that benefits anyone, especially not the patients.

 

[Ceelo]

definitely all the attention we male physicians will be getting from the ladies. i mean, who really wants groupies?

 

[Smokey223]

On a less humorous note, the thought of possibly killing someone. I recently was in a meeting where we, the patient care team, had to keep from the family that the doctor operated on the WRONG carotid artery.

 

[paisley1]

I would dread to not be able to help somebody who is terminally ill--especially if it is a young child since I am interested in pediatrics. To know that even with all of that studying and hard work and all of those long hours spent in the hospital, there is nothing that can be done to save a person's life. Granted, you could make dying more comfortable for them but wouldn't it be great if we could *magically* save everyone who wants to be saved?

 

[Mossjoh]

rectal exams....ooops, did I say that out loud?

 

[Mr. Eastern Medicine]

Having patients who ask me to reduce their co-payments. (It happens a lot to this one doctor that I know).

 

[Jameson]

Moss- You couldn't have said it better! Though I think dealing with an imacted bowel could get kinda' stinky

 

[different strokes]

Originally posted by pendulum:
•I dread trying to find the balance between family and practice...I've heard too many stories.
•••


I have a family practioner who doesn't have a hard time find the balance between family and work. He puts his work down for his family: when his kids show up at the hospital, he stops what he is doing. He tells patients that he can't talk to long on the phone, because he promised his wife to be home early.

 

[gobears]

It's not impossible to raise a family and be a doctor. Both of my parents are doctors, and my brother and I turned out somewhat not-so-messed-up. I mean, they're on call a lot and have to spend occasional nights at the hospital, but we still have time for family vacations and Thanksgiving dinners. I remember when I was young, sometimes we would have to take 2 cars when we went out to dinner because my dad or mom might be paged and have to rush to the hospital. That was a little weird, but I got used to it.

Being a doctor is more than a profession; it's a lifestyle. It's a rewarding lifestyle though. My parents never pushed my brother or me into being physicians. We both chose that by ourselves. He's already in med school and I'm applying right now. Personally, I realize that I'm going to make sacrifices, but I feel it'll be worth it.

There are horror stories out there, but not all stories are like that.

 

[dtreese]

I don't look forward to being tethered to a pager or to spending half my life with a phone receiver up to my mouth, but it goes with the territory.

 

[E'01]

For those who mentioned stiking a balance between family and work, how about taking care of one's parents? As the oldest of three, I think I'd most likely be the one to take care of my parents - and I definitely want to. I can't forsee myself placing them into a nursing home unless they were both extremely debilitated perhaps. They're young now (50,51) but time flies, and when I think about my future, I naturally think about them also.

 

[E'01]

bump

 

[RainaNoelle]

I'd have to say I'm with Pendulum on worrying about the family/work balance. I am most interested in OB/Gyn at present (I love the variety it offers) but the hours can stink. Having a 12-day old baby at home really does stress me out some when I think about the time I'll have to spend away from her. I'm hoping it's at least partly hormones and it won't seem so terrible in the coming months.

I know my hubby and I will make it work somehow, I'm just not certain how the cards will fall yet. We'd like to have another child in the next few years also (I'm almost 33 and my hubby's 35, so there's no time to wait till after residency or anything). I know I'd never be truly happy if I didn't pursue medicine, but I sure hope my family can adapt happily to the crazy medical family life!

Raina and bouncing baby Jillian

 

[kafshar]

First year of residency