what exactly are we looking for in medicine?

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

drakkan2001

Senior Member
7+ Year Member
15+ Year Member
20+ Year Member
Joined
Jul 18, 2003
Messages
146
Reaction score
0
Hey all,

How come we aspire to be physicians? Doesn't it seem strange that of all the professions out there, we want to choose the least rewarding ( at first), most grueling and difficult job? Why do we want to waste the best years of our lives studying, engaging in ritualistic head banging, and feeling down? I'm sure there are counter arguments about making differences in other people's lives, feeling useful, etc... but is it really worth it? I've been doubting how much medicine is really worth to me besides the fact that I simply "like helping people". I hear that since the job market is getting tighter and tighter, more and more people feel that in order to live in this day and age with a good amount of income and job security medicine is the only field that satisfies all of these criteria. So what's your take on all of this?

Members don't see this ad.
 
Well, I can say I want to help people, that would be true....but for me it basically comes down to my desire to live in a truly "human" reality.

I was an accountant for several years before leaving the profession and coming back to school, and I just couldn't stand the sterile, politically correct, uberprofessional office environment where nothing messy happened that didn't involve someone screwing up something to deal with money. In business, money becomes your "god" and all the other stuff of life is swept to the side. I just want to be really "in life", I guess, in the middle of all the messy and bad things that happen and that usually get swept under the rug in "normal" society.

Part of it is just a natural curiosity, too. When someone tells me that they're sick or going to have surgery or something, I just can't help wanting to know all the details. Science in general just fascinates me, and there's a special little extra fascination for the human body there...I've had it since childhood and now I wonder what ever convinced me to do anything else in the first place...

As far as money and job security go, I had a decent job with plenty of security and fair prospects for good money in the future, but in the final analysis that wasn't worth what I gave up for it. At least in my world, spending 15 or so years dedicating my life to this comes out far better than spending that same 15 years slaving away in a cubicle for no other purpose than to make someone else even richer than they are...

I know this is kind of rambling and I'm not quite able to put it into words well, but I hope it helps:D
 
Good question. I was going to post something asinine but I think you're asking the question honestly so I'll try to give you an honest answer.

For me it's really a combination of many factors. I think prestige has a lot to do with it, and related to that is sort of the goal to "succeed" in life. By a lot of people's standards, a doctor is more or less considered a success. I'd hate to be cynical but I think this is the most important reason, at least for me, and all others merely compliment this root motivation.

But that is not to say that I don't find other aspects of medicine attractive... after all, there are at least a handful (or more, depending on your biases and perspective) of "successful" type routes, like a PhD, JD from a top school, etc. (As you can see, my biases tend toward getting a solid educational background.) So the factors that draw me to medicine, while I think being secondary, are very important to me. These factors include the opportunity to make meaningful impact in society, to have a direct positive impact on individuals, the opportunity to constantly improve and learn new things, and to satisfy a natural curiosity for the wonder of the human body and its relation to its environment.

It is often said that medicine is an altruistic profession. Trust me, I am about as cynical as it gets, but I think this is ultimately true. Society endows physicians with an enormous amount of responsibility and trust, and in return we devote much of our lives to the art of medicine in order to care for our fellow human beings to the best of our ability. As a direct consequence of this relationship, we must endure uncommon training and hard work. However, this effort enables us to have the uncommon opportunity to help others in a profound and personal way that is not found with very many other professions.

So is medicine worth it? This is inevitably, necessarily, a personal decision. How will you deal with responsibility? Are you willing to sacrifice in order to be a competent physician and have the chance to have profound impacts on your fellow human beings? Will you find intellectual fulfillment in your study of the human body and its relation to its environment? These are just some of the issues you should consider.

Know your goals, for your career and for your life. Know what is important for you, and whether you will work to get it. The decision to become a doctor should not be one made the night before submitting your AMCAS application. It is one that requires a lot of thought and personal reflection.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Yeah, also what he said...

And as usual, StreetPhilosopher is far more articulate than I am:D (and far more educated-see where that solid background can get you?) Oh well, I'm getting there...slowly...I guess I just haven't intellectualized my reasons yet, they're mostly based on feelings at this point...
 
"Why did I go into medicine? The same 4 reasons as everybody else."

"Chicks, Money, Power, and Chicks"

Dr. Cox

SCRUBS
 
having come from business, i know that for me, the relentless pursuit of money is not fullfilling. what i do with my life has to have value in a spiritual way. If you don't feel this way than what i just said may sound like pure BS. If you do feel this way than everything else may sound like BS. it really depends on you.
 
While I am just starting out on my path to medicine, my reasons are probably slightly different than others. I had said in a previous post that I have type 2 Diabetes, and learning about the disease is what prompted me to look at medicine as a career.

Knowing how preventable this disease is (now), I get upset at the host of doctors I saw as a child, teenager, young adult that never once mentioned the risks of being obese. Granted when I was younger, it wasn't quite the epidemic it is now, but still. Part of my motivation is to help educate people before they get the disease. In this regard, it makes me think between being an endocrinologist and a GP, maybe being a GP where I'd see more people before they got diabetes.

The few surgeons I've spoken with, say that they like surgery because a person has a problem, they go into surgery and fix it, and they have a real sense of accomplishment, as opposed to an oncologist who slowly watches people die without being able to help (sometimes).

Speaking from personal experience, when your blood sugar is out of control, you feel AWEFUL. I liken it to a really bad hangover, compared to eating candy to the point of being sick. When your blood sugar is in control, not only do you feel normal, but it feels like you're high because its such a contrast to being out of control.

Endocrinology really juices me, as I know there are Millions of uncontrolled diabetics out there, and Millions more to come, and maybe by teaching them properly, giving them the right amount of hope and fear, I could make a positive daily impact in their lives. Surgeons get to fix a problem once, whereas I'd get to help fix the problem everyday.

I have a REALLY long path to go to even get to the point of making a decision between which speciality, i'm just focusing on getting my GPA up :)

My 2 cent personal story.
 
Originally posted by RPW
"Why did I go into medicine? The same 4 reasons as everybody else."

"Chicks, Money, Power, and Chicks"

Dr. Cox

SCRUBS
[/

Hahahaha...
 
Originally posted by Street Philosopher
For me it's really a combination of many factors. I think prestige has a lot to do with it, and related to that is sort of the goal to "succeed" in life. By a lot of people's standards, a doctor is more or less considered a success. I'd hate to be cynical but I think this is the most important reason, at least for me, and all others merely compliment this root motivation.

I agree with this. The other aspects for me are helping people and still earning a decent income, continuous learning and a sense of accomplishment in life.

Ashwin
 
Top