why are there so many people interested in medicine?

[wuwei]

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sorry, i am a new member, i found this site first when i was applying to colleges in high school, but haven't really visited in a long time.

i am currently a sophomore(by standing) at UCSD, and my current major is bioengineering. there are so many pre-med students here, but it seems to me like no one has any good reasons for why they want to go to medical school. i am not sure if i would consider myself a pre-med, for i have always considered the option of studying medicine, but never really decided on it.

okay, i'll try to keep this short. the thing is now, i am really starting to hate my major, and the people in it, and i am also not liking the career outlooks for someone with just a bioengineering degree(i hate researching, and lab related work). so, the only reason now for me to stay in my bioengineering major would be using it as a pre-med major, but i am really not sure if i want to go into the field of medicine.

so i guess what i am asking is, what are the ups and downs of the medical field? it just seems like soooo many people want to go to medical school, so am i missing something(because i guess i am not as enthusiastic about medicine as the people around me)?

okay, from my limited understanding of the field of medicine, it seems like money is still the number one reason for why people are interested. but i think if it were purely about money, it is better to just go into business.
another lure of medicine is probably the prestige associated with being a doctor, but i really don't care about that. the job is pretty stable, i am sure you won't go unwanted with an M.D. degree, but i dunno, i think i am capable enough that i am probably not gonna have to worry too much about unemployment in whatever field that i go into. other reasons are more subjective, like the satisfaction that you receive when you save someone, but really, what about when you fail to save someone? and sorry if this offends people, i don't think most doctors are in it because they want to save lives, i mean if you were, you shouldn't be working in the u.s., but in sub-saharan africa. so what are other major factors that make people so feverish about the field of medicine?

and downsides, my mother was a doctor in china, and she has many friends who are doctors (both in china, and in the u.s.), and from what i perceive, the kinda work that doctors have to do is not exactly pleasant most of the time, and the work environment can be very hazardous sometimes. it is indeed an honorable profession, for i truly respect the doctors who are in it for the patients(they give doctors a hard time, and are very annoying mostly). long school years, residency period, no respect when you are an inexperienced doc, high tuitions... actually i know the downsides of medicine better than the upsides. but say you have a degree of medicine, aside from praciticing, teaching, or researching, is there anything you could do? can you go into like business with an MD degree? and would you have any advantages? it just seems like what you learn in medical school is pretty much only useful if you are gonna practice, it can't really be used in other areas of society, maybe i am wrong on that? also, i would really like to work not just in the u.s., but on an international basis too, because i love my home country very much, and would going into medicine pretty much limit me to working in the u.s.?

i am about to sign up for my classes next quarter(summer quarter), and i have to decide soon whether i am gonna stay in bioE or not(essentially pre-med or not), thanks a lot, i am just kinda confused

 

[kirexhana]

it's kinda strange that you find medicine to be a limited field. i find that it emcompasses anything and everything that i could ever want in a profession. ideally, i get to practice (apply what I've learned), teach (work with people who are goign to be joining my profession), research (contribute new information to a field that i am involved in, not to mention work with patients in my research, something that PhD's can't do).

other aspects besides academic medicine include working in public health, healthcare management (business aspect), public policy (politics).

it is possible that you've run into a early premed crowd that is full of people who are uninformed about what medicine is truly like. the ones that are just in it for the money/prestige are likely to be the ones to drop out when they realize how much work, dedication and compassion it takes to be a doctor.

as for your sub-saharan point, please don't think that the only people who need healthcare are the ones in the poorest nations around the world. there are a lot of populations in need of medical care in the U.S. that we have yet to be able to provide.

 

[Bluntman]

Hmm...what major/career are you thinking of going into if you're gonna drop the premed and the BioE?

I went through both the BioE and Molecular Bio majors at UCSD (and was premed obviously), so I'd be happy to help you out...I just need some more specifics as to what options you're looking at.

For starters: The best way to understand the ups/downs/etc. of becoming a physician is to shadow one (outside your family, that is). I'd give volunteer services at Scripps Memorial La Jolla a call (858-626-4000). They aren't a teaching hospital so the docs/nurses/techs have more time (relatively) to potentially devote to an undergrad.

 

[dz88]

medicine is not all about the money, go volunteer in a hospital, push some patients if you have to. If you can see yourself doing that, then continue being a pre-med.

Sure you can make more money in business, but not every businessman does. 🙂

 

[jackbauer]

for a lot of people it is the ideal profession - we get to play with cool toys (gamma knife, MRI, shock paddles), stay in the sciences and far away from essays, interact with people, use our brains... and of course it is a fairly stable job with decent pay and an amount of prestige. there are plenty of problems - malpractice, hours, whining - but that's why it's a selective profession and only those dedicated enough will become doctors and practice medicine. i think i could be successful and happy going into business or music or law or education, but it's not as satisfying and i want the challenge of medicine. anything but medicine would be the easy way out for me, and that's not OK.
however, the application process is terrible enough that i would recommend someone unsure about their desire to practice medicine to steer clear. if you're not completely dedicated, then AMCAS, secondaries, interviews, and waitlists will give you a heart attack or drive you insane. IMO

 

[dz88]

i agree, the harder it is to obtain, the more I want it.

 

[8744]

It is a pretty decent career both from a financial aspect and in its importance to society.

 

[kirexhana]

i agree, the harder it is to obtain, the more I want it.

haha, that too. i like the challenge.

 

[Shredder]

medicine has its appeal bc it pays a predictably high income. business can make more but its unpredictable. you may hit it big or you may fall flat like most people. the premium you pay to avoid the risk in medicine is many of the prime years of your life. not to mention the big debts you rack up. so its a high premium but it does in fact take the risk of being a washout away. safety has its price. theres my risk analysis of it considering only the financial aspect and nothing else. you like?

 

[Captain Fantastic]

You don't need to be a science major to get into medical school. Med schools have prerequisite courses, not prerequisite majors. If you're not digging your current major switch it up to something you like. I know plenty of music majors, english majors, engineering majors that are MDs.

I also think you should get some more hands-on experience with medicine before you decide if it's for you. Talk with your mother or one of her friends candidly about the profession.

 

[notdeadyet]

Lots of folks like medicine because it's a nice safe way to make lots of money. Applications tend to be heavier in less certain economies.

 

[FrkyBgStok]

with the shortage of doctors worldwide, the high income potential, the job security, the potential for a private practice close to your terms, the purpose of helping others in need, and many other reasons make medicine a very desired field.

 

[Law2Doc]

sorry, i am a new member, i found this site first when i was applying to colleges in high school, but haven't really visited in a long time.

i am currently a sophomore(by standing) at UCSD, and my current major is bioengineering. there are so many pre-med students here, but it seems to me like no one has any good reasons for why they want to go to medical school. i am not sure if i would consider myself a pre-med, for i have always considered the option of studying medicine, but never really decided on it.

okay, i'll try to keep this short. the thing is now, i am really starting to hate my major, and the people in it, and i am also not liking the career outlooks for someone with just a bioengineering degree(i hate researching, and lab related work). so, the only reason now for me to stay in my bioengineering major would be using it as a pre-med major, but i am really not sure if i want to go into the field of medicine.

so i guess what i am asking is, what are the ups and downs of the medical field? it just seems like soooo many people want to go to medical school, so am i missing something(because i guess i am not as enthusiastic about medicine as the people around me)?

okay, from my limited understanding of the field of medicine, it seems like money is still the number one reason for why people are interested. but i think if it were purely about money, it is better to just go into business.
another lure of medicine is probably the prestige associated with being a doctor, but i really don't care about that. the job is pretty stable, i am sure you won't go unwanted with an M.D. degree, but i dunno, i think i am capable enough that i am probably not gonna have to worry too much about unemployment in whatever field that i go into. other reasons are more subjective, like the satisfaction that you receive when you save someone, but really, what about when you fail to save someone? and sorry if this offends people, i don't think most doctors are in it because they want to save lives, i mean if you were, you shouldn't be working in the u.s., but in sub-saharan africa. so what are other major factors that make people so feverish about the field of medicine?

and downsides, my mother was a doctor in china, and she has many friends who are doctors (both in china, and in the u.s.), and from what i perceive, the kinda work that doctors have to do is not exactly pleasant most of the time, and the work environment can be very hazardous sometimes. it is indeed an honorable profession, for i truly respect the doctors who are in it for the patients(they give doctors a hard time, and are very annoying mostly). long school years, residency period, no respect when you are an inexperienced doc, high tuitions... actually i know the downsides of medicine better than the upsides. but say you have a degree of medicine, aside from praciticing, teaching, or researching, is there anything you could do? can you go into like business with an MD degree? and would you have any advantages? it just seems like what you learn in medical school is pretty much only useful if you are gonna practice, it can't really be used in other areas of society, maybe i am wrong on that? also, i would really like to work not just in the u.s., but on an international basis too, because i love my home country very much, and would going into medicine pretty much limit me to working in the u.s.?

i am about to sign up for my classes next quarter(summer quarter), and i have to decide soon whether i am gonna stay in bioE or not(essentially pre-med or not), thanks a lot, i am just kinda confused

First, if you don't like your major get out. You don't need to be "premed" to go to med school. You probably go further in this direction majoring in something totally unrelated (humanities, social sciences) if you enjoy it. Second, medicine is not something you decide to do solely based on consideration of the rather superficial things (like money, prestige, job security, altruism,) notwithstanding what you see floating around on SDN. All these things are nice perks, but shouldn't be the driving force. Do it only if you are genuinely excited about the practice, and it's something you think you will enjoy. Life is long, and longer still if you spend 60-70 hours a week throughout your life doing something you don't enjoy. Medicine is nice in that it lets you combine cutting edge science with daily personal interaction. You get to constantly learn your whole life, and hopefully put some of what you learn into practice helping folks. If you aren't sure if medicine is for you, then before you launch down this road, definitely volunteer and shadow and talk to folks in the industry until you know one way or another. From your post you clearly are not grasping what it is that attracts most to the field. Third, do not get the MD if you don't want to be a physician or otherwise work in the healthcare field. There are better uses of your time if you just want to work in business or do something internationally.

 

[Brainsucker]

Medicine is an obvious choice for the achiever type personality. Medicine and law really define success in our society, and law has all sorts of nasty baggage around it. People really don't like lawyers. So, if somebody is the type of person who wants to be seen and see himself as successful, he'll likely pick medicine as the way to do that.

Besides that, some people are interested because they think it's cool. For instance, I can't imagine anything more compelling than figuring out how to suck brain tumors out and clip aneurysms, while avoiding vital structures and getting it done (at least the aneurysms) before ischemia starts creating tissue infarcts.

 

[Its_MurDAH]

Medicine is an obvious choice for the achiever type personality. Medicine and law really define success in our society, and law has all sorts of nasty baggage around it. People really don't like lawyers. So, if somebody is the type of person who wants to be seen and see himself as successful, he'll likely pick medicine as the way to do that.

Besides that, some people are interested because they think it's cool. For instance, I can't imagine anything more compelling than figuring out how to suck brain tumors out and clip aneurysms, while avoiding vital structures and getting it done (at least the aneurysms) before ischemia starts creating tissue infarcts.

haha wtf are u talkingggg about??

 

[gregMD]

haha wtf are u talkingggg about??

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$


etc.

 

[SRK85]

What hardly anyone I graduated with from high school is pursuing medicine everyone is doing business or enigneering.

 

[medworm]

If you put in as much time and rigor into any other career (that's 4 years of kick-ass studying and at least 3 years of 60-80 hr work weeks), your income and prestige can surely parallel that of a physician.

 

[FenderHM]

I agree going into medicine for money is dumb.. could be making more in less time with a JD or MBA, but is that the kind of work you want to do?

I'm attracted to the profession because I want to work with people, it is challenging, and I find the field particularly fascinating (as opposed to being a physicist or chemist)... the $$$$ doesn't hurt either...

 

[DrBowtie]

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$


etc.

You're missing a $. 😉

 

[OctoDoc]

You're missing a $. 😉

Maybe GregMD doesn't want to make that much money!

 

[Law2Doc]

You're missing a $. 😉

You can earn $660 or so dollars in virtually any job. Hardly worth incurring $200k in loans for.

 

[IHaveLab]

for a lot of people it is the ideal profession - we get to play with cool toys (gamma knife, MRI, shock paddles), stay in the sciences and far away from essays, interact with people, use our brains... and of course it is a fairly stable job with decent pay and an amount of prestige. IMO

Jackbauer-

Thanks for this insightful and honest look into people's motivation to pursue medicine. So many posters on this site seem to look down on those of us who don't consider medicine to be a 'true calling' to help people. I mean, I want to help people and society as much as (probably more than) the next guy, but you can do that in lots of ways. Medicine appeals to me for the slightly more tangible reasons you state: cool technology, getting to think scientifically, talking with people, and not being broke while I do it.

 

[wuwei]

thanks for the insights guys, i think i am better suited for other fields, not medicine, for 1. i am pretty anti-technology (i still use my walkman to listen to music), i instinctively distrust things that are new and hi-tech 2. i enjoy interacting with people, but not necessarily with patients, because i kinda sensitive to my surroundings, for instance, i get depressed when i am around depressing thing or people all the time, i am not sure if i could handle it if i were surrounded by sick people all the time. 3. i want to work internationally, and with medicine, it seems to be better in most cases to establish strong local ties. 4. i hate HATE doing lab work.

i guess i was just taken back by the fact that so MANY at my school pursue medicine with such enthusiam, and it made me a little uneasy about considering anything outside of medicine. especially within immigrant communities, most prominently, the asians and the indians, becoming a doctor is the ultimate perfect ending to their version of the american dream, and this concept becomes so entrenched in the minds of their children, which kinda explains it is not uncommon to see pre-meds say things like "i can't imagine doing anything other than medicine", when perhaps they don't even know what it is like to be a doctor.

shredder: your post was brilliant, thank you. i don't like risks any more than the next person, but i tend to get lazy and suck when things are safe, and tend to perform a bit better when there are risks present.

bluntman: dude, i looked at your profile, and like wet myself. i didn't think there were people that smart at this school. why did you come to UCSD, i am sure you could have gone to much better undergraduate schools. i thought i was king among these peons, but i bow in your greatness .

 

[NonTradMed]

To the OP, it sounds like you have no interest in medicine, which is fine. Just because "everyone's doing it" doesn't mean YOU are missing out.

The reasons you talk about for going into medicine is about accurate: people like the money, prestige and the ability to help others. But the reason some go into medicine and not fields you mentioned is that medicine offers all of these options. There are some jobs that allows you to help people but pays little (social worker, teacher), while other jobs allows you to make money but it is unstable (business), and then there are well paying, relatively stable jobs which won't allow you to save lives (law). Medicine encompasses all of these. And of course, job security is there as well.

Most people don't don't pick a job based on ONE thing (i.e "I want to make money", "I want to help people"). Many have a combination of factors that they look for in a job and they choose their profession based on the job that provides the 'best fit' for these criteria.

The same goes for 'helping people'. We don't need to go to Africa to saves lives, and frankly....there's nothing that says you can't help people in this country, or that helping people means sacrificing all to serve others. There are people who like balance in their lives....they don't want to be Mother Teresa or Donald Trump. They just want to live comfortably, have a satisfying job which helps people and an assurity that they will not have to fear unemployment.

You sound like you are trying to convince yourself about going into medicine. Don't do that. Medicine is very competitive and a hard nut to crack. If you don't have the drive for it, you will be miserable trying to convince yourself otherwise.

Since you expressed an interest in going back to China, there are plenty of opportunities do that by going through via nonprofit organizations or educational exchanges. In fact, one of my interviewers mentioned a recent trip to China to work with the doctors there. I plan on doing something similar (also Chinese here).

However, from your post, you seem more interested in business, which is possible with medicine, but isn't the main focus of the profession. I think you may be happier in business or international law.

EDIT: I wanted to add that I was a software engineer in a previous life and I choose to quit my job and do medicine....so I'm not one of those brainwashed Chinese girls who thinks medicine is my destiny or something.... 🙄

 

[Mr. Tee]

medicine has its appeal bc it pays a predictably high income. business can make more but its unpredictable. you may hit it big or you may fall flat like most people. the premium you pay to avoid the risk in medicine is many of the prime years of your life. not to mention the big debts you rack up. so its a high premium but it does in fact take the risk of being a washout away. safety has its price. theres my risk analysis of it considering only the financial aspect and nothing else. you like?

I like 👍

 

[happydays]

Why are we alive?

 

[Smoke This]

Besides that, some people are interested because they think it's cool. For instance, I can't imagine anything more compelling than figuring out how to suck brain tumors out and clip aneurysms, while avoiding vital structures and getting it done (at least the aneurysms) before ischemia starts creating tissue infarcts.

Why would ischemia result from that? You just put the clip across the base of the aneurysm. You don't occlude the entire cerebral artery with it and make a huge iatrogenic infarct.