Why Be a Doctor?

[HCameronMD]

While I'm relatively new to this forum, I am sure many folks have asked this question many times over the years. As I'm not about to go on a search frenzy for this over-asked question (most are probably outdated responses anyway), I'd like to ask:

1.) With the seemingly endless negativity surrounding medicine, medical students, and physicians, why are you choosing to be in your field?

2.) The long-hours of work and study/low amount of reimbursement ratio. What's your take on it?

I understand a little bit more of why my Father is discouraging me to not do Med School. (Which is ironic, since he's been encouraging me to do it since I was a kid, and I just never wanted to until recently.) My Dad has a successful Internal/Pediatric private practice in The Woodlands, TX, and he's been letting me know about the steady decline in reimbursement, legal annoyances, endless paperwork, and overall dissatisfaction that is rising in the field. While many of you pursuing medicine may not be in it for the money, the sad reality is......the world revolves around money. Paying $150-200k for 4 years of med school and then getting paid $90-100k after taxes is not a particularly good investment.


All comments, negative and positive, are welcomed! I'm just trying to get a feel for what I'm attempting to get myself into.

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[mrmilad]

It's true the world revolves around money, but it really shouldn't dictate your decision for a career. My point being that there are plenty of midlevel office workers, or pilots, or grocery store manager who work alot and don't make alot of money, but still live a happy life. Why? Because they chose to do something that they're good at and also something that they love.

I think this crisis will be a great filter in medicine, it may perhaps improve the quality of physicians going into the business.

People who choose to go into medicine right now, are those who are
passionate about medicine, they truly care for people and they aren't going into a field that is about the digits. Also these people "myself included" are probably stupid to make this decision, but when you have a chance to follow your dream, not everyone is logical.

 

[HCameronMD]

It's true the world revolves around money, but it really shouldn't dictate your decision for a career. My point being that there are plenty of midlevel office workers, or pilots, or grocery store manager who work alot and don't make alot of money, but still live a happy life. Why? Because they chose to do something that they're good at and also something that they love.

I think this crisis will be a great filter in medicine, it may perhaps improve the quality of physicians going into the business.

People who choose to go into medicine right now, are those who are
passionate about medicine, they truly care for people and they aren't going into a field that is about the digits. Also these people "myself included" are probably stupid to make this decision, but when you have a chance to follow your dream, not everyone is logical.

Well said.

While I understand that every field has it's ups and downs, I felt many of the negative statements that keep popping up were simply mere complaints by a select few who went into the field expecting something other than what they got.

Love the avatar, btw.

 

[NightSwim]

the seemingly endless negativity surrounding medicine, medical students, and physicians

Are you mistaking the convoluted health care system for being a physician? Generally, being a physician is a very well respected profession.

low amount of reimbursement ratio

Depends on how you approach this and what kind of money you're talking. Compared to other professions, physicians make a lot and the job security is great. Yeah, you do have to work hard, but that's what it usually takes to make >100k.

Reason to become a physician?
You've got the knowledge and power to help people through sickness. Responsibility level - High. Badass profession - Certainly. Though there may be some negative aspects to being a physician, don't forget about the upside.

 

[MsKrispyKreme]

Power.

Delicious power.

 

[HCameronMD]

Power.

Delicious power.

That's the reason my girlfriend gave me.

 

[FloatOn]

To land a real-life Dr. McDreamy.

 

[Snowman334]

1.) With the seemingly endless negativity surrounding medicine, medical students, and physicians, why are you choosing to be in your field?

Same four reasons as everyone on this network:

Girls, money, power and girls.

lol couldn't resist (a hug for anyone who caught the quote/reference)


I don't really have a lot of input towards this subject as I am still trying to answer this question myself, as most don't accept "I am simply strongly drawn to it and cannot possibly foresee myself doing anything else in the future" as a good answer.

 

[DennisMikula]

Same four reasons as everyone on this network:

Girls, money, power and girls.

lol couldn't resist (a hug for anyone who caught the quote/reference)


I don't really have a lot of input towards this subject as I am still trying to answer this question myself, as most don't accept "I am simply strongly drawn to it and cannot possibly foresee myself doing anything else in the future" as a good answer.

Strangly, your statement about being drawn to it is EXACTLY the only answer I am able to come up with right now...

 

[LiveUninhibited]

Because you like to cut people but the prison lifestyle isn't right for you?

 

[DrYoda]

Pays fairly well and I think it'll keep me entertained.

 

[LuciusVorenus]

Same four reasons as everyone on this network:

Girls, money, power and girls.

lol couldn't resist (a hug for anyone who caught the quote/reference)


I don't really have a lot of input towards this subject as I am still trying to answer this question myself, as most don't accept "I am simply strongly drawn to it and cannot possibly foresee myself doing anything else in the future" as a good answer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jd9pzC3G-T0

 

[grindtime1]

There is nothing else I can do that would give me anything close to 250K per year. I know people say business is where the money is, but that's just not true unless you know you can make it big in business.

Just being an average doctor guarantees you a comfortable lifestyle.

 

[ILikeDrugs]

Hot nurses.

 

[HCameronMD]

There is nothing else I can do that would give me anything close to 250K per year. I know people say business is where the money is, but that's just not true unless you know you can make it big in business.

Just being an average doctor guarantees you a comfortable lifestyle.

lol, so it IS about the money.

I'm still trying to figure out my own reasons, to be honest.....

 

[Music MD]

I did it for these reasons in no particular order:

1. Job security.
2. Reasonable income --> just about guaranteed a financially comfortable life.
3. Clear, laid out career path. (You know what you need to do and when in order to advance.)
4. Constant people interactions/relationships.
5. Get to see/do cool stuff. Cool for me = stuff most people don't see or do.
6. Feeling of importance. Healthy dose of narcissism never hurt anyone.
7. Wide variety of career options - clinical medicine, academics, business, etc. The MD degree is somewhat flexible.
8. Mental stimulation. This career will force me to use my mind.
9. Helping people is intermixed in there somewhere. Also, it's a relatively unique way to help someone.

There are a few things that scared me about this career path as well:

1. Hefty debt load. 250k.
2. Lonnnng training period. Average is 8 years. I'll be 31 when I start making money.
3. Large weekly time investment during training and as a physician. Average prob around 60 hrs/week.
4. Zero escapability. You don't find out you don't like it until you've invested 1, 2, and 3.

As a whole package, the positives list heavily outweighed the negatives list for me. I also looked at different careers.. none of them seemed very attractive compared to medicine. So until I become a rock star and can make 200k+ playing guitar for people, I'm going to stick with medical school - which is WAY more fun than I thought it would be btw.

 

[Vanguard23]

Power.

Delicious power.

Unlimited even.

 

[texahn]

make it rain yall

 

[musicmentality]

I choose to study the medical field because there are lots of opportunities, and it pays good money.

 

[Ea84]

Same four reasons as everyone on this network:

Girls, money, power and girls.

lol couldn't resist (a hug for anyone who caught the quote/reference)


I don't really have a lot of input towards this subject as I am still trying to answer this question myself, as most don't accept "I am simply strongly drawn to it and cannot possibly foresee myself doing anything else in the future" as a good answer.

EXACTLY how I feel.

 

[Gallix23]

There is nothing else I can do that would give me anything close to 250K per year. I know people say business is where the money is, but that's just not true unless you know you can make it big in business.

Plus, straight out business is boring. I recently got a pretty decent job at an office at my university, and as much as the money is good (for a student worker) and the hours are decent, it's BORING. With medicine, it's always stimulating and changing (for the most part) and I'm sure that doing a surgery or a procedure must make time fly by when you're concentrating at that level, which I can't really say happens when you're crunching numbers.

 

[Nilf]

While I'm relatively new to this forum, I am sure many folks have asked this question many times over the years. As I'm not about to go on a search frenzy for this over-asked question (most are probably outdated responses anyway), I'd like to ask:

1.) With the seemingly endless negativity surrounding medicine, medical students, and physicians, why are you choosing to be in your field?

2.) The long-hours of work and study/low amount of reimbursement ratio. What's your take on it?

I understand a little bit more of why my Father is discouraging me to not do Med School. (Which is ironic, since he's been encouraging me to do it since I was a kid, and I just never wanted to until recently.) My Dad has a successful Internal/Pediatric private practice in The Woodlands, TX, and he's been letting me know about the steady decline in reimbursement, legal annoyances, endless paperwork, and overall dissatisfaction that is rising in the field. While many of you pursuing medicine may not be in it for the money, the sad reality is......the world revolves around money. Paying $150-200k for 4 years of med school and then getting paid $90-100k after taxes is not a particularly good investment.


All comments, negative and positive, are welcomed! I'm just trying to get a feel for what I'm attempting to get myself into.

Your father is right. There is absolutely no reason to go to medical school, unless you are in the very select minority that enjoys being underpaid, underappreciated, and overworked for some altruistic reasons.

Don't believe the premeds who post here proclaiming their altruism. Trust people like your father and me--those who've been in the trenches of medicine and came back to this forum to tell the tale. It's not worth it. Your tenure on this rock is only around 80 year long... It's just not worth throwing big chunk of it away for a career that is bound to take your youth away, decrease your lifespan, and strain your relationships.

Don't post such questions on the premed forum. 99% of people here don't know what they are talking about. Just ignore them. Post this on general residency forum, or other forums for doctors who are currently practicing.

 

[Nilf]

I did it for these reasons in no particular order:

1. Job security.
2. Reasonable income --> just about guaranteed a financially comfortable life.
3. Clear, laid out career path. (You know what you need to do and when in order to advance.)
4. Constant people interactions/relationships.
5. Get to see/do cool stuff. Cool for me = stuff most people don't see or do.
6. Feeling of importance. Healthy dose of narcissism never hurt anyone.
7. Wide variety of career options - clinical medicine, academics, business, etc. The MD degree is somewhat flexible.
8. Mental stimulation. This career will force me to use my mind.
9. Helping people is intermixed in there somewhere. Also, it's a relatively unique way to help someone.

There are a few things that scared me about this career path as well:

1. Hefty debt load. 250k.
2. Lonnnng training period. Average is 8 years. I'll be 31 when I start making money.
3. Large weekly time investment during training and as a physician. Average prob around 60 hrs/week.
4. Zero escapability. You don't find out you don't like it until you've invested 1, 2, and 3.

As a whole package, the positives list heavily outweighed the negatives list for me. I also looked at different careers.. none of them seemed very attractive compared to medicine. So until I become a rock star and can make 200k+ playing guitar for people, I'm going to stick with medical school - which is WAY more fun than I thought it would be btw.

I'm gonna ignore the cons that you mentioned, and focus on pros:

1. Job security: every time you are seeing a patient, you are risking a lawsuit that could decrease your networth to zero and make you potentially unemployable because of increased malpractice premiums.

2. Reasonable income: if you think that paramount to what an experienced plumber makes is reasonable income, then you're right on the money.

3. Clear laid out career path: how's that a good thing? Besides, you'll be surprised how many times your career might shift unexpectedly.

4. Constant people interactions/relationships: 95% of jobs out there involve some soft of 'interactions'. Oh and by the way, you'll be interacting with sick and mostly old people. Such people are very very annoying while 'interacting'.

5. Get to see/do cool stuff: assuming that you find your niche in medicine. Many people don't.

6. Feeling of importance: way overrated. You won't feed your family and pay your bills with prestige.

7. Wide variety of career options: I disagree. You're confined to medicine. If you want wide variety of career options, go law or MBA.

8. Mental stimulation: WTF is that? Try holding retractor for 8 hours straight, or memorize Krebs cycle, then come back talking about mental stimulation. Want brainy career, go get a PhD

9. Helping people: pretty much any job out there will involve 'helping people' one way or the other.

 

[Nilf]

There is nothing else I can do that would give me anything close to 250K per year. I know people say business is where the money is, but that's just not true unless you know you can make it big in business.

Just being an average doctor guarantees you a comfortable lifestyle.

You're being stupid. There is no other way to characterize your mindset. Turn back now.

Medicine doesn't 'guarantee you comfortable lifestyle. Au contraire, you'll be VERY VERY uncomfortable for the first decade or so. And don't mention the 250K gravy train. In the era of socialized medicine? LMAO

 

[FloatOn]

Don't post such questions on the premed forum. 99% of people here don't know what they are talking about. Just ignore them. Post this on general residency forum, or other forums for doctors who are currently practicing.

Dooo it! Doooo it!

 

[FloatOn]

Actually, for your convenience:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=663924

 

[investor2]

I think the reason why people who have gone into medicine are not satisfied because they have seen the real world and know what's out there.

I personally know people who 5-6 years out of college and are multimillionaires, in the 15-40 million dollar networth range.

I had a very difficult time when deciding whether or not to pursue medicine. When I saw what my friends have made (capital gains by the way, they only pay 20% tax), I realized that they have literally made in a few short years several multiple of what I will make for the entire duration of my medical career, regardless of specialty, if I do decide to practice clinical medicine.

I had a hard time facing that fact. However, when I asked myself the question of whether I was willing to give up 4 years of my life to get a degree that would essentially guarantee me a comfortable life for the rest of my days, I decided that it was certainly worth it.

My friends who were extremely successful, made only about 40k the first 1-2 years of their venture, salaries that I would be making in residency anyways. It's quite clear I could not duplicate what they had accomplished because they had already given what the market wanted. To make my fortune, I would have to tackle a new problem. So the only downside to pursuing a degree in medicine is the 4 year training period.

If you don't want to do medicine afterwards, you can start your own company, you'll just be four years behind your peers, but you know that you have a medical degree, and there are many ways in which that degree can basically help you print dough. You just have to be creative.

Nilf, I can't believe you're a dermatopathologist (not sure if it's spelled correctly), how many people actually get those fellowship spots a year?

 

[tennischamp822]

.

 

[DrYoda]

Plus, straight out business is boring. I recently got a pretty decent job at an office at my university, and as much as the money is good (for a student worker) and the hours are decent, it's BORING. With medicine, it's always stimulating and changing (for the most part) and I'm sure that doing a surgery or a procedure must make time fly by when you're concentrating at that level, which I can't really say happens when you're crunching numbers.

Crappy university student jobs aren't really a good judge of how exciting or enjoyable business is.

 

[HCameronMD]

Doing what???

Coming up with silly sites like FaceSpace and MyBook!

 

[chman]

It is obvious to me that some people get into medicine because their family told them to, or they see $, or they are hungry for respect etc.

It is also obvious when someone gets into medicine for the right reasons. To me, I don't really think I have seen too many that are in the middle.

There are those of us that wanted to watch our siblings get stitches, were oddly interested in watching those surgery shows on the learning channel at a young age. Maybe I am being ignorant, but all the crud that goes along with being a doc seems worth it to me because I have always seen it as what I wanted to do. I can't picture myself sitting at a desk crunching numbers, but that's me.

 

[SunDevilDoc]

Nilf is a debbie downer. Try being unemployed and see how much you complain about being a doctor. Jesus.

 

[azrael87]

I have several reasons I want to be a doctor. Any of them on their own wouldn't be enough since it wouldn't be specific to a physician career, but when I put them together that's what I get.

1) I want to help people: Now this requires a major clarification since EVERY JOB EVER helps someone somehow. I don't mean I want to entertain or provide convenience. I want to do things that actually affect people's lives by maintaining or better yet giving them things they need (not just want). I want to preserve and improve quality of life if possible.

2) I want to know more and more about what makes us tick. I love human biology, biochemistry, and physiology. It simply fascinates me. Also, knowing the ins and outs of the human body, how it works, and what has what effects on it is very useful in every day life.

3) Job security. As tough as things get, there will always be a need for doctors since people will always be getting sick and injured no matter how advanced we get. I'd like to be in a situation where as long as I'm good at what I do, I can find work.

4) Financial comfort: Do not read this as "I want to be rich". I mean just being able to afford comfortable and safe living for me and my future family (assuming I don't stick to being single, which is possible). If my salary can do that, it's fine. As a side note, I'm mainly attracted to strong, independent women and as such, probably won't be the sole breadwinner if I do start a family eventually.

5) Some respect and prestige: Not a big reason for me, but it sure as hell doesn't hurt. It may be less than it was a few decades ago, but people still consider the physician career to be a good profession.

6) I like the atmosphere: The more time I've spent in a hospital volunteering or shadowing, the more into it I've gotten. I'm comfortable there. Seeing blood, vomit, urine, feces, seizures, heart attacks, etc makes me want to help instead of scaring me off.

7) The clothes: Scrubs are like pajamas, but still are associated with looking somewhat professional. They're so loose and comfortable! Also, I feel way cooler than I look when I wear a labcoat.

8) Since I was in junior high, people have this tendency to ask me what's wrong with them, expecting me to be an authority on the matter (keep in mind I didn't even go pre-med until sophomore year in college). Once I have legitimate training, I'll finally be able to give them real answers!

9) I've looked carefully at many other career options and, all things considered, not one appeals to me nearly as much as being a medical doctor.

10) I'm young and my family ages quite well despite stressful lifestyles. I'll be in my 30's when I really start my career, and that's totally fine with me. Plenty of life left after that.


There's more, but if I keep going they may delve into even sillier territory than 7 and 8. The fact is, the more I think about it, the more I want to do it. I'm aware of all the negatives, but I don't mind.

Nilf, if you're still reading, could you explain your circumstances a bit more? I won't be swayed, but I think the OP would get a better grasp on your negative perspective if they saw exactly why you hold that point of view. Being the one with the most experience on this thread, you're certainly quite entitled to your opinion.

 

[LiveUninhibited]

I'm gonna ignore the cons that you mentioned, and focus on pros:

1. Job security: every time you are seeing a patient, you are risking a lawsuit that could decrease your networth to zero and make you potentially unemployable because of increased malpractice premiums.

2. Reasonable income: if you think that paramount to what an experienced plumber makes is reasonable income, then you're right on the money.

3. Clear laid out career path: how's that a good thing? Besides, you'll be surprised how many times your career might shift unexpectedly.

4. Constant people interactions/relationships: 95% of jobs out there involve some soft of 'interactions'. Oh and by the way, you'll be interacting with sick and mostly old people. Such people are very very annoying while 'interacting'.

5. Get to see/do cool stuff: assuming that you find your niche in medicine. Many people don't.

6. Feeling of importance: way overrated. You won't feed your family and pay your bills with prestige.

7. Wide variety of career options: I disagree. You're confined to medicine. If you want wide variety of career options, go law or MBA.

8. Mental stimulation: WTF is that? Try holding retractor for 8 hours straight, or memorize Krebs cycle, then come back talking about mental stimulation. Want brainy career, go get a PhD

9. Helping people: pretty much any job out there will involve 'helping people' one way or the other.

What if you really like the life sciences, but also enjoy interacting with people? I suppose becoming a professor would make sense in that case too, but it's not like most of them are paid well for how hard they work either. I find the Krebs Cycle amazing quite frankly.

 

[oyoy]

B/c its that or becoming a depressed shell of a human for myself. Its being a physician or being nothing for myself. There is nothing else that I would truly commit energy to achieving other than this. My explanation as to why this is so, is something I am going to keep to myself for now.

I have asked/answered this many times over the course of undergrad, but its only been during my last year that I think I have developed an answer to that question that I fully believe in and that may stand out from a good chunk of the answers I've seen on this forum over the years. So, the point is that if you have a truly good reason, you probably should not feel as though you really had to work at it or force it from yourself and you most definitely should not feel the need the need to seek approval from others for your reason.

I am saying this not just from my own experience, but based also on what I see in others when they give a sincere answer to this question. There are those who truly want to be physicians and those who, for reasons unknown to themselves, think they want to be physicians. The latter is the group that seems to more often force an answer.

 

[MsKrispyKreme]

Nilf is a debbie downer. Try being unemployed and see how much you complain about being a doctor. Jesus.

His parents probably forced him to become a doctor.

 

[FloatOn]

What if you really like the life sciences, but also enjoy interacting with people? I suppose becoming a professor would make sense in that case too, but it's not like most of them are paid well for how hard they work either. I find the Krebs Cycle amazing quite frankly.

I had to memorize the structures for Krebs and I actually kind of had fun doing it. Not as fun as glycolysis though.

 

[GoSpursGo]

Medicine is going to be what you make of it. You hear about all of these people crying that it's not worth it, and honestly I feel that most of those people would find a way to be miserable no matter what job they went into; it's just that the people with bad experiences like to complain, so we hear their opinion much more often than the opinions of the satisfied people.

One doctor that I met my 2nd week in medical school beamed at our class and said confidently that he believes that medicine is still the most fulfilling profession that anyone could ever hope to go into. Another doctor said that everyone who bemoans the supposedly high rate of divorces in doctors should come down and see his pediatrics department, where the vast majority of the doctors there have an excellent family life with an extremely fulfilling and happy marriage outside of medicine. I'll also point out that neither of these doctors appeared to be living under a bridge or otherwise destitute.

Surely, it's not all rainbows and sunshine for everyone who goes into the profession, but it's a far cry from the bleak picture being painted by some of the posters in this thread who act like everyone in medicine feels like it's unfulfilling and that the reward doesn't justify the cost. Again, it's what you make of it and how you set your priorities in life. You can definitely CHOOSE whether to be happy or not with your life and career.

 

[GH253]

The reason to become a doctor is because the profession interests you, i.e. because you value health and want to fight disease. You should want to be a scientist. The reason to become a doctor is not to serve others alturistically, nor is it to simply make money ("work to live" types do not belong in the profession IMO). Think of it like this: a person who loves investing goes into finance, and a person who loves cars might either sell them or go into auto engineering. A person who loves houses might become an architect, or sell real estate. Likewise, a potential doctor should love human anatomy and physiology and the science of health, and his goal should be to sell his knowledge to patients for a profit. Helping people and making money are reciprocal actions, not opposite ends of a dichotomy.

 

[LiveUninhibited]

Surely, it's not all rainbows and sunshine for everyone who goes into the profession,

Aw really? I was expecting:

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAghayqOFNY[/YOUTUBE]

Song starts at 1:26. There's something very wrong with whoever wrote that song...

 

[Nilf]

His parents probably forced him to become a doctor.

Wrong. I never knew my parents.

 

[medcourses09]

I'm gonna ignore the cons that you mentioned, and focus on pros:

1. Job security: every time you are seeing a patient, you are risking a lawsuit that could decrease your networth to zero and make you potentially unemployable because of increased malpractice premiums.

"Job security" is sort of a myth. There really isn't any job security anywhere. There are just some jobs that are less likely to be cut before others. Just because one is a doctor doesn't make them immune to being laid off.

2. Reasonable income: if you think that paramount to what an experienced plumber makes is reasonable income, then you're right on the money.

The income is fine. Just the income to debt ratio is bad, real bad. To the point where going into $200k of debt doesn't make being a docto worth it.

3. Clear laid out career path: how's that a good thing? Besides, you'll be surprised how many times your career might shift unexpectedly.

Liad out career path? lol. A computer choses your career path. Yeah, well laid out, lol.

4. Constant people interactions/relationships: 95% of jobs out there involve some soft of 'interactions'. Oh and by the way, you'll be interacting with sick and mostly old people. Such people are very very annoying while 'interacting'.

People interactions is overrated.

5. Get to see/do cool stuff: assuming that you find your niche in medicine. Many people don't.

There isn't that much "cool" stuff. How can treating a 65 year old patient with heart disease be "cool?"

6. Feeling of importance: way overrated. You won't feed your family and pay your bills with prestige.

Prestige is a myth.

7. Wide variety of career options: I disagree. You're confined to medicine. If you want wide variety of career options, go law or MBA.

Business is where the variety of career options are. Getting an MD leads you to science or medicine.

8. Mental stimulation: WTF is that? Try holding retractor for 8 hours straight, or memorize Krebs cycle, then come back talking about mental stimulation. Want brainy career, go get a PhD

They will find out that there isn't that much "mental stimulation" in medicine.

9. Helping people: pretty much any job out there will involve 'helping people' one way or the other.

Above.