Why You Shouldn't Go into Medicine.

[willdoh]

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http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/abinaz...go-to-medical-school-a-gleefully-biased-rant/

to be honest, i'm pretty depressed after reading this.

 

[later2pharm]

honestly i was already aware of all these negs and im surprised there are people out there considering med school who aren't. but still the allure of having the title of "Dr." and a guaranteed line of women wanting to marry you is appealing. Then again im fortunate to be tall and good looking so the latter part is less relevant to myself.

another thing, i'd hate to end up like some doctors who lose touch with reality and still believe creatine or high protein diets are bad for you and will cause kidney damage.

the words, "wow that guy is a ****** im switching to someone else", has frequently crossed my mind.

now i guess im only talking about the PCP, surgeons and other similar specialties are on a whole other level.

If you are really set on "helping people" and still want the title of "Dr", go to Dental School. No residency required.

 

[binko]

http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/abinaz...go-to-medical-school-a-gleefully-biased-rant/

to be honest, i'm pretty depressed after reading this.

Haha, I actually feel good reading it. I already knew all the bad shiznit, but the one reason to go into medicine – describes me perfectly! I could not have put it into better words. When it comes down to it, I want to be a doctor because every moment that I'm not working towards that goal, something is gnawing at my brain about it. Also I HATE not being busy all the time. More than a half-day of free time at once just seems like a gaping eternity that I could never fill up, and I wander around the house aimlessly, opening and closing the fridge without really looking at anything inside, and I feel relieved when it's time to go do something useful again.

 

[pianola]

but still the allure of having the title of "Dr." and a guaranteed line of women wanting to marry you is appealing.

I've always wanted a guaranteed line of women wanting to marry me!!!

Oh...wait?

 

[aggieallure]

. Also I HATE not being busy all the time. More than a half-day of free time at once just seems like a gaping eternity that I could never fill up, and I wander around the house aimlessly, opening and closing the fridge without really looking at anything inside, and I feel relieved when it's time to go do something useful again.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who does that.

 

[binko]

I've always wanted a guaranteed line of women wanting to marry me!!!

Oh...wait?

Are there enough women in the world for every doctor to have their own line? Does this include female doctors? Are the female doctors also in line for the male doctors? This is so confusing.

 

[bkz]

Haha, I actually feel good reading it. I already knew all the bad shiznit, but the one reason to go into medicine – describes me perfectly! I could not have put it into better words. When it comes down to it, I want to be a doctor because every moment that I'm not working towards that goal, something is gnawing at my brain about it.

same here!!!
I even wanted to work MSF as a kid 😛

 

[GoSpursGo]

I've always wanted a guaranteed line of women wanting to marry me!!!

Oh...wait?

 

[Anthony Hartsoc]

He does have some valid points...luckily I pass his subjective criteria for going into medicine.

But keep in mind...those are vast sweeping generalizations in every breath as well as being extremely biased...therefore, take with a grain of salt PRN...

 

[87138]

Also I HATE not being busy all the time.

Just quoting this so you can come back and read it again in a few years🙂.

 

[pianola]

Every few days someone posts something like this. Either this blog, or the PBS doctor's diaries, or Panda Bear's blog, or some other resident posting his experience on SDN.

Is there NO ONE happy in the entire field of medicine??? 😱😱😱😱

 

[binko]

Every few days someone posts something like this. Either this blog, or the PBS doctor's diaries, or Panda Bear's blog, or some other resident posting his experience on SDN.

Is there NO ONE happy in the entire field of medicine??? 😱😱😱😱

Nah, it's just self-reporting bias.

I know happy doctors, and even ones with lives (one I worked for is also a competitive figure skater!). They're just too busy doing actual stuff to post about their wonderful lives on the internet.

 

[GoSpursGo]

Every few days someone posts something like this. Either this blog, or the PBS doctor's diaries, or Panda Bear's blog, or some other resident posting his experience on SDN.

Is there NO ONE happy in the entire field of medicine??? 😱😱😱😱

Sure there are. It's just that it's the people that whine are the ones that get noticed; the happy ones are quietly content.

 

[binko]

Sure there are. It's just that it's the people that whine are the ones that get noticed; the happy ones are quietly content.

Either that, or even the happy ones complain because everyone else is doing it, and it's like the official pastime of people with jobs.

 

[GonnaHappen]

Look, there are people that are unhappy and dissatisfied in EVERY SINGLE PROFESSION. Law, education, engineering etc. I'm sure there are blogs and other rants on those subjects as well. This is nothing new.

 

[mcgyver]

Every few days someone posts something like this. Either this blog, or the PBS doctor's diaries, or Panda Bear's blog, or some other resident posting his experience on SDN.

Is there NO ONE happy in the entire field of medicine??? 😱😱😱😱

Actually, I'm becoming convinced that NO ONE is happy in the WHOLE WORLD. PERIOD.

with the exception of my dog, he's happy everyday.

 

[Handy388]

I stopped reading at the part where they talk about finance and aspen.

 

[vin5cent0]

This is why SDN, random blogs (Panda, medschoolhell, etc), books and research are your friends. Two years ago, I thought being a doctor was the most candy profession imaginable. After being on this forum for a while, reading books (Hot lights and cold steel - GREAT book and a fantastic eye opener) and the like and I know as much as any pre-med could in terms of expectations. Yes, the process of becoming a doctor is long and arduous, but it pays off in the end with satisfaction IF becoming a physician truly is what you want. If not, then it's just a long and arduous process that never gets better.

 

[pianola]

Actually, I'm becoming convinced that NO ONE is happy in the WHOLE WORLD. PERIOD.

with the exception of my dog, he's happy everyday.

Well put.

I think I'm going to get a cat in medical school so that I can figure out what happiness is. Hopefully I won't kill it by forgetting to feed it 3 days in a row 🙁.

This is why SDN, random blogs (Panda, medschoolhell, etc), books and research are your friends.

Some friends they are...

I prefer solutions and suggestions to "YOUR LIFE WILL SUCK FOREVER AND EVER IF YOU BECOME A DOCTOR"

 

[dragonfly99]

the blog is well written, and there is a lot that is true there, but also he is overly negative I think.
Some people will dislike you because you are a doc, but other people will admire and like you because you are a doc.

It is true you will likely lose some friends during med school and residency, and the part about not having time to go to your college reunion b/c you can't get a whole weekend off is all too true! However, I think part of this is life in general, and goes with some other demanding careers as well.

The part about sleep deprivation is/was true, but I think is getting to be a bit less true with the 80 hrs/week work hour limits for residents now in place.

I'm not sure the rate of breakups and divorces is much (or any?) worse for physicians and med students currently than it is for the general public. I know years ago some surgical programs had crazy high divorce rates among their residents, but personally this is not something that I saw during residency. We did have a couple divorced residents in my IM program, but I'm not sure that's any different than the general public. I'm not married, but certainly I know many who managed to get married and stay married during med school and/or residency.

 

[236116]

Well put.

I think I'm going to get a cat in medical school so that I can figure out what happiness is. Hopefully I won't kill it by forgetting to feed it 3 days in a row 🙁."

self-feeding bowls

 

[quirks]

Every few days someone posts something like this. Either this blog, or the PBS doctor's diaries, or Panda Bear's blog, or some other resident posting his experience on SDN.

Is there NO ONE happy in the entire field of medicine??? 😱😱😱😱

For what it's worth, all the doctors I know well are happy that they're doctors. Sure they're dissatisfied with some aspects of it, but overall, they're happy, well adjusted people. 🙂 Even my brother who's a resident is happy (he's wanted to be a doctor since he was like, 5).

 

[pianola]

the blog is well written, and there is a lot that is true there, but also he is overly negative I think.
Some people will dislike you because you are a doc, but other people will admire and like you because you are a doc.

It is true you will likely lose some friends during med school and residency, and the part about not having time to go to your college reunion b/c you can't get a whole weekend off is all too true! However, I think part of this is life in general, and goes with some other demanding careers as well.

The part about sleep deprivation is/was true, but I think is getting to be a bit less true with the 80 hrs/week work hour limits for residents now in place.

I'm not sure the rate of breakups and divorces is much (or any?) worse for physicians and med students currently than it is for the general public. I know years ago some surgical programs had crazy high divorce rates among their residents, but personally this is not something that I saw during residency. We did have a couple divorced residents in my IM program, but I'm not sure that's any different than the general public. I'm not married, but certainly I know many who managed to get married and stay married during med school and/or residency.

Thank you for your post. From the bottom of my heart.

Because if it's really as bad as they suggest, I'm afraid I will need several lines of women to make up for it .

 

[pianola]

self-feeding bowls

I will look into that. I haven't had a pet before but sounds like something I could use.

For what it's worth, all the doctors I know well are happy that they're doctors. Sure they're dissatisfied with some aspects of it, but overall, they're happy, well adjusted people. 🙂 Even my brother who's a resident is happy (he's wanted to be a doctor since he was like, 5).

😀😀👍👍 Good to know. I'm sick of this terrified feeling I've been having as it gets closer and closer to starting. I think I could use the good news to temper out the rest of what I'm hearing.

 

[vickpick]

i dont think i can do this sh t for the next 30 yrs of my life.... f it!

Imma become a PhD.. not an MD...

I give up on this shi ty med field

 

[pianola]

A SDN poster in the USF thread wrote some profound words to me recently. She said You have to not get caught up in the details and let loose once in a while. Lots of things are stressful, but you really need to just take a step back and be happy for what you have, be the change in the world that you want to see if you believe in something, and remember that which doesn't kill you will only make you stronger as a person. Learn from the experiences you live through and be happy for the small things in life and yoou will be ok. the doctors that I have seen who have done this are the ones who are the happiest.

Yeah. I'm generally extremely grateful for what I have. That's part of my nature -- to be very happy with what I've got.

But we'll see.

Yeah it could be WAY worse.

 

[87138]

i dont think i can do this sh t for the next 30 yrs of my life.... f it!

Imma become a PhD.. not an MD...

I give up on this shi ty med field

Eh, you were only Pre-Health anyway.

 

[vickpick]

Eh, you were only Pre-Health anyway.

IM pre-med..lol...

my status is wrong.. but not anymore... im going to look into grad school..

pre health is the default

 

[ButImLETired]

I work at a clinic and carpool with one of the attendings every day. She is lovely, courteous, funny, in shape, healthy. She eats well, sleeps well, even finds time to jog. She's married to another doctor and they still say "I love you" on the phone as soon as they call and before they hang up. She has two little kids who she adores and looks forward to going home for. All her vacation days are spent with her husband and kids on some small vacations nearby, except for a couple of days a month she takes off for herself. She's happy. Patients adore her and request her every time. The other attendings respect and admire her intellect, and she manages to find time to call every anxious parent and husband and wife back, even when it's not her responsibility to do so.

I look at her, and I see that being happy in medicine, like being happy in ANYTHING, is about attitude. She sees what's wrong with the medical profession, but she focuses on what's good: being good at her job, having a good relationship with her patients, having her family's love and support. Could she (and could we, in the future) be making more money or living in a better house or going on more exotic vacations? Of course. We all probably could. But medicine is what we make of it. For some, the pros outweigh the cons. For others, the cons outweigh the pros. And for still others, there are no pros and cons, there is just a feeling that you do your best and appreciate all the good stuff that comes without dwelling on the negatives. I really just hope I am in the latter group.

 

[MedicineMike]

I am 24 and live with 4 of my roomates from college. I went into Real Estate after college (hated it, got laid off, going to med school bc it is what i want to do!), 2 of my roomates are investment bankers and 1 works for a big 4 accounting firm.

The 2 i-bankers absolutely HAAAATE their job. They complain daily (if i even see them) about how bad it sucks. They get paid 100k right out of college, but also work around 100hrs a week. 7am-12am 4-5 days a week, and go in on weekends a lot. They sit in front of microsoft excel alllllllllllllll day long. Oh, and one of the i-bankers is switching to medicine as well! ha.

The point of this is that every job has its pros and cons. If it isnt for you, youll find out pretty soon...just like i did. Work is work...its gonna suck regardless. You just have to find something you enjoy and that sucks the least! haha


Just my .02 cents

 

[ButImLETired]

I am 24 and live with 4 of my roomates from college. I went into Real Estate after college (hated it, got laid off, going to med school bc it is what i want to do!), 2 of my roomates are investment bankers and 1 works for a big 4 accounting firm.

The 2 i-bankers absolutely HAAAATE their job. They complain daily (if i even see them) about how bad it sucks. They get paid 100k right out of college, but also work around 100hrs a week. 7am-12am 4-5 days a week, and go in on weekends a lot. They sit in front of microsoft excel alllllllllllllll day long. Oh, and one of the i-bankers is switching to medicine as well! ha.

The point of this is that every job has its pros and cons. If it isnt for you, youll find out pretty soon...just like i did. Work is work...its gonna suck regardless. You just have to find something you enjoy and that sucks the least! haha


Just my .02 cents

Oh yeah, as a response to this.

I think (and I might be making wild assumptions here, but just give me the benefit of the doubt) a lot of the people who are vocal and miserable in medicine are the people who haven't ever been out of school and out of the premed/med grind. I only took a couple of years off, and it has made a HUGE difference in my attitude. I like my job well enough, it pays pretty well, I like my coworkers and yadda yadda. But I am THRILLED to leave and start my "real life". Showing up every day to do a job you don't love SUCKS. Pretending to care about stuff that you really don't actually care about....SUCKS. Spending your days in front of a computer dealing with excel formatting...well you know where this is going.
There is nothing like being out there in the real world to make you realize that the real world is extremely overrated, and all the money, time, and comfort in the world can't possibly compare to doing what you want to do with your life.

 

[dragonfly99]

medicinemike
profound comments for a 24yo.
There is a lot of truth there..however, I think the 100 hour weeks are extreme for most jobs. But that is why they are getting the 100k I think.

 

[vickpick]

o wait...

ive also seen post abt the goods of the med field, most people who like the field won't make a blog to write abt it...!

okay.. out of thousands of MD's out there, only a few write blogs abt it being a bad field... so I would say, it must not be that bad...

I dont expect a lot out of life anyways.. lol.. even a song can make me super happy at times..

so why quit on a goal I've had since childhood?... what was I thinking oh:

 

[usermike8500]

We should all just join some network marketing pyramid like Cutco or ACN. I've heard they make billions without doing any real work.

 

[dragonfly99]

So did Bernie Madoff until they caught him
Maybe you could interest your Ibanker 100k/year salary roommates in a small investment deal I've got going. I just need 10k up front, and it returns 10%/year.

 

[vickpick]

We should all just join some network marketing pyramid like Cutco or ACN. I've heard they make billions without doing any real work.

u cant jsut join em..lol

 

[MedicineMike]

medicinemike
profound comments for a 24yo.
There is a lot of truth there..however, I think the 100 hour weeks are extreme for most jobs. But that is why they are getting the 100k I think.

Thank you. I also agree with the Butimletired as well. Anyone (like the guy with the blog) has probably gone straight from undergrad to med school to residency to practice. They don't know any better.

I studied business/real estate in school because it was easy and the "cool thing to do." I got out in the "real world" and used to dread getting up for work every single day for over a year. I already applied to school to start my pre-reqs for med school and then a month later got laid off my job. Ive never been more relieved. Blessing in disguise. I don't even know how I used to go to work everyday after how much ive been enjoying unemployment!

And I (along with my i-banking roomates) am only 24, but it's good to find out early that you cant stand something. People complaining about being a dr straight through school have no IDEA what it is like to be the bottom of the totem pole of a corporation and have them not give 2 shiots about you! Not the way i want to live my life...

 

[87138]

People complaining about being a dr straight through school have no IDEA what it is like to be the bottom of the totem pole of a corporation and have them not give 2 shiots about you!

Yeah, good thing there's nothing like that in medical education . . .

 

[MedicineMike]

Yeah, good thing there's nothing like that in medical education . . .

i guess your right! haha...its just different. I cant put into words how, but it is! I guess ill tell you the difference once i go through it!🙂

 

[87138]

i guess your right! haha...its just different. I cant put into words how, but it is! I guess ill tell you the difference once i go through it!🙂

I'm just playing devil's advocate here. I know what you're saying, I didn't go straight to medicine either.

 

[MedicineMike]

I'm just playing devil's advocate here. I know what you're saying, I didn't go straight to medicine either.

well then you should definitely know better than me! I guess they do treat the med-students like shiot but in a good way. To teach them and to show them what it takes to become a dr. And they will be a dr.

In a corporation (not all of course, but some) you just get treated like shiot with no intention of teaching you anything or for promotional purposes.

That's the best way I can describe it.

 

[dragonfly99]

In a corporation (not all of course, but some) you just get treated like shiot with no intention of teaching you anything or for promotional purposes.

That's the best way I can describe it.

Unfortunately, this happens in medical school and residency as well at times. And it isn't necessarily infrequent, unfortunately. There are people who will verbally abuse you and not teach you anything, or enjoy making you squirm because they can. However, if you like doing medicine, it is bearable ultimately. And the higher you get, the better it gets, in general.

 

[phospho]

Oh yeah, as a response to this.

I think (and I might be making wild assumptions here, but just give me the benefit of the doubt) a lot of the people who are vocal and miserable in medicine are the people who haven't ever been out of school and out of the premed/med grind. I only took a couple of years off, and it has made a HUGE difference in my attitude. I like my job well enough, it pays pretty well, I like my coworkers and yadda yadda. But I am THRILLED to leave and start my "real life". Showing up every day to do a job you don't love SUCKS. Pretending to care about stuff that you really don't actually care about....SUCKS. Spending your days in front of a computer dealing with excel formatting...well you know where this is going.
There is nothing like being out there in the real world to make you realize that the real world is extremely overrated, and all the money, time, and comfort in the world can't possibly compare to doing what you want to do with your life.

Very nicely said.

As someone mentioned earlier, I think a lot of the bitchin' is coming from people who have never done the whole 8-5 every single day. The real world sucks. Unfortunately, most of these people don't know what the real world is, and have nothing to compare their medical training to. At least when they're getting yelled at, they know that eventually they're going up. Try that in the real world. You can get yelled at everyday for years, then get laid off, and then start from scratch. There's no such thing as "starting from scratch" in medicine. Like medicinemike said, you'd have to experience it to understand it.

 

[Bacchus]

This article is 4 years old... some of those figures and I'd even say sentiments probably have changed.

 

[DoctorDeMan]

So did Bernie Madoff until they caught him
Maybe you could interest your Ibanker 100k/year salary roommates in a small investment deal I've got going. I just need 10k up front, and it returns 10%/year.

Forget this guy, I only need 9k up front and can get you 12.5% a year. Just don't ever ask to withdraw your money...

 

[sarahg]

What annoys me about these posts is that they're always written by medical people (students, doctors, whatever) who think that medicine is the only field where anyone ever works a long day or has a crappy schedule and no life. Do they think businesspeople and engineers never go an entire week barely sleeping or miss their kid's soccer games because they have to work? Do they think that entry-level employees in all other fields are working exactly 40 hours per week? I've done some corporate tech internships and trust me, lots of entry level engineers and programmers are working 12 hours a day and having a hell of a time trying to get a weekend with both days off. Project managers and other higher-level people pretty much all work long hours as well. Hell, as an intern I did some 45+ hour weeks and that was painless (even to me, and I am NOT one of these people who always has to feel busy) -- I would have worked more if I wasn't afraid someone at HR would get mad that I was getting so much overtime pay. Granted, these people are making money long before doctors are, but it's not like the stressful non-forty-hour work week is the exclusive domain of doctors. It's the domain of anyone who isn't an hourly or part-time worker, pretty much.

And this is why I'm in favor of more nontrads in medicine, haha. I have a feeling that people who have real jobs to compare medicine to will be less whiny and negative than people who know nothing of the world outside medicine other than undergrad and maybe a research tech gap year job.

 

[later2pharm]

I am 24 and live with 4 of my roomates from college. I went into Real Estate after college (hated it, got laid off, going to med school bc it is what i want to do!), 2 of my roomates are investment bankers and 1 works for a big 4 accounting firm.

The 2 i-bankers absolutely HAAAATE their job. They complain daily (if i even see them) about how bad it sucks. They get paid 100k right out of college, but also work around 100hrs a week. 7am-12am 4-5 days a week, and go in on weekends a lot. They sit in front of microsoft excel alllllllllllllll day long. Oh, and one of the i-bankers is switching to medicine as well! ha.

The point of this is that every job has its pros and cons. If it isnt for you, youll find out pretty soon...just like i did. Work is work...its gonna suck regardless. You just have to find something you enjoy and that sucks the least! haha


Just my .02 cents

so they are actually making around 45K not 100K.

 

[later2pharm]

This is some funny s hit. You must really believe those late-night endorsements on TV. The doctors are saying that because they get PAID to.

no im talking my personal doctors that I visit...

 

[smq123]

I guess they do treat the med-students like shiot but in a good way. To teach them and to show them what it takes to become a dr. And they will be a dr.

In a corporation (not all of course, but some) you just get treated like shiot with no intention of teaching you anything or for promotional purposes.

That's the best way I can describe it.

*snort*

This happens all the time in medicine. Having a nurse treat you like shiot, with no intention of teaching you anything, and doing so just for to make herself feel better. 🙄 That's like a rite of passage - one of the stupidest, most antiquated rites of passage imaginable.

This article is 4 years old... some of those figures and I'd even say sentiments probably have changed.

Maybe yes, maybe no.

I am terrified that I'm going to become burned out as a physician, and even more worried that I'll become one of those "impaired physicians." I can feel it already - being a bit of a perfectionist, bottling emotions up "so I can deal with it later," etc. As much as I'd love to change that, it's been a huge uphill battle (for a number of reasons).

On peds, one of the things that I hate the most, that really gets my blood boiling, is when I'm struggling to finish up a visit...and the parent is sitting there texting on her phone.

Oh. My. God. That makes me so angry on so many levels. It takes up time away from the other patients (because these idiotic parents seem to expect their 7 month old to answer my questions 🙄). It makes clinic run slower. And, above all, why in God's name should I, as a total stranger, care more about the well-being of their child than they do???

Or the parent who DEMANDS to be seen now because their kid has been wheezing for the past few days, and they just that they had only one albuterol treatment left. As much as I'd love to say that a lack of planning on their part does not equal an emergency on my part, I can't subject a poor, innocent 3 year old to my crankiness.

And this is just peds. The stories from the adult medicine side are even more frustrating.

It sometimes makes me not want to come to work. It gets really frustrating sometimes, trying to compensate for your patient's mistakes, and it drains you. After a while people just get on your nerves, sometimes.

 

[smq123]

And this is why I'm in favor of more nontrads in medicine, haha. I have a feeling that people who have real jobs to compare medicine to will be less whiny and negative than people who know nothing of the world outside medicine other than undergrad and maybe a research tech gap year job.

I call .

Some of my whiniest classmates have been non-trads. (Heck, some of the whiniest people on SDN were non-trads. Panda Bear was a Marine before med school.) And some of the most stoic were those who went straight through college into med school.