Yes, I Am Doing Medicine For The Money!!!!!

BU Medical Sciences
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Law2Doc said:
See -- you really need to look at the prior threads on this same topic. You are clearly trolling, but not doing it as well as some of the threads that have come before you. I mean, money first, respect second. What's third -- the golfing or the trophy wife?
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First of all, I am a girl not boy. Second, please do say what ever you want to and I will tell you what my third priority is, it is to buy a mansion for my mom!!
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r123 said:
I do enjoy helping others and making their lives less miserable and in return getting respect. That is the second reason I want to do it. After I retire, I will open free healthcare Hospitals for the poor and spend rest of my life out there helping the less fortunate.
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well you certainly made your original post sound very much like all you wanted to get out of medicine was the money. Sorry that I misunderstood.
 
good luck to you
 
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r123 said:
I will tell you what my third priority is, it is to buy a mansion for my mom!!
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How is that NOT materialistic? :rolleyes:
Oh that's right, it's for your mom, my bad.
 
I fear for the people who would be under your care. If money is a higher priority to you in a profession where a person's health is the highest priority then I pity you and pray for the poor souls who would be under your care.

All said and done, good luck.
 
I'm in it for the money too. I'm going to savor every dollar of my projected 100k/year MD/PhD salary ;)

Why get a job if you're not going to get paid? ;) If we weren't in it for the money, we'd be doing free work. OK?????
 
Med-tallica said:
I fear for the people who would be under your care. If money is a higher priority to you in a profession where a person's health is the highest priority then I pity you and pray for the poor souls who would be under your care.

All said and done, good luck.
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Please, please, worry about yourself. I will take excellent care of my patients, THANK YOU and I will make sure to prove you WRONG. :D

Will you be calling your patients name too just b/c you don't like them?
 
r123 said:
First of all, I am a girl not boy. Second, please do say what ever you want to and I will tell you what my third priority is, it is to buy a mansion for my mom!!
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mansion on a doctor's salary? *chuckle*
 
r123 said:
Will you be calling your patients name too just b/c you don't like them?
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I fail to see how Med-tallica called you a name?? Did I miss something?
 
This is the third or fourth re-incarnation of the same played out thread. We get it - some pre-meds are in it for the money. Others aren't. Count me in the latter.
 
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Dr.Acula said:
This is the third or fourth re-incarnation of the same played out thread. We get it - some pre-meds are in it for the money. Others aren't. Count me in the latter.
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If you've been on SDN long enough you'd know this is the third or fourth reincarnation just in THIS YEAR (not just 3-4 times total). This thread comes back over and over and over again, and on several of these boards. It's like a bad flu -- it runs its course and will pop back up in a couple of months. The only difference is that some of the prior posters were more creative and came off less blatently trollish. It was too clear this one was a fake from the very first post.
 
r123 said:
First of all, I am a girl not boy. Second, please do say what ever you want to and I will tell you what my third priority is, it is to buy a mansion for my mom!!
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You sound like a 14 year old conjuring an argument.
 
have fun with your money. buy your mom a mansion.. maybe she'll pay more attention to you so you don't have to start meaningless threads.


sorry for responding....sigh.. i just couldn't help it.. :rolleyes:
 
Being the doctor that my folks wanted me to marry is good enough for me. :laugh:
 
Since everyone has pretty much bashed the OP into the ground, I thought I'd propose something different.

It seems irrational to go into a career such as medicine merely to make some big bucks, but even I have to admit, that not everyone can go into i-banking and not many careers pay as well as medicine.

Considering what I just said, do you think it's possible that someone could be a good doctor while still caring only about the money?

Perhaps they wouldn't be happy and they might regret their career, but I do think that it is somehow possible. People do horrible jobs to get their pay check, and if someone gets to live a luxurious lifestyle, they probably would be willing to work really hard.

I'm not really condoning or mitigating the audacity of the OP, and I myself believe that passion and interest in medicine are vital to entering the profession, but surely, it wouldn't be completely outrageous to realistically conclude that some good doctors are materialistic.

Other than that, I really have nothing to add.
-Dr. P.
 
i dont think doctors make that much money. you have to remember that they have to pay for malpractice insurance. if you really want to make money, maybe you should become a famous actor/actress. they make a lot of money.
 
oh yeah, if you say that you're really into the money and since you are so honest about it, how about going to the interview and telling that is the ONLY reason why you want to become a doctor. that's just ridiculous!!!
 
there seems to be this belief that doctors work harder than the rest of the world. anyone with a career works ridiculous hours and puts up with crap. so going into medicine for the money doesn't seem odd or ill-advised to me. you gotta do something, may as well get paid. now going into architecture for the money, that would be a bad idea. since you don't make much. But I digress, here's my standard reply: I have a sick kid and hate all the crap-o doctors he has that obviously have no passion for the work and just enjoy their mercedes. Now my son's opthamologist drives a VW and I love him :love: . I vote to keep the non-passionate money-grubbers outside the gates...:thumbdown:
 
r123 said:
People who say that they are ONLY going in it only to help other people are LYING because if you want to do that why don't you just become a priest or something else. That way you won't waste time in helping others. Right?
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You do realize that it can take 10-16 years of studying to become a fully ordained priest, right?
 
MollyMalone said:
I can only interpret this post as a blatant plea for a cookie. So here, have one:

cookie.jpg
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:laugh: ...I love you, and I don't even know you!
 
Dr. Pepper said:
do you think it's possible that someone could be a good doctor while still caring only about the money?

Perhaps they wouldn't be happy and they might regret their career, but I do think that it is somehow possible. People do horrible jobs to get their pay check, and if someone gets to live a luxurious lifestyle, they probably would be willing to work really hard.

I'm not really condoning or mitigating the audacity of the OP, and I myself believe that passion and interest in medicine are vital to entering the profession, but surely, it wouldn't be completely outrageous to realistically conclude that some good doctors are materialistic.

Other than that, I really have nothing to add.
-Dr. P.
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Yes, I agree, there are some good doctors out there who only care about money because they are very skilled enough to get away with being good and not caring or showing any kindness to their patients...Then again, there are also bad doctors who have made it through and do it only for the money..like the one I went to two weeks ago who couldn't even find my vein when he was taking my blood. He obviously didn't care that it hurt when he stabbed my arm 5 times with the needle only for me to point out that perhaps my other arm with the more apparent vein would be a better place to draw blood! he just wanted me out of the building so that I can pay my 125 with as little time to spare....Reality bites, some jerks make it in this profession all for the wrong reasons and still enjoy that bmw...ugh...
:thumbdown:
 
Medicine isn't only meant for the money. Some people like the status, some people have had personal experiences and said "wow, I know what I want to do," and for the unfortunate, some just decided that they need something to do (nothing wrong with that). The money is a nice incentive, but for anyone to say that is the only motivation to be a doctor is a complete douche, because you can find other less stressful jobs that pay the same (and less work to i.e. the education process as well as residency and fellowships and whatnot). Why go into something extremely difficult if you can go into business or politics and make the same? For those going in for the money, they are sacrificing their youth to do something that will give them a large (but not huge) payoff.

MiesVanDerMom said:
But I digress, here's my standard reply: I have a sick kid and hate all the crap-o doctors he has that obviously have no passion for the work and just enjoy their mercedes. Now my son's opthamologist drives a VW and I love him :love: . I vote to keep the non-passionate money-grubbers outside the gates...:thumbdown:
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My dentist, a very good one at that, who has her own practice, drives a beat up 1998 Honda Civic. But on that token, that is what we see. How about when she gets home?!?

But the car a doctor drives has little to do with what kind of doctor they are. If I recall correctly, people of all professions drive Mercedes and other expensive cars.
 
gdawg102 said:
Yes, I agree, there are some good doctors out there who only care about money because they are very skilled enough to get away with being good and not caring or showing any kindness to their patients...Then again, there are also bad doctors who have made it through and do it only for the money..like the one I went to two weeks ago who couldn't even find my vein when he was taking my blood. He obviously didn't care that it hurt when he stabbed my arm 5 times with the needle only for me to point out that perhaps my other arm with the more apparent vein would be a better place to draw blood! he just wanted me out of the building so that I can pay my 125 with as little time to spare....Reality bites, some jerks make it in this profession all for the wrong reasons and still enjoy that bmw...ugh...
:thumbdown:
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You also have to take into account that there are many passionate, caring, blah, blah people that make it through medical school but end up not being good doctors. If someone is extremely good at what they do because they are highly motivated (and even if it is mostly by money) then I would rather have them operating on me than some really nice, passionate, caring doctor that just can't do as good of a job. There are so many people who respond to threads such as the OP's and they are trying to sound like Gandhi, but the fact that most of you are replying with the predictable "I'm a saint and thats it" response makes me wonder if you're just saying it to hear yourself say it.
 
I come from a family of vast old money. If I really wanted, I wouldn't need to work a day in my life. I am going into medicine because of my keen intrigue/interest in research and frontier science; my desire to reach, connect, and ultimetely help people on a very genuine and real level; and my yearning to lead a somewhat dignified and respectable lifestyle....

So, no. I would say money is not a factor for me... I understand I am probably an exception though.
 
akademiks1989 said:
Medicine isn't only meant for the money. Some people like the status, some people have had personal experiences and said "wow, I know what I want to do," and for the unfortunate, some just decided that they need something to do (nothing wrong with that). The money is a nice incentive, but for anyone to say that is the only motivation to be a doctor is a complete douche, because you can find other less stressful jobs that pay the same (and less work to i.e. the education process as well as residency and fellowships and whatnot). Why go into something extremely difficult if you can go into business or politics and make the same? For those going in for the money, they are sacrificing their youth to do something that will give them a large (but not huge) payoff.



My dentist, a very good one at that, who has her own practice, drives a beat up 1998 Honda Civic. But on that token, that is what we see. How about when she gets home?!?

But the car a doctor drives has little to do with what kind of doctor they are. If I recall correctly, people of all professions drive Mercedes and other expensive cars.
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people keep on saying how it's easier to make money in other professions with less education and all that. But I would like to say it's never easy to make a large amount of money. If it was, some joe in the street can make huge amounts, but not every regular dude will earn a lot. There are risks with jobs in business. Medicine is stable in that regard.
 
MollyMalone said:
I can only interpret this post as a blatant plea for a cookie. So here, have one:

cookie.jpg
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Have another. Everyone knows you're a troll, but SDN is known for the passive aggressive type, and so you'll never be called out for being an assho!e.

You're an Assho!e. Not because you want money, but because of the way you presented.
 
I'll admit it, money is a factor: YOU NEED IT TO SURVIVE!!! you know, utilities, shelter, transportation, food, water, and so forth.

I guess those American doctors practicing medicine in war-striken Darfur did it for the money too [/sarcasm].:sleep:
 
Good trolling, OP, well done.
 
zbruinz said:
people keep on saying how it's easier to make money in other professions with less education and all that. But I would like to say it's never easy to make a large amount of money. If it was, some joe in the street can make huge amounts, but not every regular dude will earn a lot. There are risks with jobs in business. Medicine is stable in that regard.
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Of course it's not easy. But medicine is certainly as hard, if not harder than nearly every other career. In very few careers do you work 70 hours a week under the constant stress that if you goof, people die. So this certainly isn't close to easy income - it's more like hazard pay.
But the highest rewards come with the highest risks. Someone purely interested in the love of money would have the best chance of making a whole lot of it in a higher potential yield career. Focusing on money above all else makes being stuck at a stable flat income a bad concept. Someone smart enough to get into med school who is willing to put in the same kind of effort in another career, and willing to take additional risk, can likely earn more money in another career. Sure, it's risky, and not everyone gets rich, but many do. By contrast, it's pretty much a guarantee that no one going the medical route is going to be buying mansions for their parents, although in I banking and other finance based careers, I know a number of classmates who certainly could if they wanted (if they even liked their parents).
 
Dr. Pepper said:
Considering what I just said, do you think it's possible that someone could be a good doctor while still caring only about the money?

Perhaps they wouldn't be happy and they might regret their career, but I do think that it is somehow possible. People do horrible jobs to get their pay check, and if someone gets to live a luxurious lifestyle, they probably would be willing to work really hard.
Click to expand...


No. The people who are just working horrible jobs for the paycheck are not working 70 hours a week after having gone through 4 years of school and 3+ years of training. Medicine is far too hard a road, takes too long, costs too much, involves too much pressure (you can kill people when you slip up), and will consume too large a percentage of your waking life to do it if you get no enjoyment out of it. If you dread the morning alarm clock, and get no interest or have no fun during the 60-70 hours or so a week that you will likely be working FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE (basically the vast majority of waking hours), then honestly no level of paycheck will make it worth it.
It's not a job where you can "phone it in" and not be putting in 100% effort, like a lot of working for the paycheck jobs. So no -- if you aren't at all into it, and get no pleasure from some aspect of the job -- be it doing procedures, honing your skills, interacting with patients, research, whatever, then it will be a rotten life, and no amount of paycheck will make up for it. As with most careers, when someone is not into it, and just going through the motions, they are not particularly good at it. Hence if you don't enjoy it, at least on some level, apart from the salary, then no - you can never really be a good doctor. This is why it is a profession, not a job -- a job is something you can just "phone it in" and work for the weekend without really caring. A profession carries higher expectations and standards.

Also, if you have the same kind of expenses most folks will have, the medical salary will be quite comfortable, but hardly what most on here would term "luxurious".
 
r123 said:
Money is the only reason I am going into medicine and it is my TOP PRIORITY. Everything else is secondary for me. I will be spending most of my life studying, and I don't mind. If it wasn't for the money, I think people wouldn't waste their time studying most of their life. People who say that they are ONLY going in it only to help other people are LYING because if you want to do that why don't you just become a priest or something else. That way you won't waste time in helping others. Right?
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rabbit_pancake.jpg
 
Sorry, probably a really dumb question. But, what is I-banking? The only time I ever heard of it was on SDN.
 
I-banking is short hand for investment banking. This is not retail banking (where you have your checking account) but deals with the banks that act on behalf of corporations in offering stock for public sale (when a company "goes public" and offers stock the "initial public offering" is made by i-bankers who decide how many shares to offer and at what starting price).

The computer industry (and the famous "dot.com" bubble) and biotech are two big areas raising capital thorugh stock offerings.
 
t2oo5 said:
Sorry, probably a really dumb question. But, what is I-banking? The only time I ever heard of it was on SDN.
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investment banking. i have a friend in investment banking now. he works a buttload of hours (at least 60 normally) but rolls in, i'd say, at least $100k
about 4 years out of college.

the point is, you can make a lot of money elsewhere with less time and risk involved. sure $100k doesn't look like much but seeing as how i'll be stuck in school for another 8-9 years, i think it's about the same given that i won't be making money for 8-9 years but will be spending a ton during that time. it all boils down to whether you value current money or future money more. that and i love what i do, which helps a lot.

and to the OP, buying your mommy a mansion is why you want to be a doctor? what are you, 10 yo? that then raises the question, are you being pushed into medicine by your parents?
 
op...your types sicken me since to some degree you actually are competition for those of us who primarily want to help others. i don't think that you can even come close to being a good physician when the money is such a driving factor. i just really hope that you show the adcoms your true side so they can do the right thing.


[to the sdn folks...sorry for replying to a troll, but i just couldnt help it on this one]
 
ill say it again.

money=good
helping=good

who the hell cares why you do what you do...
 
Most physicians are materialistic and that probably factored in to their initial career decisions. Look at their lifestyles. I hope to be one who isn't. However, the human personality is not composed 100% of greed in most of the population so doctors cannot be in the profession 100% for the money. Other things like respect (also self-serving), and enjoying the work you do in your short life come into play.
 
yourmom25 said:
it all boils down to whether you value current money or future money more.
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This is a totally inaccurate way to look at things and will get you laughed out of many circles. A dollar today is worth more than a dollar a year from now. Always. It has nothing to do with how you personally value it. All of financial valuation and every financial transaction is at least partially based on this concept. It's how you can borrow, invest, get a mortgage, do tax and estate planning -- basically the capitalist word goes round because of this concept. So no -- it has nothing of how YOU value it -- current money IS worth more than future money. It's a concept you should know or you will be taken advantage of in life. It's probably the first concept you learn at any business school.

A good example is the annuity value of lottery winnings. If you win a million dollars in the lottery to be paid over a decade or so, they often will offer you several hundred thousand dollars as the annuity value if you want to take it today. These amounts are both the SAME "value", just that the lesser amount is in your hands sooner. But they are worth the same amount. Just that money today is worth more than money later.
 
As far as "what my doctor drives" comments, don't put too much into that. They know better than bring their Ferrari to work. I personally know of a few doctors that have $300k+ Ferraris and Lamborghinis, but drive a regular pos car to work everyday. They don't even THINK about bringing their nice car to work. My friend's dentist has a 360 Modena ($170k new), but drove his Civic to work. The fact is, you don't know how much money your doctor has in the bank. I doubt you know how they spend their money, too. Everyone makes decisions in thier lives based on opporutnity costs. Would you go through med school and go into debt to make twenty thousand a year? I highly doubt it.
 
WilliamsF1 said:
As far as "what my doctor drives" comments, don't put too much into that. They know better than bring their Ferrari to work. I personally know of a few doctors that have $300k+ Ferraris and Lamborghinis, but drive a regular pos car to work everyday. They don't even THINK about bringing their nice car to work. My friend's dentist has a 360 Modena ($170k new), but drove his Civic to work. The fact is, you don't know how much money your doctor has in the bank. I doubt you know how they spend their money, too. Everyone makes decisions in thier lives based on opporutnity costs. Would you go through med school and go into debt to make twenty thousand a year? I highly doubt it.
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Physician salaries of today do not enable you to buy a Lamborghini or Ferrarri. These are clearly folks who either got into the field before the days of reimbursements, or invested or married wisely, or inherited. You would have to invest every cent you made into something much more lucrative than medicine to have that kind of disposable income. You and r123 ought to carpool to the I banking interviews.
 
Law2Doc said:
Physician salaries of today do not enable you to buy a Lamborghini or Ferrarri. These are clearly folks who either got into the field before the days of reimbursements, or invested or married wisely, or inherited. You would have to invest every cent you made into something much more lucrative than medicine to have that kind of disposable income. You and r123 ought to carpool to the I banking interviews.
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I never said anything about going into it for the money. In fact, I find nothing interesting about I-banking. Sure, they make a lot of money, but if I don't enjoy what I do, what's the use? It's too easy for anyone here to say that money has NOTHING to do with it. If that's the case, no one would be complaining about the loans they will have to take out and the resident salary. The fact is, money will play one of the parts for people determinng what they do with their lives. The only time I see this not happening is if the person is already a millionaire and can afford to live while donating their time and money to what they enjoy.

The doctors I know don't live paycheck to paycheck and they are continually saving for retirement and making good investments. They're not family doctors, I'm talking about heart surgeons and highly paid rads. There is another doctor that I know of who said he could never afford his car with his salary, but made wise investments and now has close to 10 cars like the one he can't afford on his salary. Btw, the people I'm talking about are true car enthusiasts, not someone buying to showoff. Most of them enjoy tracking their cars and gathering with fellow fanatics and talking about them.

I've always heard the stereotype that doctors are bad with money, but I have not seen this as the case.

Edit: Depending on the type of Ferrari, most doctors can afford them. Most are under $75k and I've seen plenty of docs driving around in their Mercedes S550s and 997 Carreras, which cost quite a bit more.
 
WilliamsF1 said:
Edit: Depending on the type of Ferrari, most doctors can afford them. Most are under $75k and I've seen plenty of docs driving around in their Mercedes S550s and 997 Carreras, which cost quite a bit more.
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Current starting salaries post-residency are more realistically in the volvo/honda range, not mercedes and porsches. Times have changed and entry barriers for setting up practices are higher than the days when the folks you know got in. By the time you are making enough to buy a 75k+ car, you probably will have kids and needing to pay that money in tuition, daycare, etc. Expect comfortable, not extravagant.
 
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