Your response to disgruntled doc

[aspirant]

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I have the feeling this has been asked here before, my sincere apologies if it has...

So it appears I've picked up a bit of the ole conjunctivitis. I go to see the doc at school today (thank god they have one for the no insurance people like me).. and he asks me about what I am in school for. So I am all too proud to mention that I am pre-med, figuring he will be a fountain of useful information and encouragement...

What I got instead was a barrage of harsh (albeit very funny) words about the medical profession. His chief complaints (if you will) seemed to be these:

1) It's an insane amount of work to go through med school and residency.

2) When you finish all of that, you still are catching a lot of s*** from hospital admins, nurses, patients, patients' families, then getting sued, etc. and it's a lot to deal with.

3) After awhile, being a doctor is just like anything else... technical skills that can even be boring at times, so why go through all of it when there are so many other things to do?

4) Your life is not 'normal'. No time to sit around and think about things.

I prodded him for another option that might be better. I mentioned I'd heard of some doctors who if they could do it all over again would be pharmacists. He lit up a bit, and said if I could handle gettting up at 4 a.m., I could make a lot of money and have a pretty enjoyable job as a nuclear medicine pharmacist.

So here is my question, SDN'ers... What is your response to all of this?

Is it worth it? Why?

and if not...

Is there something masochistic about going through all of this (geez, I am still in undergrad and getting somewhat chewed up) that makes it worth it, sort of like you need to do it to make yourself feel good?

I don't know what kind of answer I am expecting. Just some other people who think that it isn't crazy to do all of this stuff when we could all be nuclear pharmacists and have 'normal' lives.

Let the flaming of me begin...

-asp

 

[DrMom]

All of the points that Dr made are very valid, you just have to decide if medicine is what you want. If you enjoy it, then it is all worthwhile. If you don't like it, then you'll be a dsigruntled Dr.


Every job has it's pros and cons. If you're going into medicine mostly for the $$$ and prestige, you're likely to be unhappy. If you truly like medicine & recognize that it's not all glamorous, that every job gets monotonous, that it'll take a lot of time and effort, and that you're not likely to have a "normal" life....then go ahead. Just be sure you're as realistic as possible going into it. There are definitely Drs out there who love their jobs, so don't let one unhappy Dr change your mind. 🙂

 

[bigdan]

Asp-
No flames from me here. You have a valid question, IMHO.
It comes down to what YOU want, not what the doctor you talked to wants. I can't tell you how many therapists I work with that are elated that they are PT/OT/ST and they'll never have to do anything else beyond standard CEUs to keep their licenses. But that's them and not me. I'm looking forward to being challenged - the technical is gonna be routine, but what about the intellect? Or changing an area of focus within the field? Research? Moonlighting? Or decreasing hours so that your life is "normal"?
If you wanna be a doc, do it. If not, don't. It's good you look at this aspect now, 'cause medical school is an expensive mistake.
Best of luck in whatever you choose.

dc

 

[NonTradMed]

I agree. The doctor offered valid advice that IMHO every premed should listen to. I think too many premeds romanticize medicine and forget that at the end of the day, it is still a job, with all the stress and boredom that working at it for 30 years will bring.

Just keep in mind that there are cons to every job, including medicine and decide for yourself whether the pros still outweigh the cons.

And remember that in every career, there are disgruntled workers, as a premed, it would be wise to heed their words. 🙂

 

[uclacrewdude]

i only say one thing to people like that: "bring it."

 

[Neuronix]

I agree with all but #4. There are specialties where you can make a good amount of money and lead a normal lifestyle. It's all up to you how important those things are.

Also, it's still a guaranteed job when you're done. Outside of medical technical specialties, I can't think of anything else as stable with such good pay.

Did I mention that it's damn interesting?