Roger_Dooley

NY Times article by Alex Williams, The Falling Down Professions, suggests that law and medicine are declining in popularity among professions targeted by ambitious undergrads.

What's hot? Fields with even higher potential payoffs for stars, and those which don't require many years of persistent effort to achieve modest success, e.g., investment banking and entrepreneurship.

dtex50

I would agree with those stats for physicians. In my household, it is 100%
of physicians ( 2 of 2). Doctors are often blamed by the uninformed for rising health care costs. Much of the cost increase is due to layers of administrative personnel now required because of ever-increasing government intrusion into medicine. Professional "quality assurance" personnel (Monday morning quarterbacks) also add to the cost. All of these people have to be paid. My advice for those wanting to study medicine because they want to help people (by the way, never say that in a med school interview) is to go to med school, train in a primary care specialty, and go practice in a third-world country. Your patients will appreciate your effort, you won't get sued, and you won't have to worry about being paid for your work.
The preceding rant is just some food for thought. I am actually semi-satisfied with my current work. Just boring.
Interesting that entrepreneurship is "hot". A field with a great deal of autonomy and one in which very hard work can yield personal and monetary reward. That is what medicine used to be.

mammall

My hs senior is thinking of medicine. Would love to see more posts from current practicing physicians. Here's a particular question with us - can't one be entrepreneurial with a medical degree foundation? Can't you go to work for a start-up biotech, wall street health care fund, etc?

Roger_Dooley

Dtex50, I think the "entrepreneurial" aspect of being a physician has been greatly reduced by the emergence of hospital-owned networks, large clinics, large practices, etc.

That may not be all bad - an individual skilled in medicine may not enjoy (or be good at) running an efficient accounting operation, marketing his/her services, etc. But, being employed by another entity definitely gives less control and less upside potential.

It's been long established that being in control of one's activities reduces stress, and today's legal and medical professions often put all but their senior members in situations with lots of demands but little control.

dtex50

Absolutely, mammall. One fellow in my med school class didn't do a medical residency and instead went to film school. Another went to law school. Not sure if she is part of the 20% or 60% dissatisfied. The start-up biotech route may require some clinical or research training, unless the company just needs an M.D. on the board. As more and more physicians in America are employed by a health care company or hospital, as opposed to being self-employed, physician managers are in some demand. Lot's of opportunities. Just be sure the goal is learn what medical school has to offer. If the goal is to have an M.D. after your name, there are better ways to spend 4+ years and 200K.

chronicidal

If you don't say you want to help people, what do you say in a med school interview?

sonar

Isn't this what people were saying when Chelsea Clinton went to McKinsey instead of going to law school à la her parents?

notre dame AL

In son's HS graduating class and closest circle of 8-10 boys, I would say that 6 of them are pre-med, with only 1 interested in engineering (son) and 1 other possibly interested in law. Of couse, of the six, 4 of them are children of doctors, while son and other possible law student are products of lawyers. Son is absolutely NOT interested in law after witnessing dad practice all of these years in a firm where billable hours are so important. Interestingly enough, dad represents a lot of doctors in practice. Son is also Not interested in pre-med--"too much blood to witness!"

Shrinkrap

My D, mom and pop both doctors, has decided only one thing for sure, and that's that she doesn't want to be one. But she's been "sure" of things before and changed her mind.I'm certainly somewhat disenchanted, but mostly because of the emphasis on drugs over lifestyle in our culture. I've though about it but there is still nothing I'd rather do...that will earn money at least.

elsijfdl

that's weird that they are saying lawyers are declining considering i just read an article in the chicago tribune about how the supply of law school grads greatly over-exceeds demand for them, to the point where many of them are doing clerical work for $20 an hour

piccolojunior

Good to hear that interest in law is declining. Not good to hear the same for medicine.

aisgzdavinci

^ oh yay. Less justice and less hospitals. Reminds me of the Ottomans.

bearpooh

"If you don't say you want to help people, what do you say in a med school interview?"

Saying that you want to help people is really cliched and really irritates med school interview panels. My parents, (both doctors, and past members of admissions panels) warned me not to even suggest that "helping the suffering" was any part of my motivation for doing medicine.

Talking about the intellectual challenge of medicine is better. At least, it worked for me, and helped me get into the most selective med school in my country.

The irony is that a part ( a small part) of the reason I did medicine was because I wanted to help the suffering.

dufay

Agree with dtex about the layers and layers of insurance administration (remember that HMOs were going to save $. yes, for the CEO etc). Prospective med students need to realize that 1) they will not be able to practice what they want 2)where they want and 3) how they want.
That said, I'm in academic medicine, and overall still get some sense of gratification when I see my patients get on with their lives (blood/marrow transplant), and sadness when they don't. We form intense relationships with many families. I've been sued about 5 times, and each time have strongly considered going over to the "dark side" aka Big Pharma. Families expect a perfect outcome in this highly imperfect world.

ilovebagels

my father is a doctor and has urged his children not to go to med school.

But I think you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who thinks we would be worse off with fewer lawyers...especially since they are so often to blame for the woes of the medical profession...