To the MDs out there: are you happy?

Parent Cafe
61

<p>

</p>

<p>Well yes, when your patients are either already dead or sitting in a test tube or microscope slide then time generally isn’t of the essence ;-). But yeah, I think pathology is a really interesting branch.</p>

<p>To answer the OPs question… I think medicine can be a very rewarding career so long as you know what you’re getting into and are willing to accept the realities of what a medical career actually entails (vs the fictional world generally displayed on TV shows). </p>

<p>First there’s “money.” The myth is still often out there that if you become a physician you’re going to be rich and live a high class lifestyle. The truth is that generally speaking there isn’t much money to be made in medcine. Sure you’ll make more than the average worker but the first 10-15 years out of med school are really rough (low residency salaries combined with massive student loans and totally silly hours). After that, you’ll make a decent salary although compared to many other top ‘prestigious’ careers (e.g. company executives) it’s definitely on the lower end of the compensation scale.</p>

<p>With the mess that is the US healthcare system most of today’s physicians are essentially pawns of the corporate HMOs and hospitals. Despite all that schooling and training, most decisions still need to be approved by an insurance company or HMO. That means that a 20 year old in a call center might essentially be telling a highly trained physician what they can and can’t do. </p>

<p>Don’t do it for money (because relatively speaking there isn’t much). Don’t do it for lifestyle (because it’s generally quite crappy). But if you honestly really care about the practicing of medicine and are willing to put that interest above money, lifestyle and at times even family then you’re likely to enjoy it. But… if you’re not willing to make those sacrifices then you should really think twice about it.</p>

62

<p>^All MDs (very many) that I know have spouses that do not work. Some of them have a lot of kids and all live in very expensive houses and drive Lexus’s or whatever in the same range . Most of their kids go to private schools and all are going to college when time comes. I have known these MDs for couple decades at least, none of them ever worry or discuss their job security, not like all the rest of us mortals. Somehow this picture does not match with the idea of NOT HAVING MUCH MONEY. It does not mean that there are no issues in their profession, but MDs seem to feel happier, more secure, richer and confident than the rest of us. Yes, we have few Corporate Executives in Industry, but I imagine (I do not know for a fact) that all medical organizations have them also. Any organization must have somebody who is in charge of it all and who gets salary that is way above average in a field.</p>