<p>If you've learned anything from this thread, do not go into any medicine for the money!</p>
<p>fair enough. It's still going to be hard choice for me on whether or not to go into medicine, because i really do think it would be cool to help people in a way that few other professions can. This, and the fact that it is a challenging profession that not all can/will do.
However, i still do think it's fair to evaluate ALL the aspects of the profession. the name of the thread is "Is a career in medicine really worth it?" and these sort of things are things i have to think about as well when determining if it's "really worth it". There's a reason people get paid to work, otherwise, you wouldn't have very many people working. Getting back to the point, these sort of things need to be taken into account when choosing your eventual occupation, because it WILL impact your life.</p>
<p>Quite an eye-opening thread.</p>
<p>Thanks to all contributors!</p>
<p>Here's something from a Psychiatry forum I frequent. Not sure if it belongs here, but I thought the perspective might be interesting.</p>
<p>"As already mentioned, these changes are certainly not limited to psych residents. There are significant changes in expectations and identification throughout medicine (if not society as a whole). My residents (anesthesiology) used to think of themselves as physicians first. Now they see themselves as something else (skiers, runners, travelers, etc.) who happen to practice medicine in order to make a living. There are feelings of entitlement that seem to run deep. I am not convinced that this is simply due to the shortened work week during residency. I think there are larger societal issues at play (some of which have already been noted). I am still amazed when we interview people fresh out of residency for an attending slot, who will tell us at interview that they won't take call, won't work weekends and need to leave the O.R. by 5 p.m. The approach to work is sloppy. The response to criticism is "whatever". While I can still find good residents now and again, I feel that many of them are just training to be technicians rather than what I would think of as a physician."</p>
<p>I love being a doctor but I hate practicing medicine, a friend, Saeed Siddiqui, told me recently. We were sitting in his office amid his many framed medical certificates and a poster of an illuminated lighthouse that read: Success doesnt come to you. You go to it.</p>
<p>From the New York Times Essay</a> - Fed Up With the Frustrations, More Doctors Change Course - NYTimes.com</p>
<p>very interesting thread. I, too, am looking into medicine, but not really sure which field. Funny enough, anesthesiology was one field i was interested in. However, after reading this and with full knowledge of the United States' dire health care situation. I wonder if I really want to be involved with that.
I took a class called Moral and Social Problems in Health Care where we watched a film that basically documented a group of doctors and their struggles with today's current health care system and all this paperwork nonsense that they have to deal with.</p>
<p>There are some real good points in that article from the last poster. How's a doctor supposed to give good care when he has to worry about insurance companies rejecting coverage all the time. Then the doctor has to take time away from actually helping patients to deal with THAT BS. I work in a pharmacy as a tech and i see crazy costs all the time for drugs and so many claims being rejected from the insurance companies, which we then have to call the doctor back on to get him to change the prescription. I mean, that's ridiculous. If the patient needs it, he/she should get it.</p>
<p>But then again, those are just idealistic dreams. So I really wonder because one huge reason i would do medicine is to actually be able to interact with people and help them with skills that I worked long and hard to attain and that not many other people have. But if i'm going to have a hand tied behind my back in terms of what i can do due to insurance companies, im not sure if i like that too much. </p>
<p>Perhaps other professions i have been thinking about seem more appealing now, like business or pharmacy.</p>
<p>Not all doctors work in private practices where they have to spar with insurance companies alone. There are academic, multispecialty groups, pharma and government jobs (FDA, NIH< VA, etc) where physicians are paid fair salaries (sometimes with bonuses) and fewer hassels.</p>
<p>this thread is very interesting and informng.</p>
<p>just wondering. for nerology which is better, hospital or private practice??</p>
<p>... so first off, the opposite of "private practice" is not "hospital." Plenty of private practice docs work in hospitals.</p>
<p>Second, which one is "better" depends on what you want out of your career.</p>
<p>
[quote]
so first off, the opposite of "private practice" is not "hospital." Plenty of private practice docs work in hospitals.
[/quote]
Like Elliot from Scrubs.</p>
<p>ali,
learn to spell neurology if you want to do it.</p>
<p>Focus,
One of the problems is there are many different drugs which do the same thing - and many generic drugs that most do the same as the original. Insurance companies "pick" which drug they will use and negotiate a price for them. Unless the doc is using an electronic Rx that picks the drug by insurance company, they have no idea until you call them and then usually an office assistant does it.</p>
<p>Shrinkrap
Right On.</p>
<p>Rumor has it that they are going to shorten the hours once again.</p>
<p>Princess'Dad</p>
<p>The thread that generated that comment on the other forum, rages on.</p>
<p>For those thinking of Psychiatry, this was the subject of another.</p>
<p>This story is important on many levels. This reality is not hard to avoid once you finish training, but DURING training, this is important to think about.</p>
<p>Tape</a> shows woman dying on waiting room floor - CNN.com</p>
<p>Well, after taking some time to read through all of the posts I have decided to add to the discussion. In full disclosure, I am a PharmD., work for a major chain in a community setting. Since everyone wants to know, I should pull in about 125-130k this year, depending on how much OT I choose to work (choose is a key term here!), I am at 112k base, and I will receive a bonus come year-end. In weeks that I do not work OT, I put in 40 hours, and I find plenty of time to hang out with friends, family, workout, play guitar, and do just about anything else I want. I do plan on eventually getting an MBA and then moving into healthcare management. I'll admit that sometimes work is not the least bit challenging or stimulating, but I manage to help people on a daily basis and find it rewarding. The job can get a bit repetitive.</p>
<p>Of all the opinions/info presented so far I would say this...trust those that are posted by physicians. I don't put much faith in the high schooler who's friend's dad's brother is a cardiologist with an enzo, a big mansion, and a model wife clearing 800k per month (slight exaggeration.) I will also point out that the heart surgeon who has a 10 million dollar house is actually now CEO of a publishing company (I googled it!), so he didn't earn that money soley by practicing medicine. Listen to the people with 20-30 years in the field, and listen to what has changed. Don't be fooled by salary stats, which are more representative of MD's several years into practice. And finally, if you are going into medicine only for the money I think you are going to have a long and dissappointing career. After awhile the money will not make up for your unhappiness, and by then it will be too late to change.</p>
<p>That being said medicine is a rewarding profession, in which, if you are smart you will never be clipping coupns, but probably won't be purchasing a private jet. There are better jobs to make money, and certainly worse jobs that pay less.</p>
<p>I would also like to note that earlier posts were debating MBA vs MD. I would like to point out one flaw in the reasoning. People seemed to think a comparison could be drawn between the "average" MD and MBA. I feel that this is not fair, given the competition in getting into the various programs. An individual that is driven enough and intelligent enough to gain admission into medical school would be on par with the type of person that would get into a more reputable MBA program. Just my opinion.</p>
<p>
[quote]
There are better jobs to make money
[/quote]
Elaborate! you left me hanging :[</p>
<p>Doctors make too much. I don't want I hear the, "but I went to med school, or I wasted 12 years of my life," excuse. In my family it's a tradition to become a doctor. I am going to be the first to break it, even though I hear the constant threats of disownment and no will. I have witnessed first hand what doctors do to people. Letting people die just because they couldn't pay for surgeries or them die because they won't make any money. I have too much of heart to become a doctor. </p>
<p>Get over it, medicine is supposed to be a service; not for money!</p>
<p>Pharmaceutical companies and "most" doctors are crooks.</p>
<p>Edit: I remember the time my disgusting dad and his partners went to some foreign country to give vaccines. They wanted to go so bad, even though they didn't have enough shots; they just filled them with alcohol, not containing the true vaccine.</p>
<p>Unbelievable. All of those children are probably dead.</p>
<p>So you decided to go into i-banking...</p>
<p>petroleum engineering... I never said I wanted to do a service to our community. I just don't want to scam people when they are going through a life or death situation. I will never play with someone's life to make a profit. </p>
<p>If I was in it for the money; I'd be an anesthesiologist. There are plenty of residencies out there for the taking; I know, my grandfather was one...</p>
<p>...until the dumbass died. He worked part time and brought it 7 figs, absolutely ridiculous.</p>