My lad is currently in his second year of med school and loving every minute of it. He decided back when he was 8 that he wanted to be a doctor and never wavered except to briefly consider research. He tells me (and others) that the time and effort spent “isn’t work when you love it.” He’s never been after any sort of money from the profession. He knows several happy doctors.
This isn’t to say there isn’t significant work/time involved or bad days or frustrating aspects, but merely that one ought to find their niche.
I half wonder if there are so many unhappy doctors because a good number of them went into it for the money or prestige or “push” from parents, etc, rather than making their own choice due to loving the job. It’s also not uncommon for folks to get into a job (any job) and burn out. Making a second life choice isn’t unusual overall, but there might be more “pressure” not to do so for doctors (vs teachers, etc) due to having a budget that requires higher pay or feeling they might lose prestige or similar.
If GPs are making $400-$500k/per year at Kaiser, that is merely a reflection of what Kaiser has to pay to fill those jobs in their markets. Could be many reasons for that, including cost of living, proportion of docs willing to be an employee vs own practice, desire to build a capability as an investigator in research studies, etc. Here is one docs take on working at Kaiser https://www.ophthoquestions.com/posts/why-i-left-kaiser-and-why-you-might-want-to
I agree with the posters who have noted that AI may impact many physician specialties, certainly students need to stay aware of coming changes, just like in many other industries.
Note those salaries relate to the specialty and, as they are averages, there will be those earning less, whether working around childraising or spending a chunk of time with non-profits.
Right now, we have robotics for, eg, prostate surgery. Vast improvement. But the plain old “doctoring” isn’t going away soon. Someone needs to diagnose your medical issues, prescribe, treat pain, and more.
Med school is no piece of cake. Some take to it better than others. Before that, many colleges weed down to only their best candidates for a med school recommendation. A lot of work betwen senior year and applying.
Not necessarily. Machines will in the very near future accumulate more “experiences” in diagnosing and treating patients, than any individual doctor ever will.
My daughter wanted the same until she shadowed and later talked to the wife’s coworkers.(ER and FP)
55-60hrs a week, get out of school in your late 20s, do you have to be the one in charge? Do you want yo be a surgeon? If not, if there is anything else you want, do that was the general advise.
My daughter said, NO, that is not the life she wanted. Much prefers the work life balance of a PA and that is the goal.
Doctoring is a current emphasis in med school and part of qualifying for the degree, today. Much more so than even t15 or 20 years ago. That’s a show of faith that good doctors will continue to be needed. We arent talking about a total cultural shift where you and I are satisfied to talk to a machine and get a printout. There are so many subtleties in the practice of medicine. We may be comfortable leaning on Dr Google, at times. I can check out my symptoms. But I want a better educated specialist behind me (or in front, more literally,) to pull my symptoms together, in line with my med history and what my docs know of my personality.
Many top med schools are moving to increase their student bodies. A doctor shortage is predicted in certain specialties.
I am answering this question from the perspective of a patient who spent over a year with various doctors, who were all part of the same team. They were the most concerned, upbeat, respectful and wonderful people. I never felt that they were miserable- they really seemed to love their profession. I was always amazed at how well they listened and sympathized. The one I really connected with would talk about his research, his family, vacations and once told me this was what he was meant to do.
Let your daughter follow her heart here - she could really change lives. My experience really made to see the medical profession in a new light.
^That’s been our experience, too. My husband had day surgery last week to remove a kidney stone, and we were amazed that the doctor took as much time as he did to speak with us. Such a nice, positive person! And our son’s psychiatrist definitely has changed HIS life! I don’t know what we would have done without the man.
Start with why! I’m fairly religious so is my brother. We are both MDs, 21 and 38 yrs in the service of man in different areas of Primary Care. Work is 60-80 hours per week, half of which is non reimbursed. We are both happy. My oldest D is on the same path now and has that same commitment. Profession first, doubtful on motherhood. You need to have that higher purpose to see the light through the tunnel. My younger D does not have that make up and is choosing a different path. Prestige, Power and Money will NOT be enough!
medical school is increasingly expensive (Average tuition & fees are $60K/year, with some schools’s COAs above $100K/year)
residencies.are longer than they have been in the past
work-life balance is increasingly value by younger physician who are unwilling to work the 60-80 hours/week that is typical for a practicing physician. Shorter hours = less compensation
Medicine is transitioning away from physician-owned medical practices to corporate own medical practices where the physician is a salaried employee. (lower compensation)
The biggest disappointments my wife has faced in practicing medicine in the US is the amount of time spent dealing with non medical issues(i.e. insurance paperwork) and poorly run Health care employers.
again the comments have gone all over the map
The Wall Street physician article is a joke. It only looks at cost which on an incremental basis are reasonably modeled at $300K. The return however more than compensates for that.
Most highly compensated people work 40-60 hours a week - any successful sales, lawyer, etc. So there is nothing different.
Basically an MD is a slam dunk financially - if however you want to work 30 hours a week and relax, then this is not for you
Agreed on the financial stability but not on the 2-3 days/week part. Many women doctors do work part-time when pregnant/raising children and still earn good income (100k/yr). Don’t see that much flexibility In other professions where you also become prime target for layoff when you get older.
As pointed out above, there are objective reasons to not become a physician. It takes a long time to get through school, residency, etc, and medical school is extremely expensive and most offer little or no merit aid, so it’s all loans. And while in residency, it’s tough to put a dent in the debt as residents’ salaries are not very generous, so new docs are postponing repayment for years.
And what many seem to miss: as a physician, you’ll be dealing with sick people. This can be extremely challenging, as we can be difficult to deal with when sick, and we often want positive results immediately.
But since we also share anecdotes…well, those would indicated being a physician is rewarding. At Thanksgiving dinner, in addition to the rest of us(it’s a big family), we had six physicians, all in different specialties, three men, three women, two older four younger. All complained ceaseless about the work hours, insurance companies, etc. But when questioned directly, all said they couldn’t imagine doing anything but being a physician, and would be proud if any of their kids became physicians.
Yes, but didn’t you point out(post #29) the wonderful things physicians have done for your family? It’s rare to be able to help people that way, so while there are negatives(quite a few as pointed out here), there are rewards you can’t get in any other profession.
Eh, my H is a very successful engineer. None of our three lads wanted anything to do with engineering. Both of my parents were music teachers (instrumental). I certainly never inherited an instrumental music gene, though did inherit the teaching gene - just math/science instead. My parents can’t fathom wanting to be a math/science teacher.
In bygone days kids did what their parents did. It could be why most of those 85% hate their jobs. In today’s day and age we know just how different many of us are from our parents. 'Tis a better world for that IMO. I tell kids at school to find a niche they enjoy and fill it. Many do.
