Is it Worth it?
Nice post by #1 Dinosaur.
"I assert that it is not about the money. Nor even about the lifestyle, really. At the end of the day, the week, the year, the career, it is about the life lived. Medicine is about a life lived impacting the lives of others. To call it Noble is old-fashioned, out of style and downright hokey. None of that changes the fact that it is true."
I enjoyed Sid's reply too.
"I assert that it is not about the money. Nor even about the lifestyle, really. At the end of the day, the week, the year, the career, it is about the life lived. Medicine is about a life lived impacting the lives of others. To call it Noble is old-fashioned, out of style and downright hokey. None of that changes the fact that it is true."
I enjoyed Sid's reply too.
Labels: links to greatness
posted by scalpel at 9:15 AM
6 Comments:
Me three.
Okay, my comment length is getting out of hand for this comments sections, so I will write something on my own blog about this.
As a training physician I see the dysfunction in medicine and I am "learning" from those that have gone before. Yes, it is a mess, but I am still here... and I even left a career in my late 30's to do this. (I have 10 years LESS earning potential than most of the kids in my class, and don't think I have not thought long and hard about that.)
If I had to do my thesis all over again, I would do it on the dichotomy (if that's the right word) of the doctor's attitudes towards purely economical/lifestyle issues about the career versus the "noble" issues of the satisfaction of patient satisfaction.
I think it would make a fascinating thesis if done well. I don't exactly know which way to set up the research to present (and then solve) a "problem", but I'm sure it could be done.
(But what do I know about what makes "good topics"---I did my stupid thesis on "The Psychology of Color"...)
Many thanks for the kind words. I don't know how I've gone this long without blogrolling you!
I heard somewhere that some astoundingly high number of doctors (like 85%) wouldn't recommend to their children that they be physicians. However, doctors would overwhelmingly recommend their children become nurses.
I read Dino's post (didn't comment -need to go back)and thought it was good too.
Nurse kelly - when my younger son stated that he was interested in becoming an architect a friend of ours who owns his own architectural firm said, "We will have to talk him out of that."
I know nurses that want out because of burnout. Teachers that take early retirement because they "just have to get out" and I remember hearing a psychologist a while back say that if he could he get out now - he would, but he was ticked at the insurance companies.
Docs invest so much time and energy into their training and it is sad that insurance companies reduce their payments to them and seem to fight them every step of the way while simultaneously the ins company wallets grow fatter and Docs are forced into rushing their patients through like cattle or that they have to be ever vigilant watching out for malpractice suits, etc, etc.
However, that said being a doctor IS a noble calling and not everyone can do it. Thank God for all the good ones. Can't blame them for being concerned about their income - they have lives, dreams and goals just like the rest of us.
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