Thread: Is it even worth becoming a doctor anymore?

I'm a freshman in college and I keep thinking about whether I should or shouldn't become a doctor. There there seems to be new articles all the time about how becoming a doctor isn't such a hot career anymore due to decreasing reimbursements, increasing practice costs, having to see more patients everyday, fighting with insurance companies, etc. For those of you who will argue and say that medicine is not the career for you if you are looking for money, I understand that and money is not my only incentive for becoming a doctor. I like the actual career itself and would enjoy doing it everyday. Many parents who doctors are telling their kids not to become doctors because they think its just not worth it. I don't clearly remember the statistics but I remember around 30%-40% of doctors are unsatisfied with their career decision and would change their mind if they had chance. Many of my family members who are doctors as well are saying that I should avoid doing medicine. My whole point to all this is that I don't mind enduring all the years of schooling and I like the profession but I don't want to regret it someday because of all the changes that are going on. Since many of you are doctors already or in the process of becoming one, I want to know what your input is about the situation. Are there any hopes that things will improve, stay the same, get worse or that nothing is certain just yet?

Originally Posted by Tricuspid

This is ridiculous. It is possible that reimbursements will drop, but the US is in a shortage that is why they are opening up new medical schools. US doctors make the most in the world, so it is possible salaries could drop, but there is no way that nurses will have higher salaries.

Doctors will always be responsible for diagnosing and will always be taught more than nurses. Nurses may take procedures, but there will always be a place for doctors.

and the US roads are paved in gold…

guess what? there ARE some nurses (i.e. CRNAs) that do make equal to more than some MDs…there ARE places where NPs (those DNPs) are pretty much autonomous …


the reductions in reimbursements are indeed affecting specialties…go over to sdn and read the nephrology forum…

the "shortage" frankly is a disproportional placement of physicians…too many in NYC, not enough in Wyoming…and what with an increase in med school grads and no equal increase in residency spots…the "shortage" really wouldn't be helped…we would still be turing out roughly the same number of trained physicians as we do now…there will just be more people competing for those spots.

Worth what?

If you are trying to get rich, no, likely not.

The hours are long, the people often unappreciative, and the cost high to get that education. You likely won't have a great marriage... it is always "Mistress Medicine" first in your life.

Docs and dentists have the highest divorce rates of any profession.

So far, is it worth it???

Some women do well, by marrying other docs. Some join a group and limit their days so that they can practice and parent too. In fact, if you were to become a doc, by the time you get out, there will be fewer still who hang out a shingle and practice as a single doc.... only about 2% do that even now. Most join a medical group.

You won't make much money at all during your residency, and the hours are long.

No one goes into medicine to get rich.

They do that because the cases are challenging, and they like to use their brain, and help people.

The typical Family Practice doc sees 4 patients an hour, x 7 hours, with one add on in the morning and one in the afternoon. From 5-7, pm, you are catching up on your chart work, and get home about 7:30pm.

You love medicine, or you don't.

And if dealing with patients isn't your thing, anesthesiology is a good specialty (most guys in this field believe "a good patient is an unconscious one.") or pathology, where you work in a hospital with tissues. ("dead stuff"). Radiology, as well, has regular hours, but again, as in all of these, the $$$ are not huge.

Long ago, docs don't make a ton of money. 20 years ago, an orthopedist would easily make $500,000/yr. Then insurances took over... private, for profit insurance companies.

The premium money went into the pockets of the companies, not the docs. My dad left one state and moved to Oregon because at the time they had no insurance companies. He did quite well until Oregon then allowed "for profit" insurance companies.

Husband out of school, joined a duo, and they shared call. But they were as well running a business. He left them, and went with 4 other docs, hiring 10 staff. Again, running a business. Not what docs do best. He hated the business part. All he wanted to do was practice medicine.

So, he left that group, and joined an even larger one as a salaried employee, and liked it much better. He didn't have to worry about if towels got ordered, or if the ink for the printers were available. In fact, he didn't even have to find staff.... that was provided.

And he was 35 before he got out of debt... practiced 8 years before it was all paid off. But this was 25 years ago. Costs are now higher.

EDIT: Lifecrym is incorrect. If you doubt this, when you see your fp doc next time, ask him what he makes. They'll tell you.

All docs like medicare patients, and it is a government plan. It would be no different for any patient on any government plan. Just the waste gone.

As an example, have a friend who has had 4 MRI's and 5 CT scans all for the same problem, because docs in groups want a piece of the action!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This simply wouldn't happen with reform. There is no need to have 10 expensive tests because a new doc wants one, because he owns a lab where he can juice the system. This kind of abuse would stop, because records would be more easily shared.

Originally Posted by IMG SURVIVOR

Just be sure that you truly like to help people.
You can be antisocial and be a __ __ will not post the specialty but there is one for each type of personality.

Profession of a doctor always was very estimated. I think is it worth. I even think to become a doctor.

Hope my dreams will become true someday

Financially worth it? Maybe, however if you have the passion and dreams then defiantly!

For me, doctors are still important in a community. We need a lot of them especially now that there are a lot of rare diseases that are need to be treated and most of these has no cure yet.

The career choice depends on each individual only. If we talk about the medical sphere, becoming a qualified doctor can be a real challenge. However, if it's your dream and you feel that helping other people is your vocation, then yeah, it's worth to become a doctor. Working in the medical field has lots of benefits, such as it can be immensely satisfying, your job will be secured, you'll have a good salary, you can make a positive impact on your patients, etc.