“Should I become a doctor?”
Should I become a doctor?
I often am asked this question by my medical students, pre-medical students, and others who reach out to me through social media.
My answer is a resounding… “It depends.”
If and when you sit for medical school interviews, you will be asked this question: “Why do you want to become a doctor?” The most common answer by far that interviewers hear is, “I want to help people.” In this article, I will explain why that answer is not, by itself, enough. We’ll break down how to know if you should become a physician and some steps you can take to answer this question.
How do you want to help people?
Lots of people help people! As we’ve recently re-discovered due to the pandemic, almost everyone is considered an “essential worker” and without any exceptions I can think of, everyone helps people. Farmers help us feed our families, postal workers help us send and receive mail, and whitewater raft guides help us have adventures and keep us from drowning in rivers! The point is, you need to get specific about how you want to help others. If you want to help them with their health, to what capacity? Physical therapists, sound healers, herbalists, massage therapists, physician’s assistants, nurses, naturopaths, and nutritionists all help people with their health to some capacity, and all are noble careers.
How would a career as a doctor allow you to help others in a way that you couldn’t in a different profession? If you are realizing that you may be more fulfilled helping others as something other than a physician, then you are saving yourself a lot of unnecessary hardship you would have experienced pursuing a demanding career that doesn’t align with you passions! If you have a good answer to these questions, you have solidified your choice in becoming a doctor!
What is your motivation?
Surprisingly, many medical students, residents, and attending physicians have never contemplated the answer to this question. I’m sure we are all familiar with how society at large sees physicians. Even with the growing skepticism of western medicine, doctors are in general placed on a pedestal and the profession is viewed as heroic in society. Many have been captivated by portrayals of doctors in the media and society, only to realize half way through their training that their expectations were nothing like reality. What you must do is “shadow”!
Cold call doctors in your community and ask their offices if the physician would be willing to host a student for a few days. You will be surprised by how many are willing, even during pandemic. Private physicians or small medical practices are more likely to let you spend time with them and see patients. When you “shadow” them, ask all the questions! Ask them about their personal life, their medical school experience, their residency training, what their day of work looks like, what they wish they’d known before medical school, what they regret, what they love about their jobs! Shadow multiple physicians in multiple specialties. Do the same for any other profession you are considering. Shadow a zookeeper if you’ve always though about working with animals. You will be amazed at how many people would be happy to host a person looking to join their profession. This is the only way you can start to truly know if you would enjoy a career as a physician.
Is it worth it?…
Financially:
Over four years, a medical student can expect to pay anywhere from $150,444 (in-state, public school) to $247,664 (out-of-state, public school) and up for tuition alone! This does not account for living expenses which could easily add up to $60,000 yearly depending on location! Additionally, medically school will surely be the most demanding experience of your life. With extremely rare exceptions, medical students will not be able to work a job while attending medical school. In fact, some medical schools actually prohibit this in their contracts. In addition, most loans start gathering compounding interest the moment you receive them, which adds 10’s of thousands of additional debt before you are able to start paying it off. The average physician’s yearly salary is roughly $200k and the average hours worked by physicians after training is 50-60 hours weekly. I’ll let you do the math for yourself.
What’s worth more than money:
The most valuable and precious things in life are happiness and health. Not to be bleak, but In the United States of America, an estimated 300 to 400 doctors kill themselves each year, a rate of 28 to 40 per 100,000 or more than double that of general population. There are many reasons for why this is, but I will touch on a few. Medical training throughout history has been toxic and has included human rights violations on a regular basis. So much so that my friend Pamela Wible wrote a book on it!
To be candid, it is my belief that it takes a certain type of person to succeed in a career as a physician. I often found medical schools, clinics, and hospitals to be very unwelcoming to free thinkers, those from non-traditional backgrounds, POC, and LGBTQQIP2SAA folks. The demands of medical training require great and prolonged sacrifice of one’s quality of life. It was often said among my classmates, “Social life, physical health, passing grades in medical school… you can only choose two.” 4% of my medical school graduating class filed for divorce by the start of our second year, many dropped out after the first semester, and one young student even had a pulmonary embolism (and was still required to complete coursework while in the hospital!)
With all of this said, there is slow change happening. Forward thinking schools and residencies are becoming more vocal about wellbeing of physicians and trainees, the lack of equity in medicine, and the need for more diverse representation in medicine. There is value and hope in changing the system from within, and if you can make it through the rigorous training you will have the opportunity to guide and accelerate the shift toward a more accepting, holistic, and forward thinking community of doctors and future doctors.
If you’ve made it this far:
If you’ve read this far, firstly, thank you for reading! Secondly, you must be seriously considering a career as a physician or know someone who is. With all that I have said, each person has a unique background, their own strengths, and their own weaknesses. Take this into account as you explore your possibilities.
For more guidance:
If you found this information helpful and want more tailored advice, please
click here to schedule a session with me. Let’s explore your unique needs and help you achieve your goals!
I am passionate about helping people decide if a career as a physician is right for them. Let me help you avoid the pitfalls that I and others have experienced. Let me help you succeed.
