Is becoming a doctor worth the sacrifice?

i remember a quote from "the jim ryun story". timmons calls ryun into his office and says, "look, no one is going to browbeat you into trying to break 4 minutes for the mile". same goes here. if you don't feel called to do it, then don't. no amount of money is going to make it worth your sacrifice of time and "life". i spent the majority of my 20's and part of my 30's in a library or hospital. i missed alot of the aforementioned Christmases, birthdays, etc. i will acknowledge that without hesitation. however, the satisfaction that i get every single day walking out of the operating room is beyond explanation. the best way that i can speak allegorically is: picture your best race and then try and remember the feeling that you had post race. now, think of doing that 3 times a day, 5 days a week. i completely love what i do. yes, i work hard, but i also thoroughly enjoy my work. you can go the way of just working 40 hours a week if you like. that's completely ok. get a job at the VA and diagnose/treat until your heart is content. if you want to work 100 hours a week as a cardiac surgeon, go for it! ER doc would be the way to go for a person wanting a "life". 10-12 x 12 hour days a month...satisfying, yet provides tons of time for other pursuits. remember to take into account that you will likely be underneath a mountain of loans (approx 200k- though this varies) after med school/residency. of course, you can always get it "comped" by uncle sam if you are up to paying back 2 years for every year paid. i currently am a bariatric surgeon, also doing my own post bariatric weight loss body recontouring. i work hard, but just in the last year, i have been to costa rica to surf, colorado to ski, alaska to kayak, and montana to hunt. it's all about priorities, man. i can tell you that being a physician will always be in demand. excepting certain people, you will have automatic respect from those that you meet. it will be your own duty to eff that up. it's a highly stimulating, and highly cerebral profession. if you choose to pursue it, then do it with all your heart. good luck!

Dr. Dent wrote:

Sacrifice?

What are you sacrificing? Running? Going out and getting drunk?

Look, society is filled with perpetual teenagers who don't want to grow up and do real work.

Being a doctor is hard. So is being a lawyer. Or working on Wall St. Or having any job. And that's all predicated on if you want to actually work, and not just play all day.

I'm finishing my residency now. During this past year I've taken 4 1-week vacations, seen a dozen MLB games in person, 1 NFL game, been to the ballet, the opera, and watched a handful of movies. I go to a happy hour once a month, eat a nice restaurant twice a month.

And why are you doing these things when you could be growing up more and doing more real work?

um no. wrote:

Dr. Dent wrote:

Sacrifice?

What are you sacrificing? Running? Going out and getting drunk?

Look, society is filled with perpetual teenagers who don't want to grow up and do real work.

Being a doctor is hard. So is being a lawyer. Or working on Wall St. Or having any job. And that's all predicated on if you want to actually work, and not just play all day.

I'm finishing my residency now. During this past year I've taken 4 1-week vacations, seen a dozen MLB games in person, 1 NFL game, been to the ballet, the opera, and watched a handful of movies. I go to a happy hour once a month, eat a nice restaurant twice a month.

And why are you doing these things when you could be growing up more and doing more real work?

Because my hours are limited by law.

I'm a doctor. Medicine is a huge sacrifice, no question about it. You'll be putting in very long hours for the next several years. It will be difficult, if not impossible, to maintain your running at anything but the most rudimentary level.

The pay is good but you'll be a quarter million in debt when you finish med school. If money alone is your objective then you'd probably be better off investing all those years into something else that pays better sooner, like finance.

But when I see the smiling faces in my waiting room, children and their parents, young and old, men and women, healthy and ill, and know that in a few minutes I'll be wiggling my index finger in the bunghole of each one, well, I'll know all the sacrifices were worth it.

Also... I'm a bit confused because a few posters have mentioned that pretty much any job requires dedication and sacrifice.

However, there was another poster who said that "you won't be living an extended adolescence like your college buddies who have jobs while you're in med school". So clearly there has to be a difference in intensity/stress if other jobs have employees living an "extended adolescence" and most med students/residents don't.

Have you thought about pharmacy? I'm a P2 and I think pharm school is easier than undergrad. You can graduate mid 20s, make 100k+ and find work anywhere (generally). No being on call, no huge loans (~100k) and big flexibility with types of jobs and hours. Its all memorization but its fairly straightforward and cant be beat in my book.

I think so. I am in my second year of medical school and I find my classes so far really challenging and interesting, and I am excited to be involved in a field where you are constantly learning, have the opportunity to contribute to new ideas with research, and have the privilege of impacting other people's lives in a tangible way on a daily basis. I think that medical school and running also go very hand-in-hand. Running is a wonderful outlet. It 'charges my battery' in a way, and motivates me to get the most out of my day. It's also very possible to lead a balanced life while in med school (I'm not sure about residency, but I think it's really possible at any stage with the right attitude). I've actually run my fastest since starting med school and I think its because running has become a pure joy instead of an instrumental good. I know several medical students and doctors that continue to compete at a very high level. It is possible. But you do have to really want to do it, because if you're not sure why you want to go into medicine, I would imagine it being hard to go through the motions.

There are lots of examples of ppl who did it/are doing it. Daniel Lincoln is in orthopedics now (highly competitive), and he went to the Olympics in the middle of med school in the steeple chase! Amanda Trotter, formerly of Stanford, and now at Georgetown med ran a 2:43 marathon while in school. Pretty impressive...

Does anyone need any more evidence that ventolin is angry at just about everything? ;)

I'm in my third year of med school. You are going to work about 30-45 years of your life. You've got to do what you are going be happy with/proud of regardless of how much work it takes. Lots of professions spend a ton of time at work, not just doctors.

Intellectual satisfaction can be overrated. My father has a PhD in chemical engineering and is one of the lead research engineers on an major renewable energy project. You can't leave something like that at the office - it becomes your life. Working on exciting problems means thinking about them all the time. Medicine is more flexible in this regard. With an MD, you can choose whether you do intellectually grueling work or more routine practice.

So basically my question is this: is becoming a doctor worth the sacrifice?[/quote]

If you are asking the question, particularily on this site you already know the answer.

Almost every MD I know knew very early ( meaning well before high school) they wanted to become an MD. It is almost as if it is a calling.

You really should consider another field.

This is perhaps a bit off-topic, but does anyone know of any good blogs written by med students/residents/docs who are also runners and write about both? I'm not a huge blog reader, but I find it's a great way to gain insight into day-to-day realities. People who do both well probably don't have the time to be blogging, but I thought it was worth it to ask.

Thanks for all the advice guys. After some thought I decided that I'm gonna continue to go for it. The main thing is that I want to hold on to my passion for running. After reading this thread http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?board=1&id=3722289&thread=3722027, it seems possible to continue to run at a reasonably high level while continuing to pursue medicine. I suppose I also shouldn't let one shitty bio class try to sway me away from the profession.

I would say do what makes you happy. Your only young once and if going through all that schooling will make you unhappy then don't go through with it. Plenty of times in life we as humans do something because of the paycheck and not because it makes us happy. Human beings usually see success as having the most money or material things. These don't buy happiness.

I think its for sure worth it. Im in med school and I still work out every day and go out on average two days a week and im top 10 in my class. Med students in general love to bitch which is why I think it gets a bad wrap. Obviously there are periods of time that are very difficult, but you are usually rewarded with plenty of time off and rest.

I'm 50 years old - never pursued being a doctor because I didn't believe I was smart enough, so I never gave it a shot. I'm close friends with a few docs now, and they believe I would have made a great doctor.

I still wish I had done it. Like other posters have stated, what are you afraid of missing? I've made a lot of money in the business world, but I'm sure it's nowhere near as satisfying as being a medical doctor. If you're heart is not in it though, you won't be happy.

What about choosing another profession in the field? Maybe Physician's Assistant, RN, Physical Therapist, etc?

All of those people make excellent money for far less school (PA program is 2 years, DPT program 3 years), do not have to put the rest of their life on hold while they are in school, and they are also very fulfilling and rewarding careers. You say you like the "detective" side of it, and the hands- on work, seems like PT would be a great choice.

Have you thought about just going a different route? It shouldn't be med school vs. living in your parents basement crying about not going to med school- there are plenty of things in between.

I am currently in med school and finding time to run isn't a problem. My girlfriend is a CPA and she has a considerably more hectic schedule than me and she is having far more trouble finding time to run. I had one friend from undergrad who was a less than mediocre runner in high school and college (I'm talking 18:00 5k) who started doing 80 mile weeks in med school consistently and recently ran a 2:41 marathon. I am still in the first two years and it will get harder once clinicals start, but it is as hard to run as any other job at that point. That same friend is an M3 now and he just ran a marathon.

The hours are now getting limited by law, and the number decreased more Jan 1, 2011. Now it's limited to 65 hrs/week the first few years of residency and 80 after that. It's a lot, but more manageable than the people who tell stories about their dads. Those were from before there were limits.

As for the memorization thing, there absolutely is a lot during the first 2 years of med school, but then for the rest of your life it is problem solving based. I would think long term, not about just the next 2 years.

The fact of the matter is though, no one gets into medicine for the money. If you are seeking the most money possible, there are much better ways to make it (accounting, law in a better economy, finance). I chose medicine because I could make a good amount of money and also be challenged and enjoy what I do.

Ano Digito wrote:

But when I see the smiling faces in my waiting room, children and their parents, young and old, men and women, healthy and ill, and know that in a few minutes I'll be wiggling my index finger in the bunghole of each one, well, I'll know all the sacrifices were worth it.

Did I read this correctly?