Comments on: Everybody’s In It For The Money http://www.medschoolhell.com/2007/12/20/everybodys-in-it-for-the-money/ A Cynical Look At Medical School and Medical Training Wed, 07 Jan 2009 17:01:31 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.2 By: Rhun http://www.medschoolhell.com/2007/12/20/everybodys-in-it-for-the-money/#comment-16287 Rhun Sat, 29 Mar 2008 01:04:44 +0000 http://www.medschoolhell.com/2007/12/20/everybodys-in-it-for-the-money/#comment-16287 I'm a pathology resident and I'll soon start dermatopathology fellowship. What drives me is (in no particular order: 1. Tremendous sense of accomplishment, which some equivocate with prestige. For me it's like the feeling that you get after you climb a big mountain. 'Why did you climb that mountain?'. 'Because it's there'. 2. Money. 3. I like what dermatopathologists do. 4. Decent hours, none to minimal call, fair degree of autonomy (alas, it's not as good as it once was). I think my motivations are pretty typical for average medical student. However, IMO folks in my specialty have higher overall job and life satisfaction than folks in clinical specialties. I’m a pathology resident and I’ll soon start dermatopathology fellowship. What drives me is (in no particular order:

1. Tremendous sense of accomplishment, which some equivocate with prestige. For me it’s like the feeling that you get after you climb a big mountain. ‘Why did you climb that mountain?’. ‘Because it’s there’.

2. Money.

3. I like what dermatopathologists do.

4. Decent hours, none to minimal call, fair degree of autonomy (alas, it’s not as good as it once was).

I think my motivations are pretty typical for average medical student. However, IMO folks in my specialty have higher overall job and life satisfaction than folks in clinical specialties.

]]> By: M http://www.medschoolhell.com/2007/12/20/everybodys-in-it-for-the-money/#comment-15661 M Sun, 16 Mar 2008 03:03:24 +0000 http://www.medschoolhell.com/2007/12/20/everybodys-in-it-for-the-money/#comment-15661 I can honnestly say that I am not in it for the money. I would happily practice medicine on $35 000, if medschool was debt-free. I grew up poor, I don't really give a shit about possessions and I just want to do something rewarding. If I just cared about money, why would I spend all of this time so that I can finish residency at 32 with $200 000 of debt...no thanks. I hope that nobody is in it just for the money, because if you don't care about people, you'll make a shitty physician and you'll hate your life. There are lots of jobs out there that pay a lot better, have better working hours, and require a lot less education... PS. I am a surgical resident, not a pre-med. I can honnestly say that I am not in it for the money. I would happily practice medicine on $35 000, if medschool was debt-free. I grew up poor, I don’t really give a shit about possessions and I just want to do something rewarding. If I just cared about money, why would I spend all of this time so that I can finish residency at 32 with $200 000 of debt…no thanks. I hope that nobody is in it just for the money, because if you don’t care about people, you’ll make a shitty physician and you’ll hate your life. There are lots of jobs out there that pay a lot better, have better working hours, and require a lot less education…
PS. I am a surgical resident, not a pre-med.

]]> By: Remix http://www.medschoolhell.com/2007/12/20/everybodys-in-it-for-the-money/#comment-14191 Remix Sun, 17 Feb 2008 15:22:21 +0000 http://www.medschoolhell.com/2007/12/20/everybodys-in-it-for-the-money/#comment-14191 Well, this blog rules. its for us "normal people" out getting fuckedover in med school. I just wanted to make some comments about Greg's post. 1) Money - reimbursements are going down, but they are still pretty high. if you were expecting half a mil a year running a clinic, id say you fucked up anyway doing your research. 2) prestige - cmon, what is this anyway? a job is a job. medicine is a job. what do you want "prestige" for anyway? so you want someone to admire you for doing a job? you want someone to kiss your ass when you walk by them? Isn't wanting "prestige" really a euphemism for some perversions for self-glorification? cmon, the realworld isnt like kindergarten - anyway, most of us hated that kid who had the most "stars" on the reward board. 3) autonomy - you'll have it eventually. yea, be a bitch for 10 years. you knew about that before you went to med school. nothing changed there. 4) intellectual stimulation - im with ya here. medicine is memorization. however, I've begun to realize that its a new language that you have to learn before you can start solving problems. Ever tried to learn a foreign language? its the same way - all memorization at first. once you put it together though, then you start solving problems. im beginning to see this now that im a 3rd year (yea, im not solving any real problems - dont get me started here. i just realize how problems are solved once the skillset/knowledge base is obtained). Anyway, thats about all. My main point is: medicine is a guarnatee. what kind of guarantee? nope, not for your millions. not for happiness. but it guarnatees putting food on your kid's table, for the rest of your life. going into business does not guarantee that. Even hoover will tell you this. security man. everything else is icing. unfortunately, life is a learning process, and most of the learning is done the hard way. -remix Well, this blog rules. its for us “normal people” out getting fuckedover in med school. I just wanted to make some comments about Greg’s post.

1) Money - reimbursements are going down, but they are still pretty high. if you were expecting half a mil a year running a clinic, id say you fucked up anyway doing your research.

2) prestige - cmon, what is this anyway? a job is a job. medicine is a job. what do you want “prestige” for anyway? so you want someone to admire you for doing a job? you want someone to kiss your ass when you walk by them? Isn’t wanting “prestige” really a euphemism for some perversions for self-glorification? cmon, the realworld isnt like kindergarten - anyway, most of us hated that kid who had the most “stars” on the reward board.

3) autonomy - you’ll have it eventually. yea, be a bitch for 10 years. you knew about that before you went to med school. nothing changed there.

4) intellectual stimulation - im with ya here. medicine is memorization. however, I’ve begun to realize that its a new language that you have to learn before you can start solving problems. Ever tried to learn a foreign language? its the same way - all memorization at first. once you put it together though, then you start solving problems. im beginning to see this now that im a 3rd year (yea, im not solving any real problems - dont get me started here. i just realize how problems are solved once the skillset/knowledge base is obtained).

Anyway, thats about all. My main point is: medicine is a guarnatee. what kind of guarantee? nope, not for your millions. not for happiness. but it guarnatees putting food on your kid’s table, for the rest of your life. going into business does not guarantee that. Even hoover will tell you this.

security man. everything else is icing.

unfortunately, life is a learning process, and most of the learning is done the hard way.

-remix

]]> By: bronx43 http://www.medschoolhell.com/2007/12/20/everybodys-in-it-for-the-money/#comment-13581 bronx43 Wed, 06 Feb 2008 02:13:06 +0000 http://www.medschoolhell.com/2007/12/20/everybodys-in-it-for-the-money/#comment-13581 Wow, Greg. We're in such agreement that I almost couldn't believe I didn't write your post. Maybe, I sleep-typed it and randomly chose Greg as an alias. Wow, Greg. We’re in such agreement that I almost couldn’t believe I didn’t write your post. Maybe, I sleep-typed it and randomly chose Greg as an alias.

]]> By: sean http://www.medschoolhell.com/2007/12/20/everybodys-in-it-for-the-money/#comment-13515 sean Mon, 04 Feb 2008 01:44:14 +0000 http://www.medschoolhell.com/2007/12/20/everybodys-in-it-for-the-money/#comment-13515 Everybody does everything for the money. Thanks for the honest post. The truth is, people who think doctors are overpaid, are just jealous because they don't have the werewithall to become a doctor. If doctors continue to have declining income, people will start looking for other careers, and our health care ranking will continue to drop even farther. BTW, for all the idiots who think doctors are overpaid and HMOs cutting costs are good. HMOs have a great incentive to not provide care, physicians who are independent have an incentive to provide the best care possible. We already hear about this all the time, so-and-so died waiting for the HMO (Cigna, Kaiser, Wellpoint...) to authorize a liver transplant. Doctors who didn't work for a HMO wouldn't have thought twice about doing the surgery. It might cost a little more, but you are ALIVE. HMOs kill people, it is that simple. Everybody does everything for the money. Thanks for the honest post. The truth is, people who think doctors are overpaid, are just jealous because they don’t have the werewithall to become a doctor. If doctors continue to have declining income, people will start looking for other careers, and our health care ranking will continue to drop even farther.

BTW, for all the idiots who think doctors are overpaid and HMOs cutting costs are good. HMOs have a great incentive to not provide care, physicians who are independent have an incentive to provide the best care possible. We already hear about this all the time, so-and-so died waiting for the HMO (Cigna, Kaiser, Wellpoint…) to authorize a liver transplant. Doctors who didn’t work for a HMO wouldn’t have thought twice about doing the surgery. It might cost a little more, but you are ALIVE. HMOs kill people, it is that simple.

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