My husband was browsing his usual news sites last night and came across this article. I have been reading through it this morning and thought that I would share with all of you to see what you thought. Here are some of my thoughts (I also posted this on the SAA website, but wanted to copy it here for those that do not have access to that site) . . .
First of all, many of the statistics coming out of the surveys mentioned appear to be coming from the allopathic route. I am very curious to know how these statistics compare to our field of osteopathy.
Secondly, I have already begun to witness first-hand the views of the public or as the article states . . . "There's a perception among patients that, 'I went to a doctor's appointment and he was 45 minutes late. He's probably on the golf course or driving his Mercedes.' The truth is, they're probably busy with patients." I personally get very frustrated because some of this even comes from my own families! Why is it that people have the image that doctors are out playing golf and making tons of money for it?
Thirdly, I highly recommend that you read some of the comments pages at the end of the article. I read thru the majority of them and was surprised at how few were actually defending the medical field! I was shocked that even those who are practicing, are residents, or even students are recommending people to stay away. My husband even says that he hears often from others he works with, that if they had the chance to do it again, they wouldn't do it! Yikes! How sad to see bitterness from those in the field, much of it stemming from such things as litigation, government restrictions, insurance, etc.! My thoughts . . . let's create our own list . . . "Reasons to Become a D.O.ctor!" My husband has recently decided to go into anesthesiology (according to the article, one of the more "lucrative" fields). He did not choose to go into the field because of the pay, but because of his fascination with the field. I get excited to see him come home excited about what he is doing! Will this wear off? Who knows, but I like to think not!
Lastly, I like to say that we had "life before med school", meaning that coming back to school to become a doctor is my husband's second career. He worked in healthcare in a different field and truly felt that there was a better way for him to help others than what he was currently doing. He wanted to work with patients! He wanted to do more! I was so proud of him that he was accepted and now that we are close to graduation, I am even more proud of him as I see the work that he has done so far. We consciously made that decision to start med school as a family, knowing that there would be sacrifices we would have to make. There are times that we even talk about what it would have been like if we hadn't made this decision. However, we always come back to the fact that we are happy with our decision and that it will all be worth it in the end. Knowing that we pursued our dreams to the fullest extent and did not "settle" is VERY important to us! On the other hand, I am becoming more and more frustrated and feel that the public has a stereotype of the field that we are already living with, even as students. When I tell people that my husband is a med student, they automatically assume that we are making big bucks and have a wonderful lifestyle. In short, that our lives are easy and full of luxury!! As you all know, that is wrong!! The general public does not know how much work and money and sweat goes into this process (and that it is not just the student that is experiencing this!). With articles like this out there, it is not helping the field . . . only hindering it!! I want to know how we can help combat this stereotype!
I have a lot more thoughts on different things mentioned in the article and the comments, but will quit my ranting now!! Anyone else have some thoughts on this? If so, I would love to hear them!
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7 comments:
Hey Tif-
I'm Jon, a 3rd year medical student at Case Western in Cleveland. I'm an old friend of Mike Hilton and Brett Garner, which is how I found your site. I start my surg rotation Monday, and I thought it was interesting to note your "Stuck" post, and then compare it to this one. If your hubby were choosing internal medicine, do you think you would feel the same way? Going into anesthesiology means that you're almost done, life will be great, money will be good, and there will be minimal call. In short, you're avoiding all of the problems this article talks about by choosing anesthesiology. If your hubby liked general surg or cardiology, could you agree with some of the points that are made in the Forbes article? I like medicine, I like helping people, I don't like "settling," BUT I still think everything that article said was true. There are a few specialties in medicine where you can spend time with your fam and still make good money. Every Mormon I know is going into anesthesiology because of that. Doesn't that kind of prove the whole point of the article, though? I'm sure your husband loves anesthesiology, which is awesome for him (I'm not trying to bad mouth anesthesiology). But things aren't so great for every other field in medicine--except derm.
I do believe that every field in medicine has their issues, even anesthesiology and derm! Just because one chooses those fields does not mean that his/her life is going to be easy or the training quick. Afterall, just as an example, anesthesiology has a longer residency than family practice and even general internal medicine. Does that mean that it is easier or harder than FP? Not necessarily . . . they are two very different fields. Issues are beginning to arise with possible competition from Nurse Anesthetists who want to become independent of the docs themselves, which makes me wonder, what happens to the docs and all their time and training that they have put into the field?
As a spouse of a med student, I guess I was just disappointed to see that there is so much negativity out there towards doctors, especially within the field itself. Shouldn't the pros outweigh the cons when choosing this field, or are people choosing to go into it strictly for the money? From my experiences, I think that many get into the field because they truly want to help people and/or the medicine and challenge of the field intrigues them. However, over time, they tend to get very frustrated with all the issues that they have to deal with. Even those going into the field are not completely aware of what issues may arise until they get into the hospitals and/or start practicing. I have received one email that really brings up some additional thoughts not in the article that I will see if the author would mind if I post.
From a different perspective as well, my professional field is working with students in the college setting. Though I am currently taking some time off from the field, I do still stay up-to-date on what is going on. I am the person who oftentimes is the first contact when incoming students begin to talk about their career goals, including becoming a doctor. When working with the students, I ALWAYS encourage them to go into a field that they are going to enjoy, one that makes them happy . . . NOT one that they are going to go into just to make the big bucks. Afterall, research shows that burnout (and all the physical and psychological aspects that go along with that) occurs quicker if you are in a field that you do not enjoy. I think to myself when I read articles of this sort and hear the opinions that are expressed in response to it . . . how should I be incorporating this information into my personal AND professional life?
Just a final note . . . personally, we are not Mormons and do not belong to the LDS Church; however, MANY of our med school friends are and very few are choosing the "easy route" of anesthesia as you are implicating. Many are choosing such fields as Ob/Gyn and Surgery. Does this mean that they are not family-oriented or just in it for the big bucks? I don't think so. I genuinely believe that they are choosing this field because it is what they are good at and it is what they enjoy. My question is, how can we ensure that ALL those going into the field will continue to enjoy it years down the road? Instead of just complaining about it, can't we be more proactive, both as students and those who support the students and the field?
Thank you so much for posting your thoughts, by the way! I love to hear what others think and I encourage you to continue to read the blog and share your thoughts! Oh, and by the way, the names Mike Hilton and Brett Garner are not ringing a bell. Do they know me personally?
Hello Jon,
From reading your post I can imagine that you’re just beginning your third year of medical school. This is not a jab at you at all but I had a few of the same thoughts you did at the beginning of my third year. There were a few things that made me think when I read your comments.
First, I will address anesthesia in general. Of course we all hear about the anesthesiologists that work from 8-4 every day with every weekend off and no call. That's not the reality however. I am sure that there are docs that do that and there are always exceptions to the rules but at our hospital the anesthesiologists are private practice (no residency program here, no academics) and I can guarantee that they are some of the hardest working doctors I know. They are constantly moving and always busy. Surgeries don't stop for lunch breaks or other emergencies that may arise. They are constantly overseeing CRNA's (a reality in a lot of private practice systems and hospital institutions), watching 3-4 rooms each, trying to keep track of what's going on with general surgeries, orthopedic surgeries, OB, heart cath/CABG procedures, ER admits, etc. It's not a glamorous life all the time. They are constantly moving. I have never seen one of them sitting in a chair (in the break room or the OR for that matter). They are here by 5:30 every morning (didn't meet many other specialties that did that with the exception of some of the surgical specialties and residents) and they are usually here later than you would imagine. I am saying this because there are a lot of stereotypes to anesthesia and I think people get caught up in that during medical school.
When I began medical school I was fairly certain I wanted to do Internal Medicine (3 year residency compared to 4 for anesthesia-unless you decide to specialize) and in fact I put anesthesia (as well as derm, radiology, opthomology, surgical specialties-all the big money makers) out of my mind for the reason that I didn't want to look at a job for the money but rather for the satisfaction of my work. However, I found that I couldn't handle internal medicine, not one bit. I don't want to be here until 8:00 every night rounding on my patients, rounding every weekend, getting calls at night from patients and their families (unless your a hospitalist then this wouldn't matter). I couldn't handle the fact that over half of the IM attendings I worked with told me to seriously reconsider IM as a specialty. I didn't want that. I also learned that I didn't want to follow a persons chronic problems throughout their lifetime. I just don't want to do it. Granted, not all IM docs have to go through this but I have met a large proportion that do. Plus, it can't be all about money right? I mean, GI docs can easily start out at $500,000 with huge sign-on bonuses. Nephrologists make well over $200,000 (they work hard for that I realize), and don't get me started on cardiology. There is LOTS of money in IM if you work hard. The same could be said for a lot of the specialties for that matter. Yes, these are all fellowships and take a few extra years but there are those options correct? In fact, I can't say I know too many people that are entering IM with the hopes of becoming a hospitalist. The majority DO plan on specializing. Won't they have the cush life then? That surely doesn’t mean that the road they are taking to get there isn’t difficult.
I was even strongly considering FM after a couple of my rotations (not a glamorous lifestyle at all) but realized that I didn’t want to do that either. It wasn't the money or call or lack of weekends off, but the fact that I didn't want to manage diabetes, high lipids, and hypertension the rest of my life.
I also find it interesting about the mormon statement as well. First, neither my family or I are mormon. Not a knock against mormons, a lot of our friends are mormon, but we just aren't. I hear this a lot though because of my residency choice. Are you suggesting that mormons are the only ones that like to be with their families? That couldn't be farther from the truth. I love spending as much time as I can with my son and my wife and to say that didn't influence my decision at all would not be correct. I like my time for myself. I (and a HUGE number of the medical student population these days) work to live, we don’t live to work. There is a huge change coming as compared to the old-time docs. Doctors now are just as concerned with family as they are with there work (there have been a number of rather unscientific studies done on this). Does that mean we aren't good physicians? Not at all. In fact, I would bet that the physician population as a whole is happier because of it. On top of that, I can imagine physicians are more energized and excited about their work when they are not here at the hospital 14 hours a day. I know I will be. Physician divorce rate is one of the highest in the country, and if I have any say about it I won’t become part of those statistics. If that means I go into a specialty that I love, and at the same time not spend every waking minute at the hospital then so be it. Medicine will not be my life, it will be my work. A very rewarding and stimulating job but still my work. My family is my life and always will be.
The choice of going into anesthesia was a hard one for me. During my third year I batted around IM, family medicine, OB/GYN, and even surgery (for maybe 10 minutes). Anesthesia can and is a difficult and tense specialty at times (just as many other professions are) and just because I chose a profession that pays well and provides a lot of flexibility does not mean it will not be difficult and that their won’t be challenges to my work. We all have a choice in our specialty, every single one of us. I don’t like hearing from the future surgeon, internal medicine, or neurology docs about how their life is going to be so difficult. If it’s going to be so tough, don’t do it. It’s that simple. But if you enjoy what you do, then it isn’t such a huge deal right?
I have a feeling that you will come to realize over this next year that not all specialties are easy and that the road through residency is tough no matter what you want to do. I know I did. However, I can honestly say that I am excited about my choice and look forward to when I can start residency in a year.
Hey Again-
Well stated comments, from both of you. Sorry about the LDS comment, I guess I assumed that from the links that I used to reach your page. I guess we all know what happens when one assumes.... And no, I'm grateful that more people want to spend time with their families; great quotes on divorce etc, and I wish more people felt that strongly about it.
As for everything else, it seems like we disagree very little. Every field in medicine is going to have problems, as is every job. Anesthesia just has less than most. That doesn't make it wrong, and I'm actually considering it myself. I DO however, think that if lifestyle was not an issue, we would have far fewer anesthesiologists than we have currently. I'm not sure if I should be happy that more people are placing family/lifestyle first, or sad that the brightest minds in medicine will be waking people up after surgery rather than doing my surgery.....
No offense was taken! Thanks again for your comments! I love to hear others thoughts, so please keep them coming! :)
I guess I just have to pipe in because my husband happens to be starting his last year as an anesthesia resident. Um, what makes everyone think anesthesia is such a cushy life? Sometimes, when he's post call, he's home around 3. On a really rare occasion he'll be home by 1. If he is on call, I don't expect to see him at all. Labor epidurals consume his entire night, as he needs to be in house to care for those. If he's neither on call, or post call, he averages getting home around 6. He has had some call weekends with little time spent at the hospital, and he's also had those weekends where he's gone for over 48 hours. It's very rare that he's not called in. I guess I might feel a little touchy when hearing anesthesia is the cushy life because he's been gone for the last 2 months doing a peds anesthesia out rotation so I've been raising my 4 kids alone. I think every residency has its ups and downs, and every specialty has its pros and cons. Just don't think that anesthesia gives you a fabulous home life. If you truly want that, medicine probably isn't the best career. At least that's what I've discovered thus far in my experience.
Thank you Jayne for sharing your experiences and thoughts!
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