The 10 Wrong Reasons to Become a Doctor....... 1- Money, stability or mobility (there are a lot of ways to make a good living, many of them “easier” to pursue than medicine). 2- Respect/prestige (many people will trust WebMD more than they trust you). 3- To be the boss (start a business if you’re ambitious and power hungry). 4- For my family (whether this means to make mom and dad proud, or to provide for your own family, you are off track. Your parents’ approval won’t matter when you’re cleaning out a patient’s giant fecal impaction at 3:00 am. As far as your spouse and kids, medicine will force you to compromise, juggle, and miss things more than it will make you a good provider). 5- To make the world a better place (even the most productive, brilliant physicians are not currently effecting macro changes. You will make a difference in the life of your patients; don’t expect more than that no matter how hard you work or how smart you might be). 6- Because I like ER, Grey’s Anatomy, and/or House (On some level, you must know that real hospitals are nothing like the ones you see on tv shows. Likewise, real doctors and patients are not like tv doctors and patients. Spend some time in a hospital to see just how different they are). 7- Because I don’t know what else to do (it is important for a doctor to want to be a doctor. This is different than not having any better ideas. If you default into the profession out of a lack of better options or clearer direction, you will probably end up wishing you had made a more thoughtful choice. Remember that when a doctor doesn’t actually like his or her work, the patients suffer). 8- Because I tried other things and did not like them (by itself this isn’t enough, but you’re on the right track. You ought to love medicine, but it helps to have a basis for comparison. Hating other jobs without knowing what medicine is like does not mean you should be a doctor. Explore medicine to see how it stacks up). 9- My parents are physicians (this tells no one that you are cut out for the profession, nor does it say anything about why you would want to become a doctor). 10- Hero worship (“I tore my ACL and I really admired my orthopedic surgeon and I want to be just like him!”). There’s no substance behind this reason and it shows a lack of personal reflection. Read more at: forum.facmedicine/threads/the-10-wrong-reasons-to-become-a-doctor.17824/
Posted on: Sat, 21 Jun 2014 09:00:09 +0000
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