Comments on: When doctors don’t want to practice medicine

By: Carolyn Thomas

Carolyn Thomas — Sun, 05 May 2013 03:55:28 +0000

Dear disillusioned – sounds like you have a real dilemma on your hands now. Which is worse: the pain of staying in medicine despite your belief that you’ve made the wrong choice, or the pain of leaving and facing family/friends/your own guilt. There are many many female physicians who are also parents – hope you take advantage of their counsel. Good luck to you – whichever you choose.

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By: disillusioned

disillusioned — Sat, 04 May 2013 23:07:39 +0000

I agree that it takes a lot of guts to leave medicine. I am currently at med school and feeling like maybe this was the wrong choice but I wouldnt dare voice that opinion to anyone as the guilt that someone else could have had this place and the hope that if I enter the right specialty it will all be worth it makes me stick it out.

But if I did decide to leave medicine, there will be a lot of people with mainly negative opinions and some very disappointed family and friends. most people seem to think that leaving is a ‘can’t hack it’ issue but as someone else has already stated, making it through any time at all in medicine is a great achievement in itself as the level of workload we are expected to contend with is pretty tortuous.

However, for me the main problem is that I have started looking to the future and as a woman, I can’t see how I will have that lovely little family life I yearn for and still practise – there doesn’t seem to be much of a work/life balance and this was not an aspect I considered at 20 when I entered med school. Is this a serious case of the grass is greener??

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By: Carolyn Thomas

Carolyn Thomas — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 01:31:08 +0000

Just wondering – are you a (former) physician yourself?

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By: Srndpty

Srndpty — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 01:01:28 +0000

I also wanted to thank you for your thoughts. Breaking the stigma of physicians who choose not to practice is a difficult one, and requires a lot of introspective thinking on the part of the physician. As much as we try not to think about what others will think, it is hard to escape the judgmental looks and ‘you couldn’t cut it’ stares (even from colleagues). I appreciate you bringing light to this.

Maybe others will be more understanding and appreciative of the road travelled and chosen.

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By: Carolyn Thomas

Carolyn Thomas — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 21:12:27 +0000

Srndpty, I like that bike riding analogy. Thanks for sharing your perspective here.

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By: Srndpty

Srndpty — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 16:42:24 +0000

Eleven-ish, that person who “took up space” may have wanted to be there, and through out the course of their studies realized a more productive avenue for themselves. Can you seriously fault someone who is making the best decision for themselves?

Many times, these people who “chuck” their M.D. still go on to further their careers in public service, business, and even politics. Why are you perpetuating that double standard by getting royally ticked? Did you not get into medical school?

Getting into medical school is not like going to college. The process of getting accepted is rigorous, and managing to complete your studies well, is another story. I applaud anyone who can get in and out of medical school. They have truly earned that degree. Additionally, being a doctor is to be a healer, an individual who cares for their patients. Many times these people still find ways to incorporate patient care into their lives (if by becoming an administrator, dictating policy, or acting as a facilitator between physicians and other stakeholders). If anything, those individuals are better equipped to handle the patients’ needs because they can see more of the bigger picture and the other factors involved in a patient’s environment.

Physicians don’t have higher powers and aren’t the only ones interested in the outcomes of their patients. Providing healthcare is like riding a bike. The physician may steer the bike that is healthcare, but there are other entities involved in the pedaling and braking (so to speak). Everything and everyone needs to work together to make a better ride.

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By: Eleven-ish

Eleven-ish — Sat, 19 Jan 2013 04:47:58 +0000

This is an interesting topic – made me wonder why I have no concerns at all when lawyers I know decide not to actually practice law but instead use their degree(s) to further careers in politics, public service, business, etc. and YET I am royally ticked off whenever I hear of yet another doctor who took up space at med school all those years – thus depriving somebody who really WANTED to practice medicine of a spot – but then chucks it all once the ink on the M.D. degree is dry.

Double standard? Maybe so!

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By: Carolyn Thomas

Carolyn Thomas — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 18:27:00 +0000

Thanks for that perspective. I too had a bit of a shift while researching and writing this post. You know what part “got” me? The part where Dr. Poole describes his drug company role as being “respected” within his workplace. Most docs work very hard for their patients, yet may not feel that level of respect on the job.

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By: Thinking

Thinking — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 13:00:54 +0000

Thanks for this thoughtful post, Carolyn. You have succeeded in changing my mind. I used to think, as the quote here implies, that docs who left their patient practice “just couldn’t cut it” in “real” medicine. Now I’m thinking that, given the hierarchy status we bestow on a medical degree, it may just take a heroic amount of guts to walk away from that for a new career, yes even a pharma career.

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By: Clinical Research Jobs

Clinical Research Jobs — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 11:30:26 +0000

Tobacco causes cancer, government has to take serious action on the companies who are trying to show smoking is harmless. By spreading this rumor number of smokers will be increased dramatically.

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By: Carolyn Thomas

Carolyn Thomas — Sun, 21 Oct 2012 12:23:16 +0000

Hi Dr. Joe – you’re so right. What do we know about what we want to do for the rest of our natural lives when we are 18 and applying to universities? This is true whether you’re studying medicine or English literature, but it seems the investment in time, money and expectations is so much greater when you are accepted into med school.

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