Why are fewer and fewer young people choosing to become doctors?

brightmarlin44 said:Electrical Engineering and Computer Science—lots of studying, drafting, and way too many labs. Mechanical Engineering is basically the same deal. Dentistry/Medicine covers everything except orthopedics plus general dentistry—plus those crazy intense labs with tiny groups. Medicine involves massive amounts of memorization, but things tend to loop back around. For instance, if you nail physiology and pathophysiology, everything else in the clinic becomes a piece of cake. Honestly though? The doctors we see today will be relics soon. Genetics and molecular biology are where the future is; traditional medicine is heading toward the exit. I’m a doctor, and I’m telling you straight—if I could choose again right now, I would. This is how it works: I’m in administration rather than clinical work—government service, so I don't deal with $1833 much (and by the way, the pay is great)—but if I were stuck in a hospital wearing scrubs in internal medicine or cardiology, we're talking maybe $7,000–$8,500 including call shifts. Anyone who actually knows what it's like to pull 12-hour shifts in a hospital knows that pay is pathetic. And opening a private practice? Unless you have at least €450,000 just for the space and equipment, you don't stand a chance. So, do the math.😍

Oh, look at our resident brilliant doctor and scholar over here...😍

Why is everyone in America suddenly obsessed with becoming a doctor?
According to recent GfK studies, being a physician is actually the top career choice right now.
How do you guys make sense of that?

It seems like medicine is becoming one of the least desirable paths. The dean of the medical school recently expressed serious concerns because interest in the field is plummeting, and fewer and fewer young people are choosing this career path...
There was even a recent article in the papers about how being a doctor is one of the most thankless jobs in the US right now. 😬

quiethound45 said:The most undesirable field right now. The Dean of the medical school expressed serious concern because interest is plummeting, and fewer and fewer young people are choosing this career path...
it’s what that recent newspaper article was getting at—how being a doctor has become one of the most thankless jobs in America 😬

Kudos to the altruistic physicians out there, truly. But let’s be real: the profession is often dominated by corruption and systemic rigidity. Sure, there are plenty of good souls, but I’m convinced there are just as many people with shattered illusions, along with a smaller group of truly corrupt charlatans who ruin the reputation of everyone else. They’re the reason the entire system will eventually have to be rebuilt from the ground up.

I honestly think fewer and fewer young people are choosing to become doctors because
-medical school drags on forever, like six whole years
-you have to study your life away just to end up with mediocre pay and brutal on-call shifts

I am genuinely stunned by the sheer amount of nepotism required just to land a desired residency.

Look, if there is no money -----> there are no residencies, no specialists, no clinics, no advanced equipment, no surgeries being performed monthly, no technicians, wait times skyrocket, and getting quality healthcare becomes an uphill battle.

Meanwhile, we just pour everything into the military and throw ourselves at the feet of NATO.

Mark Long2 said:I’m honestly shocked by how much nepotism it takes just to land the specialty you actually want.

Look, if there isn't funding, there aren't specialties. If there aren't specialties, we don't get specialists. That means fewer clinics, less equipment, fewer surgeries performed every month, and fewer technicians. Wait times go up, and getting quality care becomes a real struggle.

Meanwhile, we just keep pouring money into the military and throwing ourselves at NATO.

Exactly. The healthcare system is basically in a coma right now, and it's becoming harder to ignore. Things will only get worse unless something is done—though I doubt we'll see any real, meaningful action anytime soon.

hollowpanther14 said:I believe we are seeing a decline in the number of young people choosing medical careers because
-medical school is an incredibly long commitment, lasting about six years
-the sheer volume of material to master is overwhelming, yet salaries remain modest when you factor in exhausting on-call shifts and such.

+ Furthermore, during those formative early years, certain complex concepts are often poorly explained, leading students to spend excessive amounts of energy memorizing information that ultimately proves to be superfluous.

hollowpanther14 said:I think fewer and fewer young people are choosing to become doctors because
-med school takes forever—like 6 years--
-the workload is insane, the pay is actually pretty low once you factor everything in, and then there's all those overnight shifts and stuff.

That’s total nonsense! Those overnight shifts are where the real money is!😛

Lawrence Wells said:That’s just nonsense, honestly. I mean, those on-call shifts pay pretty damn well, I guess.😛

I mean, I guess you should probably just swing by one of the coffee shops and hang out there for a bit. You don't even have to actually do anything, really.
I mean, honestly, people in certain professions really should be getting paid based on what they actually bring to the table. But I guess we're still stuck with that old-school, one-size-fits-all approach where everyone just gets paid the exact same thing regardless. 🙄

I’ll try not to micromanage my kids' career paths, but I’m definitely going to push them away from medicine. If they insist on healthcare, maybe dentistry. It's mostly just based on what I've seen within my own family.
I really wouldn't want my kids to deal with all this bullshit.
First off, if you actually commit to the coursework—which is basically mandatory—those six years pretty much swallow your entire life whole.
Then there's the massive frustration of watching people who barely showed up to class, or somehow managed to scrape by through sheer luck, suddenly land the best residencies.
Even if you do score a residency, you're basically an indentured servant for the next few years until you finish, working exhausting on-call shifts until you're physically spent. So, once again, you have zero life; your family gets pushed to the side, which is especially brutal for women.
Once residency ends, the exploitation just keeps going, usually seasoned by those same colleagues who, by some miracle, always manage to squeeze themselves into every conference or force their way onto research papers they didn't even touch. And god forbid, they're always finding ways to get involved in side projects that bring in extra cash.
It takes maybe ten years of specialized training before things settle down enough to actually have a normal work schedule. But by then, it's usually too late because you've witnessed way too much nonsense. And if you haven't experienced a disaster personally—though the odds are high—you'll see it happen. For example: you spend all day on the ward, then switch to clinic duty where patients keep rolling in all night, and at 4 AM, a kid comes in with a fever. You think it looks minor, so you send them home. Then the kid dies in the morning. It isn't just about having to explain things to a parent; it's the fact that you carry that weight forever: "If I had just admitted them, that child would be alive today." You can Google it all you want, but the consequences stay with you. And it's not just your own mistakes; it's seeing the incompetence of those aforementioned colleagues you're stuck on the ward with.
And I don't even need to mention what happens to your family life during all those years.

That kind of psychological pressure and grind simply isn't worth the paycheck, no matter how many times over they multiply the money doctors make now. I went through a pretty tough degree myself and I work hard, but human lives aren't riding on my decisions, and I actually make more money.
So, I'm not surprised when doctors, once their Hippocratic idealism cools off and they look around, start feeling cheated compared to everyone else and begin looking for "other ways" to make a living.

I honestly think the only people who should be practicing medicine are monks without families—people who have renounced worldly comforts, have a spiritual calling for it, and can actually handle the burden.

Betty Brown said:I try not to dictate my kids' career paths, but I’ll certainly do my best to make sure they don't get stuck in medicine—unless they eventually land in dentistry. That's largely based on my own family experience.
I really wouldn't want my children to go through all that nonsense.
First off, during those six years of med school, you don't have much of a life if you actually commit to the studies (which is a given)
Then there’s the massive disappointment of watching people who barely showed up to class—and somehow managed to scrape by through sheer luck—suddenly snag the best residencies.
Even if they do land a residency, what follows is literal indentured servitude for several years until they finish, including exhausting on-call shifts that leave you completely drained. So, once again, you get nothing out of life; your family ends up being an afterthought, which is especially true for women.
Once the residency is over, the exploitation just continues, often seasoned by those same colleagues who—heaven forbid—always find some way to get themselves onto every single conference, or get listed as co-authors on papers they haven't even looked at, and somehow end up involved in various side projects that bring in extra cash.
It isn't until about ten years into a specialty that things might finally stabilize enough for a person to start working normally. But by then, it's usually too late because you've witnessed far too much garbage—even if you weren't personally involved in any of it, though the probability is high. For instance: after spending an entire day on a ward, you move straight to an outpatient clinic for on-call duties where patients keep coming in all night. Then, at 4:00 AM, a child comes in with a fever, and you think it doesn't look serious, so you send them home. The child dies in the morning!!! It isn't just about having to explain something to a parent; it's the fact that you'll carry the weight of "If I had just admitted them, that child would be alive today" for the rest of your life. You can Google it all you want, but the consequences stay with you. And it's not just from your own mistakes, but from those aforementioned colleagues, because you're on the same ward and you see everything they do—or rather, everything they fail to do.
And I won't even mention what happens to one's family life during all those years.

That kind of psychological pressure and physical toll simply isn't worth it, no matter how much more money they might be making now. I also finished a relatively difficult degree and I work quite hard, but people's lives don't depend on my job, and I earn more than they do.
Which is why I'm not surprised that doctors, once the Hippocratic Oath loses its luster and they take a good look around, start feeling cheated compared to others and begin looking for "alternative ways."

It seems to me that medicine should only be pursued by monks without families—people who have renounced worldly material comforts, possess a spiritual drive for it, and can actually handle the lifestyle.

I agree with you on certain points, but it has to be said that a career in medicine depends HEAVILY on which specialty one chooses.

Dermatology, ophthalmology, psychiatry, nuclear medicine, occupational medicine, or family practice are examples of specialties where practitioners enjoy a fairly normal life, not just after their training, but during it as well. Of course, there are still sacrifices, hierarchies, and on-call shifts, but you can't compare that to the grind and Spartan regime found on an internal medicine or surgical ward...🙄

In our hospitals, there is a terrible imbalance between departments... on some wards, people are falling over from exhaustion and have enough work for 20 hours a day, while on others, at 1:00 PM, it's empty; the doctors head home, leaving only the nurses and the on-call staff, and people literally have nothing left to do.

I noticed this thread has been pretty quiet for a while, but I’m still hoping someone might point me in the right direction. I was wondering—for the med school entrance exams, do I really need to have the entire periodic table memorized? It probably sounds like a silly question, but I figured it was worth asking.

genoivianan said:I noticed this thread has been quiet for a while, but I am still hoping someone might be able to provide some clarity. Regarding the medical school entrance exams, is it actually necessary to have the entire periodic table memorized? It probably sounds like a rather trivial question, but I would truly appreciate some insight.

You will be provided with a printed sheet containing the periodic table along with all the specific data points you might need.

I was wondering if anyone could shed some light on the current landscape regarding medical residencies? Does anyone have any concrete insights into which specialties are currently in high demand versus those that are becoming a bit oversaturated? I’m also curious about the local scene—what’s the vibe like for placements in Washington, D.C. or Seattle lately? And, if I may be so bold as to ask, is the issue of nepotism and "who you know" truly as massive and insurmountable an obstacle as people claim, or is that just a bit of an exaggeration? Furthermore, what does the situation look like internationally? Any bit of information or perspective from those of you who have already navigated this entire gauntlet would be immensely appreciated!

Ever since I can remember, I've wanted to be a doctor. I can't even pinpoint why; I just love it. I spend all my free time buried in medical texts, even though med school is going to drain four years of my life.
Of course, I'm enrolling, and I plan to nail the boards on my first attempt and get out of here.
As for the salary, honestly, it’s not my main driver. As long as it provides a decent standard of living, I'm good.
Even if university lasted twenty years, I'd still sign up. When you're obsessed with something, you don't care how long it takes or how brutal the grind is.
I wouldn't take some other job offering three times a physician's salary if it were handed to me on a silver platter.🙂BECAUSE NOTHING SUCKS MORE THAN WORKING A JOB YOU HATE.

Andrew Jones12 said:Ever since I can remember, I've wanted to be a doctor. I can't even pinpoint why; I just love it. I spend all my free time buried in medical texts, even though med school is going to drain four years of my life.
Of course, I'm enrolling, and I plan to nail the boards on my first attempt and get out of here.
As for the salary, honestly, it’s not my main driver. As long as it provides a decent standard of living, I'm good.
Even if university lasted twenty years, I'd still sign up. When you're obsessed with something, you don't care how long it takes or how brutal the grind is.
I wouldn't take some other job offering three times a physician's salary if it were handed to me on a silver platter.🙂BECAUSE NOTHING SUCKS MORE THAN WORKING A JOB YOU HATE.

Well, good luck to you with $1667 trying to become a doc without a specialty and making maybe $9,000 after a few years of residency, tons of on-call shifts, and a massive amount of ungrateful patients.

Someone mentioned dentistry is five times better than medicine.

Andrew Jones12 said:Ever since I can remember, I've wanted to be a doctor. I can't even pinpoint why; I just love it. I spend all my free time buried in medical texts, even though med school is going to drain four years of my life.
Of course, I'm enrolling, and I plan to nail the boards on my first attempt and get out of here.
As for the salary, honestly, it’s not my main driver. As long as it provides a decent standard of living, I'm good.
Even if university lasted twenty years, I'd still sign up. When you're obsessed with something, you don't care how long it takes or how brutal the grind is.
I wouldn't take some other job offering three times a physician's salary if it were handed to me on a silver platter.🙂BECAUSE NOTHING SUCKS MORE THAN WORKING A JOB YOU HATE.

What a dreamer... if you really mean it when you say you want to "get out" of America, then you'd be better off applying to schools abroad right now—wherever it is you actually plan on going. Unless, of course, you're a masochist who doesn't mind the headache of re-learning everything and retaking exams just to get your degree recognized.
And about that salary not mattering? Well, okay... just walk into a grocery store, tell them you're a doctor, and you'll probably get whatever you want just by looking charming.🤣🤣🤣

Nah, that’s not it...
I’d love to split my time—half at school here and half abroad if there's any way to make that happen.
But I already know the catch regarding retaking those exams. My mom has a friend over in the States who had to redo everything from scratch.

Gregory Gomez45 said:Well, good luck to you with $1667 trying to become a doc without a specialty and making maybe $9,000 after a few years of residency, tons of on-call shifts, and a massive amount of ungrateful patients.

Someone mentioned dentistry is five times better than medicine.

Hey, please don't start making things up! 🙂

It’s just basic math, really:
It’s basically just the base pay plus a little extra for your years on the job—like adding half a percent for every year you've put in—then you tack on whatever position differential applies and any overtime or on-call pay you picked up.
So, the specialist coefficient starts at around 2.04, while the base rate is sitting right around... $1533So, you basically just put in your time through seniority, maybe grab a promotion or a new title along the way, and eventually, it all leads up to those on-call shifts.
If we're talking about picking up eight extra shifts a month, that’s looking like an extra $1,200 to $1,400 in the pocket for a young specialist, which honestly isn't a bad way to pad the savings account.