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

Oh, the humanity! What has the world come to?🙂

Honestly, what is this country going to do with its doctors? Just take a look at these "brilliant" responses in the health threads—everyone thinks they’re an expert and knows everything.

driftinghound14 said:It’s not even about the doctors or the nurses... but I was browsing some forums earlier looking up how to build a fireplace, and I ended up getting a little distracted. Professional contractors charge anywhere from $10,000 to $5000 just for the installation. All they really bring to the table is manual labor and a bit of specialized knowledge. For that kind of money, a doctor—let alone a nurse, who works like a pack mule with enough responsibility to cause nightmares—could get a lot more. It’s standard practice for a nurse to establish an IV line, right? And it’s perfectly normal for a doctor to dictate exactly what goes into that vein. Meanwhile, a contractor connects two pipes, tweaks a few things here and there, does a little bit of this and that, and walks away with $3333. Let him have his $667... but honestly, how much does a neurosurgeon actually make for $667?

So, why wouldn't the younger generation want to go into medicine?

Even if university were twice as easy and the pay was doubled, I still wouldn't choose to be a physician.

To spend your entire life, day in and day out, witnessing the frailty and suffering of the elderly—you truly need a certain kind of constitution for that, don't you?

And as for those contractors—for them to be able to charge those outrageous prices, there simply has to be a segment of the population wealthy enough to pay it, and clearly, such people exist.

The US is once again outperforming its neighbors... you just can't get through a normal day without working overtime...

I think you've got that backwards—just take a look at what doctors are making over in Canada. It honestly feels pretty silly to constantly compare our situation to places like Bulgaria or Albania. Plus, while picking up extra shifts might help you live a slightly more comfortable lifestyle, it’s definitely not going to make you rich.

Just jumping in here—I haven't read every single comment, so if I end up repeating something, please forgive me. Honestly, back in the day, I actually dreamed of becoming a doctor, but I was told quite bluntly that because I was a woman, I wouldn't be able to land a neurosurgery residency, which was my absolute dream, and that was really the breaking point for me. As for why fewer young people are choosing this path? Well, when you have a degree that takes forever, an incredibly grueling curriculum, and then you still have to grind through a dozen more years of specialized training and endless hoops, all for a salary that feels insultingly low... it just doesn't add up. Sure, I'll admit the pay is slightly higher than the average American worker's, but compared to the sheer amount of blood, sweat, and tears required, it’s nowhere near enough. And look, I’m not trying to diminish what nurses do—don't get me wrong—but there's just no logic in seeing a nurse making thousands less than a doctor when they finished four years of school while the physician had to endure fourteen. Then, once you actually step into a hospital, you see some staff just hanging out, sipping coffee or checking their nails, complaining about how hard things are without even glancing at the patient! Of course, you have your grumpy, unprofessional, or corrupt doctors, but you also have wonderful nurses who truly care about their work. So, that whole idea that doctors are "highly respected" members of society? Yeah, sure, keep dreaming, because everyone treats them like they're all just corrupt and incompetent. And besides, who actually wants to live under constant pressure, wondering if some lunatic is going to sue you? In medicine, nothing is ever guaranteed, and you can never truly predict how someone will react. There's always that unpredictable X-factor where you might lose a patient despite giving absolutely everything you had. I could probably go on about this until tomorrow, but that's my two cents for now.

Harold Ramirez49 said:Honestly, what is this country going to do with its doctors? Just take a look at these "brilliant" responses in the health threads—everyone thinks they’re an expert and knows everything.

Total nonsense!😂

Richard Castillo2 said:Just jumping in here—I haven't read every single comment, so if I end up repeating something, please forgive me. Honestly, back in the day, I actually dreamed of becoming a doctor, but I was told quite bluntly that because I was a woman, I wouldn't be able to land a neurosurgery residency, which was my absolute dream, and that was really the breaking point for me. As for why fewer young people are choosing this path? Well, when you have a degree that takes forever, an incredibly grueling curriculum, and then you still have to grind through a dozen more years of specialized training and endless hoops, all for a salary that feels insultingly low... it just doesn't add up. Sure, I'll admit the pay is slightly higher than the average American worker's, but compared to the sheer amount of blood, sweat, and tears required, it’s nowhere near enough. And look, I’m not trying to diminish what nurses do—don't get me wrong—but there's just no logic in seeing a nurse making thousands less than a doctor when they finished four years of school while the physician had to endure fourteen. Then, once you actually step into a hospital, you see some staff just hanging out, sipping coffee or checking their nails, complaining about how hard things are without even glancing at the patient! Of course, you have your grumpy, unprofessional, or corrupt doctors, but you also have wonderful nurses who truly care about their work. So, that whole idea that doctors are "highly respected" members of society? Yeah, sure, keep dreaming, because everyone treats them like they're all just corrupt and incompetent. And besides, who actually wants to live under constant pressure, wondering if some lunatic is going to sue you? In medicine, nothing is ever guaranteed, and you can never truly predict how someone will react. There's always that unpredictable X-factor where you might lose a patient despite giving absolutely everything you had. I could probably go on about this until tomorrow, but that's my two cents for now.

Not all nurses just have a high school diploma; those ones usually pull in around $4,000 in base pay. Plenty of nurses have completed degrees that last anywhere from three to five years. Though, I'd guess those with five-year degrees won't be working in direct bedside care. Also, doctors don't study for 14 years straight—it's 6 years, plus a residency that lasts another 4 or 5. And the pay gap between a basic nurse and a specialist is actually way, way bigger than $2,000 or $3,000.

And as for saying nurses don't work hard—you're totally wrong there. It is definitely one of the toughest jobs out there, both physically and mentally, especially in the intense wards. And it’s certainly not irresponsible work. Honestly, I think they deserve every single cent they make.

Casey Palmer5, I think I was being a little too literal with my last post. Pay scales vary wildly depending on the department, and I’m sure it changes quite a bit from one hospital to the next, too. I was specifically talking about the situation at a certain municipal hospital where I happen to know exactly how things stand—though maybe your experience is different. Like I said, you get wonderful nurses, but you also run into some pretty terrible doctors. I have a few people I actually care about (and we're talking doctors here!!) who were admitted to that facility only to be completely ignored by the nursing staff for days on end, let alone getting changed or anything. And I know exactly what they were pulling in, and honestly, I think the pay gaps aren't wide enough. I realize it isn't an irresponsible job, but if something goes sideways, the first thing everyone does is point fingers at the doctor on call and ask how they could have let it happen.

My situation is pretty much whatever I make of it—mostly because I don't actually work in a hospital anymore. I’m not in the medical field, whether as a doctor or a nurse.

But hey, let's be real: there are definitely people out there who just aren't feeling it and spend their whole shift looking for any excuse to hide in the shade...

It’s not all doom and gloom, I guess... we actually saw a bit of an uptick in people applying for med school this year. Still, being a doctor feels like a pretty rare career path here in the States.

The whole shortage thing really stems from those years of neglect and terrible staffing decisions back in the nineties. That created this massive gap that politicians today love to brag about fixing—even though their own party veterans were the ones who messed it up in the first place. Back then, so many people just got pushed out because there weren't enough jobs, forcing them to either move abroad or find work outside of medicine entirely.
What’s going to drive people away now is the lack of financial stability. Don't get me wrong, doctors make more than the average American, but for anyone trying to be truly dedicated and conscientious, the pay still feels way too low considering everything you have to endure—the crushing patient load, budget cuts, hospital admin, public scrutiny, even legal threats... All that for a salary that's only slightly above average (and honestly, it's only decent if you're pulling overnight shifts, but that's a whole other conversation). And the old-school "under the table" perks? Those are long gone, at least according to the older generation, though from what I can tell, the younger crowd isn't looking for that kind of stuff anyway.

Personally, I feel like specialists should be making around $70k-$80k without even counting on-call pay (which should probably be handled separately). I also think we need better pay tiers based on specialty—something more substantial than the measly little bonuses they offer now—but I'm worried the medical community itself might push back against that.

Gregory Gomez45 said:It really depends on who's sponsoring you, but I guess it's probably around $1667 +- $167

Around here, they offer $2000+500 for young people doing their internships

Mark Long2 said: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.

Totally agree. I specialized in internal medicine and I am absolutely exhausted every single day. There is zero downtime here, not to mention dealing with lines of frustrated patients outside the door that lead to constant friction. It's just me, two nurses, and one resident. It's brutal, especially when I see colleagues in other departments making the same salary but getting tired in a week what takes me a whole day to process. You need a genuine passion and a strong stomach for this; if you're just chasing a paycheck, you won't make it through med school, and if you do, you'll be miserable. Plus, residencies average four years, sometimes seven... just imagine that.

I’ve really gone down the rabbit hole now🙂

Harold Ramirez49 said:Honestly, what is this country going to do with its doctors? Just take a look at these "brilliant" responses in the health threads—everyone thinks they’re an expert and knows everything.

🤣

I’m seriously wondering what’s going to happen in 2012 when that 48-hour work week law actually kicks in. I mean, what kind of doctor even works those hours? Doing 70 or 80 is just standard, and if you complain, people basically ask, "What are you whining about?" Am I going to get in trouble with the law if I refuse to work more than 48? Or does anyone even care? Will I be forced to leave the US if I don't move before then?
Look, even putting pay aside, the real question is how we’re supposed to function. Are all these small hospitals just going to shut down? We have places where a town of 8,000 or a region of 50,000 doesn't even need its own hospital to begin with... etc.

And honestly, the pay and how doctors are treated by society is everything—but right now, there's zero motivation there. It's stupid to even bother commenting on it.

fadedeagle39 said:I’m seriously wondering what’s going to happen in 2012 when that 48-hour work week law actually kicks in. I mean, what kind of doctor even works those hours? Doing 70 or 80 is just standard, and if you complain, people basically ask, "What are you whining about?" Am I going to get in trouble with the law if I refuse to work more than 48? Or does anyone even care? Will I be forced to leave the US if I don't move before then?
Look, even putting pay aside, the real question is how we’re supposed to function. Are all these small hospitals just going to shut down? We have places where a town of 8,000 or a region of 50,000 doesn't even need its own hospital to begin with... etc.

And honestly, the pay and how doctors are treated by society is everything—but right now, there's zero motivation there. It's stupid to even bother commenting on it.

I'm also wondering about 2012... but I'm not leaving the US.

Maybe we should just open an import business instead. You see how well that works in this country. We can just hire people on minimum wage to do exactly what they do in those massive retail centers.

Regardless, I would never trade my job. It’s the best job in the world to me. My only issue is that I still rely on my parents for help because this paycheck barely covers my extra expenses.

Kevin White5 said:I'm also wondering about 2012... but I'm not leaving the US.

Maybe we should just open an import business instead. You see how well that works in this country. We can just hire people on minimum wage to do exactly what they do in those massive retail centers.

Regardless, I would never trade my job. It’s the best job in the world to me. My only issue is that I still rely on my parents for help because this paycheck barely covers my extra expenses.

Agreed.👍Our job is genuinely great. Don't get me wrong, it's special. I'd never swap it, and I wouldn't even leave the States unless some other life thing forced my hand. Money isn't the driver. I actually turned down an offer once. I have too many personal reasons to stay here, and cash has never been the motivation.
The only thing that sucks is how nobody asks us what we think. Seeing a doctor hauled off in handcuffs is disgusting, regardless of whether they took bribes or not. Taking bribes is revolting. We need to protect the dignity of this profession, and that's on us. We have to do it, because nobody else will.

fadedeagle39 said:Agreed.👍Our job is genuinely great. Don't get me wrong, it's special. I'd never swap it, and I wouldn't even leave the States unless some other life thing forced my hand. Money isn't the driver. I actually turned down an offer once. I have too many personal reasons to stay here, and cash has never been the motivation.
The only thing that sucks is how nobody asks us what we think. Seeing a doctor hauled off in handcuffs is disgusting, regardless of whether they took bribes or not. Taking bribes is revolting. We need to protect the dignity of this profession, and that's on us. We have to do it, because nobody else will.

Exactly. That’s the saddest part. They’ll use initials for a murderer, but for medical malpractice, they print the full name and declare them guilty before a judge even hears the case.

I don't know if anyone remembers that doctor accused of being a predator a few years back. Once he was cleared, the news buried the exoneration in tiny print in some corner of the page. As long as they got him on the front page as an accused criminal, they won't care. He'll be branded for the rest of his life.

Shouldn't medical errors be handled by professionals rather than laypeople? But then again, that's a whole different conversation...

Kevin White5 said:Exactly. That’s the saddest part. They’ll use initials for a murderer, but for medical malpractice, they print the full name and declare them guilty before a judge even hears the case.

I don't know if anyone remembers that doctor accused of being a predator a few years back. Once he was cleared, the news buried the exoneration in tiny print in some corner of the page. As long as they got him on the front page as an accused criminal, they won't care. He'll be branded for the rest of his life.

Shouldn't medical errors be handled by professionals rather than laypeople? But then again, that's a whole different conversation...

I'm with you on this. Shouldn't stuff like this go through a medical board privately first, instead of being fed straight to those vulture journalists?