Medicine is shit!!! (2 Viewers)

[Queenroot]

Personal satisfaction is decreasing with medicine as shown by the surveys done by US doctors where ~80% don't encourage their children to pursue a career in medicine. Australia has not reached that stage yet but it is in the process. From experience most patients aren't really grateful, you will see a few patients here and there that make you heart melt but most patients don't seem to appreciate your work and they become frequent flyers (coming back into hospital often). Happiness and gratification is also a matter of perspective. Helping people gives me satisfaction but so does making money and also so does giving back to the community and helping my family. So gratification from helping people from a medical perspective is again not a strong motivating factor to study medicine.

At the end of the day it shouldn't be about the money. It should be because of your passion or interest. Interest isn't a strong motivating factor to endure 3-6 years of PHD and constant need to push yourself ahead of other brilliant people (you will also be competing with overseas doctors).

But basically, I've told this to everyone before and there have been a few believers and a lot of skeptics. I hope the skeptics will wake up and stop being in denial.

How saturated is the Medical research field? Like conducting clinical trials etc.?

 

[Medman]

How saturated is the Medical research field? Like conducting clinical trials etc.?

You have doctors, med students and scientists all trying to get into the action. Only problem is you won't be paid unless it's part of your PHD. So pretty much you work for free in these trials.

USYD and Government all making cut backs so clinical trials have to be justified pretty well before they go ahead with funding.

 

[tyrone97]

in all honesty, ive come across 5+ who have been saying this. and tbh although my umat wasnt great, ive gotten a guaranteed entry into UQ and i have a small chance of getting into unsw (depends on interview hahah) and i just wanted to make sure that i knew what i was getting into before i committed cause life is too short :/ but yeh if anyone has any experience please help me out here.

How did you get guaranteed entry into UQ if you're doing HSC this year? Isn't that provisional entry for school leavers and also considers your ATAR?

 

[Queenroot]

You have doctors, med students and scientists all trying to get into the action. Only problem is you won't be paid unless it's part of your PHD. So pretty much you work for free in these trials.

USYD and Government all making cut backs so clinical trials have to be justified pretty well before they go ahead with funding.

iirc the budget said something about investing millions into medical research lol, but okay.

 

[youngsky]

in all honesty, ive come across 5+ who have been saying this. and tbh although my umat wasnt great, ive gotten a guaranteed entry into UQ and i have a small chance of getting into unsw (depends on interview hahah) and i just wanted to make sure that i knew what i was getting into before i committed cause life is too short :/ but yeh if anyone has any experience please help me out here.

From the UQ website:

The UQ OP guarantee does not apply for entry to the following programs:

Doctor of Medicine (MD) (Provisional Entry for School-Leavers) (including Bonded Medical Places)

If this is what you meant then yeah sorry to burst your bubble. If medicine had a guaranteed entry scheme anywhere (directly in as an undergrad) then people including myself would apply like crazy. But alas~

 

[Medman]

iirc the budget said something about investing millions into medical research lol, but okay.

I hope they do but it's all talk. You never know if it will actually come true.

 

[Fade1233]

Where does your happiness lie is what you should ask yourself. If it lies in other people living a much better and happier life after you have flown your sweat for them, then Med is for you. If all you are after is recognition or money, then you will have short term and long term issues. I failed UMAT, it was a very sad moment when I saw my results; but from what it looks like, you are just on the incentive to 'bag' out medicine for what you have faced, then you are far off from a career in medicine but if not well then life is not short but enough to have new experiences so try medicine.

 

[Medman]

I disagree with your statement that if you enjoy giving people a better and happier life you should do medicine. It's not all about other people. You need to align your interests and goals with those of your career. If they don't match it probably won't bold well for you. Medicine is not purely about the PATIENT. DOCTORS are human too and to have that expectation of any human being utterly selfless is naive.

Let me for example mention Paypal. They have made shopping easier and safer for consumers. They have in fact bettered people's lives but it isn't medicine. You can actively contribute to people in any way and improve their life. Saying you want to do medicine because you want to help people is naive and if that is the best reason you give in an interview you will fail.

 

[seventhroot]

I disagree with your statement that if you enjoy giving people a better and happier life you should do medicine. It's not all about other people. You need to align your interests and goals with those of your career. If they don't match it probably won't bold well for you. Medicine is not purely about the PATIENT. DOCTORS are human too and to have that expectation of any human being utterly selfless is naive.

Let me for example mention Paypal. They have made shopping easier and safer for consumers. They have in fact bettered people's lives but it isn't medicine. You can actively contribute to people in any way and improve their life. Saying you want to do medicine because you want to help people is naive and if that is the best reason you give in an interview you will fail.

I understand what you said

betterer english/10

 

[red_dragon97]

Thank you all so much for your helpful insights. Firstly, when i say im pretty much guaranteed i mean that if i am able to maintain a 99+ atar i should get a spot in UQ based on past results. generally if you get 173+ umat you will at least get a bonded spot at UQ and atm im on 178, so if it doesnt jump like crazy, then i should have a spot . Also i think i want to get into medicine as i really want to work in the busy environment of the ER or trauma wards of hospital and work hours like 6pm-1/2 am (idk i just feel like that this would get my blood rushing and makes me very excited to help people who are gonna be so fked if they dont get medical attention soon, like those who really really need it). so i've heard that they are accepting way too many people into med schools. but my current plan is to get a job which i enjoy in a hospital and try specialise at the same time. At the end of all this ill probably try open my own clinic and work 3 days a week at the clinic and then 3 days at the hospital and have 1 day off. That way ill have a lot of fun working in the adrenaline-rushing environment of the hospital and have a good income from owning a clinic and i can spend 1 day off a week doing whatever i want. Just wondering if there is any major flaw in my plans or that i have some misconceptions.

 

[Medman]

Thank you all so much for your helpful insights. Firstly, when i say im pretty much guaranteed i mean that if i am able to maintain a 99+ atar i should get a spot in UQ based on past results. generally if you get 173+ umat you will at least get a bonded spot at UQ and atm im on 178, so if it doesnt jump like crazy, then i should have a spot . Also i think i want to get into medicine as i really want to work in the busy environment of the ER or trauma wards of hospital and work hours like 6pm-1/2 am (idk i just feel like that this would get my blood rushing and makes me very excited to help people who are gonna be so fked if they dont get medical attention soon, like those who really really need it). so i've heard that they are accepting way too many people into med schools. but my current plan is to get a job which i enjoy in a hospital and try specialise at the same time. At the end of all this ill probably try open my own clinic and work 3 days a week at the clinic and then 3 days at the hospital and have 1 day off. That way ill have a lot of fun working in the adrenaline-rushing environment of the hospital and have a good income from owning a clinic and i can spend 1 day off a week doing whatever i want. Just wondering if there is any major flaw in my plans or that i have some misconceptions.

ED is essentially only a public job so you most likely won't be doing anything private. You can't open your own clinic as an ED doctor unless you subspecialise in another area but even then I am not sure as to how the logistics works for that. If you specialise in trauma I don't even think they run private clinics. Right now ED doctors have to work part time in urban hospitals because there isn't enough jobs around. You'll be working from 6pm-7am generally as an ED doctor in training. Trust me working those hours when you're 40 is not fun especially when you have a family.

Most people come to ED for really simple problems. Depending on the hospital you work at you will either see very little or a lot of trauma. Westmead and RNS are the major trauma hospitals in NSW. Any major trauma will get transferred to those hospitals. So if you work at Blacktown or Auburn for example you will hardly see any major trauma or it will just be minor trauma. So if you want to do trauma you really essentially have 2 hospitals in NSW to choose from.

You will probably need to do a masters at least during med school or after you get a job to be competitive at getting a job in the future.

 

[iStudent]

From the UQ website:



If this is what you meant then yeah sorry to burst your bubble. If medicine had a guaranteed entry scheme anywhere (directly in as an undergrad) then people including myself would apply like crazy. But alas~

I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that you get provisional entry (or guaranteed entry as dragon interpreted it as) at Uq if you get OP1 (99 atar including bonus points) and a good enough umat. (of around what dragon mentioned). Basically, you do a 2 year health science degree with credit or pass I think and you go straight into 4 year MD without gamsat etc. Hence, "guaranteed" entry
http://www.uq.edu.au/study/index.html?page=189905

 

[bangladesh]

I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that you get provisional entry (or guaranteed entry as dragon interpreted it as) at Uq if you get OP1 (99 atar including bonus points) and a good enough umat. (of around what dragon mentioned). Basically, you do a 2 year health science degree with credit or pass I think and you go straight into 4 year MD without gamsat etc. Hence, "guaranteed" entry
http://www.uq.edu.au/study/index.html?page=189905

They've changed that. It's like USYD now. You do a full undergrad degree (3 years) and move on to MD.

 

[Medman]

They've changed that. It's like USYD now. You do a full undergrad degree (3 years) and move on to MD.

Wow undergraduate entry just got harder since there are less options available now.

 

[Queenroot]

Wow undergraduate entry just got harder since there are less options available now.

Tell me about it.

 

[seventhroot]

Tell me about it.

dem feels

 

[youngsky]

I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that you get provisional entry (or guaranteed entry as dragon interpreted it as) at Uq if you get OP1 (99 atar including bonus points) and a good enough umat. (of around what dragon mentioned). Basically, you do a 2 year health science degree with credit or pass I think and you go straight into 4 year MD without gamsat etc. Hence, "guaranteed" entry
http://www.uq.edu.au/study/index.html?page=189905

Yeah it's provisional entry so you would still have to put in the work even if you get in. Although tbh I wouldn't mind doing a pre-MD degree at UQ, I can't begin to imagine the number of years it would take to get into the workforce this way.

 

[Fade1233]

They've changed that. It's like USYD now. You do a full undergrad degree (3 years) and move on to MD.

How? How? How? Do you then have to do GAMSAT? If not, then hell yeh, I would even do 5 yrs of whatever that is, then move on to med, if I can get into Med.

 

[Queenroot]

How? How? How? Do you then have to do GAMSAT? If not, then hell yeh, I would even do 5 yrs of whatever that is, then move on to med, if I can get into Med.

You don't have to do UMAT or GAMSAT just need 99.95

 

[Fade1233]

I disagree with your statement that if you enjoy giving people a better and happier life you should do medicine. It's not all about other people. You need to align your interests and goals with those of your career. If they don't match it probably won't bold well for you. Medicine is not purely about the PATIENT. DOCTORS are human too and to have that expectation of any human being utterly selfless is naive.

Let me for example mention Paypal. They have made shopping easier and safer for consumers. They have in fact bettered people's lives but it isn't medicine. You can actively contribute to people in any way and improve their life. Saying you want to do medicine because you want to help people is naive and if that is the best reason you give in an interview you will fail.

In the end, when you are lying on your deathbed you wont be in a happy state but rather you will be thinking about what you have accomplished in your life that has made a difference- not money, not respect, absolutely nothing. First thing you will remember is what you have accomplished for other people. And I never said this is not selfish. This is in itself an act of part selfishness and it makes you feel that you have done something for someone. But as to your part. Yes the career should interest you, otherwise you wont be able to do your best:
Well I do have an interest in Surgery. I am interest in neurosurgery specialisation. The brain itself is such a complex thing and I want to learn as much as I can about it. Hahaha I even got a human brain book which I still havent opened cos of HSC.

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Interesting ^ :