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Why does everyone want to study medicine at university?

Because after GCSEs most people that pick science A levels don't actually know much about all the different uni courses/careers that are available in science subjects and if they do, none offer as much pay as medicine so they all say they want to do medicine.

Reply 61

Schoolio93

9

Original post by fazz

haha so true! We have a family friend who's a senior consultant and was saying if he were to be a student now he would question whether to go into medicine because society is just waiting to jump on the opportunity to claim a bit of compensation etc. rather than actually appreciate the help they are being given.

This.

Reply 62

JinnJamez

Original post by Jarred

Cash. Dosh. Moolah. Dough. Monkey. Whatever you call it; that is why medicine is popular.

WONGA!

Reply 63

yahyahyahs

16

I don't. The responsibility is too overwhelming. I'd rather go into a self-interest job, not because I'm nasty and couldn't give a toss about people, purely because you have a life in your hands and so many people are dependent on you - it scares me a bit. Oh and I'm not smart enough!

Reply 64

ExcessNeo

14

Original post by RobertWhite

What is it with everyone wanting to study medicine? I don't mind, it's just I haven't seen any media adverts brainwashing people into medicine recently and am so perplexed by the sudden influx in numbers. I understand medicine has always been a popular degree. However, I just went on a GCSE results thread and it seemed 50% of the people there wanted to study medicine at university. :dontknow:

To be honest the kind of people posting on TSR and their results on the GCSE thread it's highly likely they are either there to brag or future medics. Not everyone has the stomach for medicine (or the grades), with my best grade at GCSE being a single A and my lack of stomach for real blood and guts you wouldn't get me on a medicine course unless mine or my families life depended on it.

Reply 65

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

17

Original post by Chief Wiggum

You are helping people though, by trying to cure whatever problems they have.

Eg, someone has appendicitis, you are helping them by removing their appendix.

appendicitis is a special case and its classed as something for ED right? Not something that most GPs would come across, although medicine isn't just about becoming a GP. Most GPs will diagnose problems which will, at worse end up with a referral. Most the time there's a bit of umming and ahhing followed by a signature on a piece of paper.

Whereas someone who went out to africa and helped out with setting up mosquito nets, building wells etc etc whatever i don't know as I don't care much for charity, would be helping people more

Reply 66

dreamer9501

Well it's a pretty secure field. Once you're trained and you've got your consultant job you pretty much have a job for life, unless you do something crazy which means you get kicked off the gmc register. :redface:

Reply 67

Besakt

3

Can people stop saying money. Any idiot with half a brain knows medicine is not the profession if you want money that is dentistry.

Reply 68

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

17

Original post by Besakt

Can people stop saying money. Any idiot with half a brain knows medicine is not the profession if you want money that is dentistry.

well one of my friend's parents' are doctors. They have two 100k mercedes, and a massive house to go with it as well as private education for both kids which will have cost them at least 200K+. Doesn't sound too bad to me tbh

Oh and not to mention 3/2 expensive holidays every year flying first class and staying at 5 star hotels. AND brand new cars for their first cars too. The list can go on. Face it, there is money in medicine

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 69

Besakt

3

Original post by abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

well one of my friend's parents' are doctors. They have two 100k mercedes, and a massive house to go with it as well as private education for both kids which will have cost them at least 200K+. Doesn't sound too bad to me tbh

Yeah, you don't get that straight away that is like after at least 10 years of exams and working every hour god sends. Not to mention that they are dealing with people in very vulnerable situations constantly the pressure of making a mistake and potentially killing a patient the list can go on forever.
Yeah there is money in medicine as long as you work extremely hard and get to the top just like any other profession.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 70

Hippysnake

19

Original post by abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

you read too much daily mail lol

if you're a decent doctor, you get your respect, much like anything in life. Nobody will write into the daily mail telling them how their doctor spotted cancer, people are generally pathetic and love to kick up a fuss in the loudest way

We have a doctor back home who my parents always insist on seeing and won't see any other doctor because the others are "second rate". Maybe they're wrong about that, and i'm sure that many TSR medics will call them idiots for that which is fair enough but if you can't ****ing diagnose something, then i'd rather not waste my time with you

Any doctor who gets complaints is because they're not doing what people expect of them

I don't read the Daily Fail at all. This is just what I hear from friends and family.

Reply 71

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

17

Original post by Besakt

Yeah, you don't get that straight away that is like after at least 10 years of exams and working every hour god sends. Not to mention that they are dealing with people in very vulnerable situations constantly the pressure of making a mistake and potentially killing a patient the list can go on forever.

who said money comes for free? You don't earn 30,000 bonuses in IBD just by sitting on your arse do you? you spend almost every waking hour working and if you're a trader, you spend 12 hours in the office with your balls on the line - say goodbye to that porsche you're paying in monthly instalments if you **** up big time - if a patient dies, whilst it might sound callous, who cares? you've still got your job as long as there wasn't gross negligence.

If we're talking about GPs, which my friend's parents are, they're never making split second decisions which will save a patients life.

And you don't earn 100s of thousands straight out in dentistry either

The money isn't in medicine like its in IB, but its not far off dentistry

EDIT: also you think 8-6:30 is every waking hour god sends? how about 9am-midnight/midnight+ if you're working on a large deal in IBD or maybe even 6-6pm on a typical trading desk. Working hours in medicine aren't all that great

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 72

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

17

Original post by Hippysnake

I don't read the Daily Fail at all. This is just what I hear from friends and family.

then they probably need to go and change doctors then. Have they ever told you about a good doctor who got rid of their illness? probably not

Reply 73

dj1015

13

gold diggers.........................

Go study something real like Engineering.

Reply 74

Besakt

3

Original post by abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

who said money comes for free? You don't earn 30,000 bonuses in IBD just by sitting on your arse do you? you spend almost every waking hour working and if you're a trader, you spend 12 hours in the office with your balls on the line - say goodbye to that porsche you're paying in monthly instalments if you **** up big time - if a patient dies, whilst it might sound callous, who cares? you've still got your job as long as there wasn't gross negligence.

If we're talking about GPs, which my friend's parents are, they're never making split second decisions which will save a patients life.

And you don't earn 100s of thousands straight out in dentistry either

I'm not saying you do but the working hours once you graduate are much more relaxed. If you are interested in money why not go into something like IB. The last thing any patient wants is a doctor whose main interest is how much profit he is making from the patient.
My point is there are much easier ways to make the salary of a doctor. I doubt they where working 8 - 6.30 when they where Junior doctors.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 75

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

17

Original post by Besakt

I'm not saying you do but the working hours once you graduate are much more relaxed. If you are interested in money why not go into something like IB. The last thing any patient wants is a doctor whose main interest is how much profit he is making from the patient.
My point is there are much easier ways to make the salary of a doctor.

you don't make profit from each patient though, if you did, i'd jump straight into medicine without any hesitation. In fact, i think most people would jump into medicine if treating one patient = £100 extra. Treat 1000 patients and you got yourself a nice 100k bonus, hell even 100 patients which is far more realistic will get you 10,000 - enough for a decent holiday at best

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 76

Hippysnake

19

Original post by abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

then they probably need to go and change doctors then. Have they ever told you about a good doctor who got rid of their illness? probably not

Exactly my point. Nobody ever talks about them. There is no respect. If the doctor cures you, big whoop, it's his job. If he makes a mistake, even if it's a tiny one, **** hits the fan, the GMC are bought in, the Daily Fail twists it and public perception of doctors falls even lower.

Reply 77

username451352

11

Original post by abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

well one of my friend's parents' are doctors. They have two 100k mercedes, and a massive house to go with it as well as private education for both kids which will have cost them at least 200K+. Doesn't sound too bad to me tbh

Oh and not to mention 3/2 expensive holidays every year flying first class and staying at 5 star hotels. AND brand new cars for their first cars too. The list can go on. Face it, there is money in medicine

My uncle is a doctor - he's given me stuff like Playstations for christmas, his four children all went to expensive private schools, his wife doesn't have to work, and he goes on holiday to the Caribbean. He makes a lot of money, yes - he works extremely hard for it. Half the time when we go to see him he's at work, most of the time he's on call, and he often has to work over Christmas. It sounds like an absolute pain in the ass.

Tbh, most of the people who want to do medicine won't. At my school (private) 50% of the year said they wanted to do medicine after GCSEs - now that number has dwindled significantly as people realise how hard it is and how you have to put in masses of work to stand a chance of being accepted.

Reply 78

TurboCretin

20

There are many reasons to want to study medicine. Hence, many people do, and for different reasons. The main reason for the sudden increase in popularity is probably the dire condition of the graduate job market brought about by the downturn.

Reply 79

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

17

Original post by Hippysnake

Exactly my point. Nobody ever talks about them. There is no respect. If the doctor cures you, big whoop, it's his job. If he makes a mistake, even if it's a tiny one, **** hits the fan, the GMC are bought in, the Daily Fail twists it and public perception of doctors falls even lower.

but they do - you don't have to tell your friends and family how your doctor cured your illnesses to show respect do you? I respect my doctor because he consistently does his job, never had a problem with him, but you don't see me advertising him. Every time i've gone to another doctor in the same surgery, they diagnose me with something else which wastes my time - **** hits the fan because they're not exactly paid pennies are they?

Its the same with the bankers, the general public believe they're the ones who caused the crisis. They weren't solely to blame, but most of the hate comes from the fact that they're taking bonuses the size of the general publics salaries. If bankers earned the same as cleaners, the public wouldn't bat an eyelid and they'd go hunt the next highest earning professional who played a part

(edited 12 years ago)

Why does everyone want to study medicine at university?

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