Why would someone wants to be a doctor?

Doctors don't really get paid much more they get a good starting wage(£22,636)

By keeping people alive for longer, and subsequently contributing to unsustainable population growth, aren't they kind of doing the opposite?

Because medicine students actually want to help people and find human body interesting?

I hate all the people who when they find out I do medicine say "that's great at least you will have a lot of money". I don't care about money, I would do medicine even if it wasn't a paid job.

Take any random doctor I've doubt they've saved many (if any) lives. The scientists that made clean water possible, that discovered penicillin or other great discoveries have saved millions if not billions ]

Tbh apps are getting so good there's some that you out all your symptoms in and it can work out pretty accurately what's wrong with you.

No idea tbh. My dad's a doctor and gets paid a very high salary (I doubt I'd ever be able to earn that much lol) but I still wouldn't want to be a doctor. He's out of the house from 7am - 9pm everyday, spends all day at home on the weekends working, and doesn't really seem to do anything else. Very unattractive lifestyle. I think it's bs that people do it because they love 'helping people'. There are lots of other jobs that allow you to help people, but because doctors have the potential to earn a lot, that's why people go for medicine.

There's no serious money to be made by being a doctor. You start off on a fairly low salary, you have to train for years and years before reaching a much higher salary, at which point you'll be fairly old yourself and the cost of living will have increased at a higher rate than the wage itself anyway. The ones who make a lot of money are those that go on, like lawyers, to set up their own partnerships. In that case they're not only a doctor but they're also a director or possibly a managing director.

If you want to make serious money in this world you run your own business. I'm not saying doctors don't make good money but its not as good as people make out considering the hours they are expected to put in as well as the additional paperwork. To me there are three reasons why people want to become a doctor and they are status, opportunity and wanting to help others. Doctors are respected for what they do and rightly so. Doctors want to help others, even if that is minimal, they still do want to do that. If they didn't, they wouldn't get out of bed and put in the hours they do. In terms of opportunity, being a doctor opens up most of the world to you in terms of job prospects so you can go elsewhere in the world, especially if you're a specialist and make ridiculous amounts of money.

I think of all professions, the one LEAST likely to be able to be replaced by machines in the next 30 years is the doctor. Literally every other profession is easier to replace. Medicine just involves too much humanity.

By keeping people alive for longer, and subsequently contributing to unsustainable population growth, aren't they kind of doing the opposite?

Name one.

Sounds like OP just got rejected from medschool and is a little butthurt

To be honest, I don't regard a 5 figure salary of any kind as excellent. In today's world where globalisation is continuously happening and setting up your own business is pretty easy if you put the hours in, a 6 figure salary within a few to several years is a real possibility. Even if only your turnover was 6 figures but profit was 5 figure I'd rather be the owner of an asset turning over 6 figures per annum than someone being salaried by someone else. With most things in life, the more you put into something, the more you get out. Generally speaking, the ones who do the best out of their degrees are the ones who take the knowledge and skills they've obtained and use that to start their own business. Lawyers go and form partnerships. Doctors go and set up private practices. Accountants set up their own firms. Very few people get rich by lining the pocket of someone else and that is essentially what you're doing when you're salaried and employed by someone else.

You may think that is an excellent salary but for the hours doctors put in, many people think it isn't excellent. You can earn a lot more in other areas and have a better work/life balance. The only doctors I know who are happy are those running their own practices in the private sector. Those in the public sector are more often than not moaning about overzealous bureaucracy.

Let's say it takes an hour to get to work (No idea how long it ACTUALLY takes your dad ofc.. ) Let's say he actually works from 8am - 8pm. That's 12 hours/day! Or 60 hours/week

Yeah your dad might be "highly paid" but is he really? ie: what is the salary amount per hour? You can most definitely get paid a lot better in other jobs

For a private doctor, yeah I agree, there is a LOT of money in being a doctor, but for NHS doctors, they don't get paid as much as people think they get paid.

I've also been told that a doctor is essentially working every second of the day that they're awake ie: if they're out and about, and someone collapses,it's their duty to help that person (without pay)

Someone I know regularly carries a stethoscope with him, because as he puts it "In an emergency, people will listen to the guy with the stethoscope" (even if he doesn't need it) which makes a lot of sense.

1) True...I mean maybe computer science/investment but them aside...

2) Yep

3) haha true.

4) Hmm status....security....money...

5) Still the hours would kill me mentally...I want to have the freedom to do outside of work things too.

So yeh all high paid high security jobs like medicine are gonna be tough but personally Id rather do nursing or pharmacy or teaching or whatnot. Time is priceless in this world not money.

60hrs per week as well as pretty much of all Saturday and Sunday spent working. I have no idea what his salary per hour is, but is that relevant? He has two salaries: NHS salary which is quite low (£100k) plus private practice salary

Arguably moral duty yes, but legally its only your duty if you are a GP and you are in the catchment area of your current job.




Would i carry a stethoscope? No. A pair of gloves +/- apron, goggles and a full hazmat suit? **** yes.

Wow time to put some balance to this thread.

1) Yes doctors work hard, but so does every other high-paying profession. If you disagree, name one.

There's no serious money to be made by being a doctor. You start off on a fairly low salary, you have to train for years and years before reaching a much higher salary, at which point you'll be fairly old yourself and the cost of living will have increased at a higher rate than the wage itself anyway. The ones who make a lot of money are those that go on, like lawyers, to set up their own partnerships. In that case they're not only a doctor but they're also a director or possibly a managing director.

If you want to make serious money in this world you run your own business. I'm not saying doctors don't make good money but its not as good as people make out considering the hours they are expected to put in as well as the additional paperwork. To me there are three reasons why people want to become a doctor and they are status, opportunity and wanting to help others. Doctors are respected for what they do and rightly so. Doctors want to help others, even if that is minimal, they still do want to do that. If they didn't, they wouldn't get out of bed and put in the hours they do. In terms of opportunity, being a doctor opens up most of the world to you in terms of job prospects so you can go elsewhere in the world, especially if you're a specialist and make ridiculous amounts of money.

You may think that is an excellent salary but for the hours doctors put in, many people think it isn't excellent. You can earn a lot more in other areas and have a better work/life balance. The only doctors I know who are happy are those running their own practices in the private sector. Those in the public sector are more often than not moaning about overzealous bureaucracy.

This is quite fair... Tbh, I reckon Id be quite happy with 45K tbh.