Why do people aspire to study medicine? (i.e., why is so competitive?)

kadhumia_flo

Why shouldn't it be the most respected profession? I would highly respect anyone that works so hard to help people. As for money, consultants (which have worked so hard to get to where they are) could be richer with how smart they are... so you shouldn't compare senior doctors pay with the average person, but with other professions that require so much hard work and important decision making (i.e. CEO's).

Hahahahahahaha.

It shouldn't be the most respected profession because it doesn't require any more dedication, intellect, passion and talent as many other professions.

And yes, you might well say that these people are "working so hard to help people", but that might not necessarily be the case for all(or indeed most) medics. Of the ones I have met so far 50% are pushed into it by parental pressure, 30% are thinking of the money, 15% just want to have "Dr." before their name without having to go past Bachelors level academia, and dare I say it, a good 3% think they're going to be the next House, and medicine is all about ignoring patients, being mysterious and walking with a limp. Very few people ACTUALLY enter medicine with a view to "help" others, because at the end of the day, we all know deep down that the recipients of the care of most doctors are morons, neds, chavs, delinquents, alcoholics, drug addicts, and people who have knowingly abused their health.

You have to look at the individual person and see their motives and their priorities before you can hand out immediate respect.

And NO, the smartest people in the world AREN'T doctors. Being a consultant, or even a med student, or even a med graduate doesn't require any more innate or acquired intelligence than most other intellectually demanding professions, or degree courses. The single largest factor that leads to medicine being so hard to get into isn't because they're fussy about the super-intelligent beings they require to study their genius degree course - it's because it's competitive. Not a lot of seats, lots of applicants. And again, as I've said, if you go through the motives of the applicants, you'll find very little of them deserving any respect.

Reply 64

Mush

Baki

I'm guessing there's a fair amount of people who once they get to A2 go "Oh ****...I've got to choose a Uni course..Hmmm....Ah I know, I'm good at Biology n stuff...Yeah I'll apply to medicine." :frown:

I call ********.

If you wanted to help people, you'd build wells/mine detectors in Africa or something. You'd help way more people that way.

Agreed. People at school are always co-erced into this warped viewpoint that the smartest children are destined to be doctors, because that's what requires the most intelligence in life. "Oh you aced biology? You should be a doctor".

And I firmly believe beyond shadow of doubt that this IS a warped viewpoint, and the high academic standards of medical schools stands because of the competition over places, competition being so high because so many people have the warped viewpoint.

And I also call ******** on the "TO HELP PEOPLE" bull. Like I said before, this is just a front to hide the REAL motives of majority of medics, and it's a downright cheek to imply that other degrees and careers don't lead to the satisfaction in knowing you are helping people, and that only DOCTORS truly have the kindness of heart to help folk.

Reply 65

Beska

21

cucumber sandwich

you could become a policeman or fireman to you know, you would help people to

The irony is lost on you.

Reply 66

Beska

21

Baki

I call ********.

If you wanted to help people, you'd build wells/mine detectors in Africa or something. You'd help way more people that way.

Again, way over the top of your head.

Reply 67

Holsy

10

Evolin

And oh boy, do the Mr's get annoyed if you call them Dr. by accident!

I did this during work experience. Boy, did I learn from that week. :p:

People (the ones citing ******** in this thread, for example) are very quick to jump on the fact that people want to become doctors to help people; therefore, this must clearly mean people are being false because they could do other things like charity work in Africa. I think that's a particularly rubbish argument in that if someone claimed "I want to help people" and went off to Africa 'to dig wells', you could reply "Well, why don't you be a teacher here." There are a lot of professions in which you can help people. Choosing one particular profession, such as being a doctor, has lots of factors which attract (and also repel!) people to the profession. Just because the helping-people-factor can be pursued in other careers doesn't mean that people saying they 'want to help people' are inherently false and lying, but that there are other factors in which makes this job perfect in the setting of which to help people.

Reply 68

Beska

Again, way over the top of your head.

I see what you did there.

Holsy

I did this during work experience. Boy, did I learn from that week. :p:

People (the ones citing ******** in this thread, for example) are very quick to jump on the fact that people want to become doctors to help people; therefore, this must clearly mean people are being false because they could do other things like charity work in Africa. I think that's a particularly rubbish argument in that if someone claimed "I want to help people" and went off to Africa 'to dig wells', you could reply "Well, why don't you be a teacher here." There are a lot of professions in which you can help people. Choosing one particular profession, such as being a doctor, has lots of factors which attract (and also repel!) people to the profession. Just because the helping-people-factor can be pursued in other careers doesn't mean that people saying they 'want to help people' are inherently false and lying, but that there are other factors in which makes this job perfect in the setting of which to help people.

There are many professions that help people. But if your sole reason to become doctor is to help people, then I'd question your actual idea of what a medical career entails. Because you'd help more people/save more lives in other profession(s) which require less time (I mean, 5 to 6yr MBBS degree is no snooze fest).

Again, I'm not saying that it can't be part of the reason, but there has to be more to it.

Reply 69

Holsy

10

Baki

There are many professions that help people. But if your sole reason to become doctor is to help people, then I'd question your actual idea of what a medical career entails. Because you'd help more people/save more lives in other profession(s) which require less time (I mean, 5 to 6yr MBBS degree is no snooze fest).

Again, I'm not saying that it can't be part of the reason, but there has to be more to it.

That's what I'm saying too. :yep:

It may be part of the reason, but that that doesn't make it false.

I'm not stating my reasons for wanting to do Medicine; I'm just refuting people's cynicism that doctors must go for the job solely for the prestige.

Reply 70

Holsy

That's what I'm saying too. :yep:

It may be part of the reason, but that that doesn't make it false.

I'm not stating my reasons for wanting to do Medicine; I'm just refuting people's cynicism that doctors must go for the job solely for the prestige.

What prestige? That's worse than saying you'r doing purely to help people.

Doctors get no respect these days. If you're going for the prestige, I suggest you don't appy for medicine and save yourself the trouble.

And yes, I am a cynic. :p:

Reply 71

Renal

It's all ******** anyway.

People think the job's well paid. People think the job's prestigious. People think you get to help lots of people.

Although there's some degree of truth in all of those statements, none of them are really entirely correct.

Reply 72

Renal

It's all ******** anyway.

People think the job's well paid. People think the job's prestigious. People think you get to help lots of people.

Although there's some degree of truth in all of those statements, none of them are really entirely correct.

You get paid for ****.

Want big bucks, go for finance job.

Prestige, a high flying city lawyer or something.

Want to Help People, go build mine detectors and wells in undeveloped countries.

Like you said though, medicine has an element of all three.

Reply 73

Renal

Baki

You get paid for ****.

TBPFH, I'd be quite happy with £120k which is what I think I can realistically earn at the top of my choice of speciality. It's not bad pay by any stretch of the imagination - it's just coupled with really **** conditions.

Reply 74

Renal

TBPFH, I'd be quite happy with £120k which is what I think I can realistically earn at the top of my choice of speciality. It's not bad pay by any stretch of the imagination - it's just coupled with really **** conditions.

Lolz, after like 20 (more like 15-12) years of working.

Not to mention 5 to 6 years worth of student loans and fee's you have to pay.

Reply 75

im so academic

OP

15

Baki

Lolz, after like 20 (more like 15-12) years of working.

Not to mention 5 to 6 years worth of student loans and fee's you have to pay.

5 to 6 years! :toofunny:

I've never met any doctor that had 5 to 6 years worth of student loans - more like 10, at least! E.g.:

BSc Medicine - 3 years - Pre-clinical
MSc [specialisation in whatever] around 2-4 years
Doctorate - 4 years+

Reply 76