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Medicine = Money?

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All the medics I know are in it for the love of the work. If you're not, then quite frankly you're mad - there are simpler ways of earning a similar amount of money. You train for much longer than most other degrees (during which time you're not earning), then once your degree is finished, you have a relatively modest starting salary and a load more training. After all that, most medics will 'only' become GPs and so will be earning around ~£100k. Considering the length of training, commitment required, hours worked and intelligence/responsibility required, £100k isn't all that much...

Reply 21

monkeyDace

Medicine=Money -----) So true

Reply 22

RollerBall

Original post by im so academic

However, I know many wannabe medics that specify their reasons for being a doctor, yet can be applied to other careers as well. :confused:

Probably because it's frowned upon to state their real reasons. The applications process is so contorted these days you have to be careful what you say. It's absurd that somebody who has a fantasy view of "I want to help people/cure the sick" is preferred over somebody with a real insight into the career (negatives included).

However, that's the GMCs fault rather than the medical school. Echoed by them forcing waste of time comm skills into the curriculum.

However, what does it matter if they go in for a stable job with a good (not great) salary? So what if they like the prestige? Nobody can truly say neither of them are a factor. At the end of the day, what exactly are good and bad reasons? There's just reasons to want to do something. Presuming they've taken all the bad points into consideration as well there's no reason why they shouldn't want to enter the profession because it's well respected and a stable well paid job.

Original post by Hippysnake

What? Did they drop the salary of an FY1 from £97k or something?
(Genuine question posed to me not too long ago.)

Jesus Christ, somebody actually asked you that?

Reply 23

im so academic

Original post by lekky

For a lot of medical research posts, you need a medical degree. That and clinical scientists don't have the level of every day patient contact that a doctor has.

I know that. I was just simply saying how people all want to be "doctor, doctor, doctor", but do not even consider the alternatives from a medical degree, such as clinical science/medical research.

Nursing -- not enough science. *just removing a bit as it would undoubtably piss the nurses off* Basically working as a HCA has shown me that being a nurse is not what I want to do.

Fair enough, it's just I know some wannabe medics who enjoy the practical side of medicine and I quote "hate the science/theory". :dontknow:

For me medicine has everything I want from a career. If all I cared about was academics, or helping people, or money, I would do something different. It's not a single aspect that makes me want to do it, it's the combination.
-- science
-- academically challenging and interesting
-- caring
-- every day contact with people
-- rewarding
-- stable career pathway
-- decent salary, able to have a good quality of life
-- respectable career

Yep, money/prestige does play a part.

Reply 24

lekky

Original post by im so academic

I know that. I was just simply saying how people all want to be "doctor, doctor, doctor", but do not even consider the alternatives from a medical degree, such as clinical science/medical research.

Fair enough, it's just I know some wannabe medics who enjoy the practical side of medicine and I quote "hate the science/theory". :dontknow:

Yep, money/prestige does play a part.

Probably because they don't want to do research? There are enough people that go into research, but to majority it's not appealing. I've never considered it properly because the idea of it literally makes me shudder. I like people. I like wards. I want to be a doctor.

The practical side of being a doctor is NOTHING like the practical side of being a nurse!

I didn't say prestigous. I said respectable. I think nursing, research, art historian, etc is equally respectable. Essentially a graduate level job.

And by 'decent salary' I mean enough to bring up a family on comfortably.

Medics always get slated for having these as reasons for wanting to be a doctor. But what do you look for in a job? A job with no respect and on such a low salary that if you ever wanted to raise a family you would struggle to make ends meet or live comfortably? For lots of people that is a reality but no one would aim for it. Only medics get criticised for wanting a career that offers that kind of stability.

Money is a factor everyone considers when choosing a job.

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 25

lesbionic

Original post by Hippysnake

Medicine isn't all that lucrative. You start on circa 20k a year and with bonuses you can get upto £30k. The top consultants earn somewhere in the regions of £90k after tax, but these days it's hard enough finding training posts let alone consultant positions.

I think my (anonymous relatives who I won't mention on here) each earn £140K each and after tax that's only £90K, which is a shame really.

Reply 26

TheHeart

Original post by felt_monkey

1)
2) It doesn't take 'a lot' of intellect.
3) I have 1 A* at GCSE. Or am I not really here? To put an average on it when Soton want 7 Bs and Birmingham 8 A*s is silly.
4) There are med schools with AAB requirements. And foundation courses with as low as BCC.

Really? Your putting my hopes up!
What university? Nowadays they all ask for AAA min.

Reply 27

lekky

Original post by TheHeart

Really? Your putting my hopes up!
What university? Nowadays they all ask for AAA min.

Not all. Glasgow still asks for AAB as does a number of others.

Reply 28

3006

Original post by Hippysnake

what planet are you on?

Most GPs earn well over 100k, let alone consultants

Reply 29

Hippysnake

Original post by 3006

what planet are you on?

Most GPs earn well over 100k, let alone consultants

Clearly on a completely different one to you.

Find me where it says 'Most GPs earn wall over 100k'. Go on.

Reply 30

RoryH

Original post by 3006

what planet are you on?

Most GPs earn well over 100k, let alone consultants

If you are a partner in a practice then maybe and that is definitely not most GP's.

A consultant will only earn over 100K if they work both for the NHS and do some private work!

Re think your ideas...

Reply 31

W.H.T

Original post by im so academic

I do believe there are certain people who apply for Medicine for the money/prestige.

I mean, why aren't nursing, medical research, clinical scientists etc viable careers? Why specifically a doctor?

Keep hearing about "help the sick, science in practice, contribute to society" and all that.

So these careers, don't then?

I.e. there are other amazing careers that can rival Medicine/doctor yet still allow you to work with patients etc.

because ''the diverse nature of a career as a doctor is truly captivating and I believe it fits perfectly with my never-ending desire for intellectual challenge and above all, my personal drive to rid the world of suffering through my passion to care for every single soul on this planet'' or something along the lines of that :rolleyes:

Reply 32

Aspiringlawstudent

Surely if you want money you go into IB or corporate law? :lolwut:

If people go into medicine for the money I fear they may be gravely dissapointed.

Reply 33

Installation

Corp. law ain't that great for cash anyway. Relatively speaking.

Reply 34

cgpas

coming from a family of doctors, no medicine won't be giving you a majorly extravagant lifestyle.
but at the end of the day you will have comfortable stable lifestyle.
when the recession happened doctors were not fearing for their jobs.
all consultants i know are driving bmw/merc/jaguar etc
and if you have 2 doctors in the family as in husband and wife then the earnings probs around 150-170k a year can't really complain can you.

Reply 35

JONNYCMW

There are much better ways of earning money than medicine.... sigh

Reply 36

Organ

The pays not that great. I'm glad it's not amazing, means the misinformed dicks who applied for money will be dissapointed.

Original post by 3006

what planet are you on?

Most GPs earn well over 100k, let alone consultants

No they don't. I think you just have no understanding of how GPs are funded and paid.

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 37

mkb230

First of the all the average salary for a junior doctor is about 21-23k and there are many other professions where you can earn a far better amount for a lot less work.Secondly, if anything then medics are the most underpaid people. You realise that most people choose to do Medicine because they have a passion for it, not for the money. Who would want to go through 10 years of intense training (possibly more) to earn 100k. Would you rather not go into something like investment banking?

Reply 38

Beautiful And Kind

Im in it for passion :smile:

Reply 39

pauline_lg

never come across a medical student who is in it for the money, most seem to have a genuine passion for the career. anyone who is in it purely for the money is pretty unlikely to make it very far.