Is my wish to be a doctor still valid despite the state of the NHS?

I have a deep rooted passion to be a doctor mainly becuase it intrests me, the reaserch and service part of it seems really appealing. I should start getting some experience soon but I've come into work with my dad once or twice before (hes a consultant cardiologist). Though my dad has told me that med school is difficult and even when you graduate you're on a suboptimal salary with loads of student loans and when your FY1 and FY2 you're treated like scum in the hopsital.

Despite the apauling state of the NHS is it valid for me to still go for being a doctor?

Reply 1

PastelColours

Yes of course it’s valid. It’s up to you at the end of the day if you want to pursue medicine or not.

Reply 2

MedCourse

Absolutely. It is still a fulfilling, interesting, and respected career path. The state of the NHS makes things harder, but medicine has historically been a somewhat thankless task (before EWTD it was normal to be doing 72 hour shifts with 3-5 hours sleeping at night).

It's a compromise - you'll always have a well paid job that is intellectually stimulating and feels like you're doing something good for the world, but you will have to graft and take plenty on the chin.

Also, FY1s don't get treated like scum, they get treated like donkeys. Not despised, but still expected to do all of the tasks that others don't really want to do. The fact that you're fresh out of med school and suddenly earning money makes it easier to stomach.