Advantages of being a doctor, Good points of being a doctor:
In ideal situations, it is a great profession to be in. Children strive hard to become doctors either because they idolize someone or were inspired by some doctor or were guided by their parents to become doctors. Some favourable features of this profession, to my mind, include:
- Noble profession-One of the main reason of choosing this profession is the gratification achieved on treating a human being. Relieving a patient of his agony or bringing back a patient from brink of death gives immense satisfaction and this cannot be matched by any other profession.
- Decent earnings-In the process doctors usually make average to decent living. Most doctors actually earn a decent enough income. But it is quite variable depending upon city, country and specialization. Those willing to work extra hours by sacrificing their family and personal life can earn more.
- Respectful profession– The moment a person comes to know that you are a doctor, a respect for the person is generated. Some patients, when cured, even start equating you with divinity.
- Working conditions– In most of the developed countries around the world, the working conditions are good. But these vary according to country, state, city and hospital (government or private) where one works.
- Continuous learning- A doctor is learning something new everyday. There is continuous mental stimulation which keeps the doctors mentally agile.
- Independent profession- A doctor can be independent in his profession on his own. He doesn’t always have to work in a set-up and can have his own practice. There is no retirement age in such setup and he can continue working till he remains fit. Rather the more senior a doctor is, the more experienced he is in handling complex medical cases.
- Social profession- This profession entails active interaction with public and society. Hence the doctor learns many social aspects of life unlike other professions which involve deskwork only.
- Preventive and Social responsibility– The doctor can be instrumental in changing certain aspects and taboos which are ingrained in society. For example doctor can highlight the effects of smoking or talk against certain habits like open defecation to all sections of society. And he is someone who is heard and followed by his patients.
- Asset to family and friends-A doctor in a family is a real asset. He not only treats his patients but also gives preventive advice to his family and friends. There must be many of you who first turn to a doctor in relation first, for an informal advice, before consulting the specialist.
- Healer of mankind- All said and done, medicine remains the only profession that alleviates pain, heals and cures the mankind. The credit of increased longevity with much better quality of life goes solely to the advances in medical arena and research done by doctors and scientists. Without doctors, the human race would have long back become extinct due to epidemics and infections.
These advantages and good points of being doctor are in IDEAL CONDITIONS, gradually dwindling and disadvantages are increasing every day.
Disadvantages of being a doctor, Drawbacks of Medical profession:
In the present circumstances, when doctors themselves are doubtful about the advice for choosing medical career, some are naïve enough to spend millions on securing an expensive medical college seat. Problems faced by doctors are not only innumerable but are also so exceedingly complex that they are difficult to be analysed. Doctors feel so disgusted about the entire system that they do not encourage their children to take up this profession which until now was one of the coveted ones, there must be something going terribly wrong with the profession.
- Medical courses are comparatively lengthy and expansive study course and difficult training with slave like duties. “enslavement of doctors”.
- Uncertain future for aspiring doctors at time of training: Nowadays, doing just MBBS is not enough and it is important to specialize. Because of lesser seats in post-graduation, poor regulation of medical education, uneven criteria, ultimately very few people get the branch and college of their choice. They have to just flow with system ultimately.
3.Hostile environment for doctors to begin: Suddenly young and bright children complete training and find themselves working in a hostile environment, at the receiving end of public wrath, law, media for reasons they can’t fathom. They face continuous negative publicity, poor infrastructure and preoccupied negative beliefs of society.
- Difficult start of career:After a difficult time at medical college, an unsettled family life and with no money, these brilliant doctors begin their struggle. Even before they start earning a penny, the society already has its preconceived notions because of negative media publicity and half treats them as cheats and dishonest. Their work is seen with suspicion and often criticised.
- The fear and anxiety about the actual treatment, favourable and unfavourable prognosis of patient, keeps mind of a doctor occupied.
- Blamed for all malaise: The society gets biased because of the media reports and some celebrity talking glib against medical profession. The blame for inept medical system, administrative failure and complexity of medical industry is conveniently loaded on doctors. These lead to formation of generalised sentiment against all doctors and are then unfortunately blamed for all the malaise in the entire healthcare system.
- Personal and family life suffers: Large number of patients with lesser number of doctors is a cause of difficult working circumstances, and the frequent odd hour duties have a very negative impact on the family and personal life of the doctor.
- Risk doctoring himself: Repeated exposure to infected patients in addition to long work hours without proper meals make them prone to certain health hazards, like infections which commonly include tuberculosis and other bacterial and viral illnesses. Radiologists get radiation exposure. Because of difficult working conditions, some doctors are prone to depression, anxiety and may start on substance abuse.
- Unrealistic expectations of society: Every patient is not salvageable but commonly the relatives do not accept this reality. Pressure is mounted on doctor to do more while alleging that he is not working properly. Allegations of incompetency and negligence are quite common in such circumstances. These painful discussions can go to any extent and a single such relative every day is enough to spoil the mood for the day.
- Retrospective analysis of doctor’s every action continues all the life. It could be by patients and relatives every day in the form of “ Why this was not done before?”Everyday irritating discussions, arguments, complaints, disagreements add to further pain and discontentment, in case the patient is not improving. Or it could be by courts and so many regulatory bodies. If unfortunately there is a lawsuit against a doctor, he will be wasting all his time with lawyers and courts, which will takes years to sort out.
The decision taken in emergency will be questioned and in retrospect they may not turn out to be the best one, but later retrospective analysis along with wisdom of hindsight with luxury of time, may be labelled as wrong if a fault-finding approach is used. This along with general sentiment and sympathy with sufferer makes medical profession a sitting duck for lawsuit and punishments. Even if the doctor is proved to be not guilty, his harassment and tarnishing of reputation would be full and almost permanent.
- Physical assault,routine instances of verbal abuse andthreat are common for no fault of theirs. Many become punching bags for the inept medical system and invisible medical industry. Recently, even female doctors have not been spared by mobs. Silence of prominent people, celebrities and society icons on this issue is a pointer towards increasing uncivilized mind-set of society.
- Medical industry may be rich but not the doctors: The belief that doctor’s is a rich community is not correct. Although decent or average earnings may be there, but earnings of most doctors is still not commiserate with their hard work viz-a-viz other professions. Doctors who also work like investor, a manager or collaborate with industry may be richer. But definitely most of doctors who are just doing medical care are not really rich.
- Windfall profits for lawyers and law industry at the cost of doctors is a disadvantage for medical profession: I have seen zero fee and fixed commission ads on television by lawyers in health systems in certain developed countries. They lure patients to file law suits and promise them hefty reimbursements. There is no dearth of such relatives, lawyers who are ready to try their luck, sometimes in vengeance and sometimes for lure of money received in compensations. This encouragement and instigations of lawsuit against doctors is a major disadvantage for medical profession.
14.Overall, a complex scenario for doctors: There is increasing discontentment amongst doctors because of this complex and punishing system. They are bound by so many factors that they finally end up at the receiving end all the time. They are under Hippocratic oath and therefore expected to work with very high morality, goodwill and kindness for the sufferings of mankind and dying patients. They are also supposed to maintain meticulous documentation and also supposed to work under norms of medical industry. They are supposed to see large number of patients with fewer staff and nursing support while still giving excellent care in these circumstances. And if these were not enough, the fear of courts and medico-legal cases, verbal threats, abuses, and physical assaults and show of distrust by patient and relatives further makes working difficult. Additionally there may be bullying by certain administrative systems at places, who use pressure tactics to get their own way.
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