[DISCLAIMER. THIS IS A VERY LONG POST MOSTLY ABOUT MYSELF. =)). READ AT YOUR OWN RISK. LOL. MOREOVER, I’M PRETTY SURE THERE ARE A NUMBER OF GRAMMATICAL LAPSES AND MISSPELLED WORDS IN THIS POST BECAUSE I DIDN’T PROOFREAD IT.] ^_~
for the past 2 weeks or so, i've been having a really big dilemma whether to pursue medicine or not. why i have been having doubts? mostly because of my occasional visits to the pinoymd forum. i've read a lot of threads in that forum that opened my eyes to what i need to undergo to become a doctor and what my future is as a doctor. i could say that i did learn a lot from the forum, and i would like to share some of the things i learned that have both encouraged and discouraged me pursue medicine.
first, i learned that contrary to popular belief, rich doctors are the exception not the rule. only 11% of the our country's doctors earn 100,000 pesos or above per month or 1.2 M pesos and above per year. majority of doctors earn less than 30,000 pesos a month.
second, it really does take a really long time. it doesn't end at med school. this is the traditional training that doctors follow : 4 years pre-med -> 4 years med school -> 1 year internship/board exam -> 3-5 years residency/specialty training -> 2-3 years fellowship/subspecialty training
in residency, you choose what specialty you want to take, be it ob-gyne, dermatology, internal medicine, pediatrics, surgery, pathology, anesthesiology etc. though it is optional, since you're already already a "general practicioner" once you pass the boards, i'm guessing it's a must if you really want to have a successful career.
next is fellowship. not all specialities have sub-specialty training, though. if you choose internal medicine as a speciality, there are a vast number of sub-specialties such as cardiology, pulomonology, nephrology, and gastroenterology to choose from. if you choose surgery (Grey's fans can relate), you can choose neurosurgery, pediatrics surgery, cardiothoracic surgery, orthopedic surgery, plastic surgery etc. as your sub-specialty. if you choose anesthesiology or ob-gyne, however, it is not necessary to train further.
haha. forgive my need to elaborate. basically, my point is it will be long before rewards come. i learned that in the forum that if, for example, you choose to be lawyer, you would be compensated for your hard work immediately after passing the bar exam. you could earn as much as 100,000 per month on your first job in a law firm especially if you're a bar topnotcher.
after passing the medical board exam, however, the hardship is just about to begin [even if you've already suffered enough in med school]. i learned in the forum that residency is definitely not joke. a lot of residents quit especially if one chooses a hard specialty in a toxic hospital [i.e. surgery. lol. :))]. PLUS, you are not given enough compensation as a resident. a resident's salary ranges from 15k-25k ONLY, despite the long hours in the hospital. and, you're basically STILL a student in residency even if technically, you're already working.
you would think that after finishing residency, doctors would already have high salaries for all their hardwork. yes, it is possible, especially if you choose a specialty that requires no furher subspecialty training. you could already go into private practice. or have your own clinic in a hospital. or work for different hospitals. depending on your specialty. then again, it does take time to establish your name and get a lot of patients, especially if there's a lot of competition in the specialty you chose.
on the other hand, if you're really a masochist, you go through further training as a fellow to furher your career. once you finish fellowship [which i around 15 years of HARD training and you're probably already around 30], PERHAPS rewards would already come. perhaps. :))
then again, there are other options [i.e. leave the country to have a high salary elsewhere]. after passing the boards, you could try being a vessel physician (which pays up to 100k/month) before going into residency. you could take the the medical board exams of other countries (i.e. Singapore, New Zealand, Australia, and US). once you pass their boards, you could take your residency there where you will be WELL COMPENSATED (i.e. high salaries). once you finish your residency in the country of your choice, you could choose to stay, of course, since doctors in those countries are well-rewarded. however, these are options i am not considering right now. i've always wanted to stay in the Philippines. lol.
ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN, there are a lot of reasons for me to pursue medicine. like what i've said, some of the things i've read discouraged me, but some encouraged me as well.
first, i've never wanted to work in an office, i've never wanted to become an employee all my life, and i've never wanted a routine job (lol. i believe all three are connected). there are A LOT of other lucrative jobs out there, but most of them require you to sit in an office and do the same things over and over and over again every single day of your miserable life (no offense). moreover, most of them require you to use your effort to make someone else rich (though you're well compensated). i'd rather use all my efforts to make MYSELF (and myself alone) rich, even if at the end of the month, i earn less. i mean, fine, you could work in a big company and earn so much in a month, but at the end of the day, you're only making the owner of the company rich. why would i waste my life making someone else rich? a doctor uses his effort to earn only for himself. he's rich because of his own efforts. he does not do the same thing every single day; everyday is exciting. he's no one's boss.
second, i believe a sure way to be successful would be to undergo a lot of training. my sister, who chose a career in management, is STUDYING to earn a master's degree to further her career. most companies would require a master's degree. my brother who is in the field of Information Technology is STUDYING because he needs to update his knowledge, especially since technology is improving everyday. my point is that further STUDYING/TRAINING is essential in whatever field you choose. so, it's not really an issue that being a doctor takes time [additional 4 years in med school used to be an issue for me] because whatever field you choose, it will take time before you reach the zenith of your career because you need to study, study, study, and train, train, train.
third, success is not a sure thing for any career. i'm watching the news now, and as usual, it says that a lot of fresh graduates can't find a job. i learned from the forum that although that a vast amount of wealth is not a sure thing in medicine, two things are sure if you choose to be a doctor: you'd never have a hard time looking for a job because doctors will always be in demand [it's just that the jobs you might find are not that lucrative] and you'll never be in danger of being hungry your whole life. the second assurance is a big thing for me. i've watched too many dramas where the business of rich tycoons suddenly go bankrupt, and they go from riches to rag in one day. i'd never want that to happen to me.
fourth, is basically, i know that i would be assured of happiness and a sense of fulfillment if i become a doctor. there are two important things i learned in reading the forum. first, [this is a direct quote] discover what you love to do, and it'll love you back, provisions will surely follow. next, [again a direct quote] piliin mo ang propesyon na malapit sa puso mo upang kung sakaling hindi ka man naging matagumpay ay masaya ka pa rin sa araw-araw dahil mahal mo at gusto mo ang iyong ginagawa. i know you sorta got the impression na "mukha akong pera" at "pera lang ang magpapasaya sakin" from my whole post. LOL. honestly, i'm not (srsly. :P). money is OF COURSE a big factor in choosing a profession. for some, it's the only factor. lol. of course, we all need to be practical. that's why money is an issue. but, cliche as it may sound, money is NOT everything. i don't want to wake up not happy with what i'm doing EVEN IF i'm freakin', filthy, f-ing RICH. i want to wake up feeling the DRIVE and ZEST to work. i want to feel like my job is not a job because i love what i'm doing so much. i want to be EXCITED to go to work everyday. i want a job that would allow me to help other while helping myself. as of now, i can't imagine myself as anyone else but a doctor. in fact, ever since i was a child, i've never seen myself as anyone else, so i'm pretty much sure that i'll always want to be a doctor. dun sa mga sinabihan ko na gusto ko magrobotics nung second year, joke lang un. LOL. asa pa. i know that it would be a hard road to take [believe me, A LOT of people told me it won't be easy], but that doesn't really matter when i get my dream of being called Dr. Kei Rebolledo, or having a MD at the part of my name ---> Kei Rebolledo, MD.
honestly, i'm still having doubts because of practicality. like what i've stressed so much, most doctors aren't compensated well, and i'm not sure i'm willing to sacrifice so much.
to end this extremely long post, i'll end with another direct quote: "i'm a firm believer that if you're not rewarded as doctor here on earth, much greater rewards are waiting for you in heaven." ^_~