Do NOT Go To MEDICAL SCHOOL | The Aspiring Medics

In this video, medical students from all over the UK explain some reasons why you shouldn't go into medicine. A career in medicine is a lifelong commitment, so before applying to medical school, make sure to weigh up the pros and cons!

Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
00:22 Intellectually Challenging
01:09 Under-resourced NHS
02:14 Lifelong Learning
03:21 Low Pay
04:02 Poor Work-Life Balance
05:23 Emotionally Challenging
06:34 Long Training Pathways

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[pamelafitzpatrick]

Dear doctors or those studying to be a doctor. I am so very grateful for you all. I am a lady of 77 years old in a few days time. I have never been so grateful for the medical profession as I am now! I needed a pacemaker and two stents just when the first lock down happened. I am also so very grateful for the researchers who brought about medication to help me in the senior years of my life.
I can hear what you are saying that you don’t start earning a lot until you are a Consultant, but I believe that being a doctor is not a “job” or a “career” it’s a calling. It’s got to be in your very being to stay the course! When you hear or read that a young child knew that they want to become a doctor when they are older, they were born to be one.
I am making a plea, please don’t go to the USA - we need you here in the UK. The gun laws out there will give you so much more work too! There is so much I want to say, but it’s explaining it. I know you have to work within a system/ a framework and I don’t know what it’s like to have your pressure.
What I would ask of you is that be careful you don’t quickly come to the conclusion that ladies have anxiety when they explain how they are feeling. I was told that, and I had to pay privately to have an angiogram to show I had significant blockage of my LAD artery. I have learned that so many women are told that they have anxiety when they are medically poorly!
I want to thank you again for putting in the studying to get to where you are now! 👏👏👏 I NEED YOU - WE NEED YOU - THANK YOU DOCTORS.

[thedaily]

You raise some very interesting points and as senior doctors, we do need to take such thoughts and experiences seriously. However, having been where you are and with a few years of being an NHS doctor, I have to say life is not as bleak as you paint it!

- Medicine is intellectually challenging; I agree, if you would rather do a PhD in hair extensions then yes, Medicine is definitely not the right career choice for you!
- Funding; A health service funded by a central government will always be underfunded, everywhere you go around the world. However, finding "the cure" for this too is not under our remit; it is why the tax payers (us included, by the way!) pay a substantial amount to health ministers in order for them to come up with solutions to this problem. Do not make the mistake of absorbing other people's responsibilitie's too.
- Alone/ stress; this is true but by not studying Medicine and/or dropping out then surely it will mean less of us around for each other, no?!
- Life-long learning; This is actually one of the perks of this profession! Evolution happens in every sector; just you imagine had we not and then dealt with COVID like we did with the Spanish flu?!
- Low pay; Earning "the big bucks" in other sectors is not that easy either! Grass is not always greener on the other side. In order to be earning a decent wage in the city, you will also need to put in the time and do "the grind/rat race"; especially as a junior pen pusher or "the admin guy".
- Responsibility; Yes, you will inevitably have an enormous amount of responsibility placed upon you, but eventually! This will be passed onto you...gradually and with years of training and experience. As a medical student though, you will not have any.
- Not a "9-5" job; I agree. People do not get sick between 9-5 however and people considering Medicine should avoid taking precious medical schools places if they think in this manner. It takes alot of time, effort and an incredible amount of resources to train you guys. If that is what you would like then yes, do not do Medicine.
- Short Staffed; Incredibly so and this has a domino effect on all of the aspects that you've talked about in this video. However, the number of medical school places in the UK is increasing but it takes years to train a committed individual into a Dr (as you know).
- Emotionally challenging; Medicine and Surgery is not, has never been and will never ever be for the faint hearted. That is not to say we are machines but what if I said that homicide detectives see worse etc, etc.
- DNR; This is and will always be a hot topic but on the flip side you should find comfort in knowing that the DNR is there to not cause harm to a dying person and give people the dignity that they need before leaving this planet. Everyone dies eventually; its about doing the best you can for them however; yes, even at that stage!
- Mental health / burnout / stress; These issues are more prevalent among Drs, yes and I am glad that you've noticed this since such an early stage. However, these are issues that you will inevitably find amongst professionals working in all sectors; in fact they come up to us to sort it out for them! It is up to us (from medical student up to professor level) therefore to fix this. This was not that much of an issue when we had "the firm" model in my experience, but definitely something to think about nevertheless.
- Long training path; Yes and I am glad that this is the case. Remember that you will be dealing with people's lives, which takes decades to learn. Quality above quantity; it is also one of the things that gets you the respect associated with the title.
- Time for family / Long hours; Also true but in a different way. However, unlike places like the USA, Asia etc we do have a better work-life balance; that's not to say that we can not do better and learn from places like Australia for example. But in order to do so we do need committed individuals such as yourselves who are willing to work in this profession. Ascertaining this level of commitment is partly why medical school interviews are hard. We need more of us to relieve each other so that we can then get the time we need for our families and friends.

The overarching disconnect between the trainees and the trainers is perhaps the reason behind your disgruntled view on the profession; I get it (having walked this path myself and felt the same as you did). However there is no other job on this planet that grants you the privy of knowing that there are people still walking on this planet because of 1) divine intervention and 2) you; this will come with time and it is only a privilege granted to those willing to put in the time and the effort to eventually see it. If that does not motivate you, then that PhD on beauty therapy might not be such a bad idea.

[jennyyip]

I love long hours patient care work with high responsibility. I hate having fun or meeting with friends and family whom do not have any medical need.

[fareehafaiyyaz]

One more point is tolerance and stable interest
If your interests are drastic and if you can't sit through other tiring/undesirable subjects and issues then it is consuming

[Zerpentsa]

Doctors I know also advise others against going into medicine.