Do it over again

3rd year here. In clinical rotations. If I were time-warped back to freshman year of college now, knowing what I know, would I do it all again? No.

I'm not sure what I'd do, but I'd try going into physics or computer science and finding my way to a reasonable job near a big city. I don't know, maybe 75K/year and I'd be plenty happy. Because in that non-medical job...I'd potentially have...

-Colleagues/Co-workers that were actually like me
-Weekends off
-Weekends off
-My 20s
-Did I mention my 20s?
-The freedom to fully explore my hobbies and interests
-An actual time to clock out and go home

I'm not saying medicine gives me no pleasure, or that I won't be a passionate physician that truly cares for his patients and his work. I can do that. But the sacrifices are so much, so great, that it is just barely, barrreeellyy worthit.

Even in medical school, hell all four years, you are asked to give up time and energy that very few your age are also giving up. There's worse...there are those soldiers who put their lives on the line for our country, who leave their families and stay abroad for months and months at a time in dangerous places for their stints. There are many who have to work many jobs to support their families in the hard economy.

So I am not saying medical students' lots in life are particularly difficult or unfortunate, not at all. I'm just saying man...we made a choice and we really do give up a lot for that choice. For the hope and promise of job security, prestige, financial security, and a great job, we go through so much.

Cuz you know what sets physicians...a "profession"...apart from "jobs"? The fact that we don't clock out and go home at 5pm. We are beyond the basic "job" where you come and do your work and go home. We are professionals...we do our jobs as doctors and care for patients. We don't watch the clock. In this profession, 60 hour work-weeks are touted as "nice", "light", "easy", and to some older docs, even as lazy. Especially when in training, a 60 hour week is considered extremely easy, and even 80 hour work weeks are considered normal and people lie about their hours to exceed even that. Weekends are never to be had off and families are rarely seen for many.

It's ridiculous. I'm getting so jaded already. I'm on an inpatient peds rotation, it's asking a lot of hours, weekends, staying until 10pm when I came in at 7am. And this is nothing compared to my up-coming surgery rotation...or actual internship.

It's so easy for kids in college to sit there and say "yeah, I want to be a doctor. I want to help people and save lives. I'll go through whatever it takes to get there, I really want to do it."

Do you really? Really? I'm amazed that as many accepted med students follow through and graduate, but I suspect a large number are disappointed, and "held hostage" by their mountain of debt, and knowledge of the time they invested.