Start & Run a Medical Practice. Michael Clifford Fabian

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СКАЧАТЬ school. You certainly have a strong interest in medicine, but you are clearly very musically talented and that is all you really want to do!

      Both your parents are academics, one in the area of mechanical engineering and the other in human anatomy. While your interests in going to medical school are known to your parents, your love of music and talents are even better known. Both your parents have always drummed into you that medicine would be the better option, as it is a much safer route for a career than music.

      In addition, your favorite grandmother has instilled into you that the need to be a successful professional is paramount. Both she and your grandfather came from Europe to North America with small children and little money. They had to start from scratch with trades and hard labor to survive and support the family. They struggled and sacrificed in so many different ways so that they could give their children and grandchildren the opportunities that they did not have themselves. Your grandmother really wants you become a doctor and you certainly have the smarts and grades to do it.

      While you really want to pursue your dreams and passion to be a full-time musician, you cave into family pressure and apply to medical school. Deep inside you wish you were not accepted, but as you are an outstanding candidate, you easily secure one of those coveted positions that are so treasured and sought after by many. You concede that medicine is not so bad after all, as it is a well-paid and respected profession. Of even more importance to you is the fact that you have made your parents very happy. The person most thrilled is your grandmother, who tears up every time she thinks of the concept that her grandchild is about to enter medical school and become a medical doctor. Finally, she feels her sacrifices in life have paid off.

      This is not a good situation, and not a reason for going into medicine. While you might ultimately enjoy a career in medicine, there is a good chance that you will not be happy with your choice and will always think about your passion for music and “what if?” It should be emphasized at this point that medicine and the arts are very compatible and I know many physicians who are very talented and successful musicians while being physicians at the same time. There does, however, have to be a strong inherent desire to be a doctor before you embark on a career in medicine.

      I actually remember vividly one essay that was written by an applicant to medical school. A file reviewer read it out aloud to the selection committee. This essay was incredibly well written and the applicant explained his love for music in enormous detail. Most of the essay revolved around his musical accomplishments and there was little to hear about a true desire to be a medical doctor. It was almost as if he was telling us — please don’t accept me, because I really want to follow my dreams to be a musician. This candidate did not get accepted into the program and, as I said earlier in the book, some things are just meant to be!

      2.2 Money

      As mentioned earlier, many people in the general public believe being a medical doctor is synonymous with being rich — but this is not always the case. Certainly doctors are in the upper-income bracket for earning potential, but there are easier ways to make money. Not everyone in medicine has the money they would have liked or thought they would have had. Money should not be a primary motivating factor for doing medicine.

      Let me give you an example to further outline this point. You are a man who has just finished a public-health specialty-training program. During the course of your training program, your family has expanded in size and you now have two small kids — both children are younger than the age of three. You and your wife have decided that she is going to stay home for now and be there for the upbringing of the children — childcare during the day was the alternative and you have collectively decided against this. Your wife was working as a dental hygienist for two years and was significantly contributing to the income of the family. You have a hefty student loan and are carrying a balance on two credit cards.

      A dream job has just become available for a junior medical officer in a government-based, public-health agency. While the salary is a lot more money than you have ever earned, it is a far cry from the big bucks your friend, who started working a couple years earlier as a family physician in private practice, is making. In fact, your high school friend who has a successful plumbing business is way ahead of both you and your family practice friend in terms of finances and comfort.

      You and your wife decide that you are going to pursue this job of your dreams and continue living within your means and not increasing your debt load any further. You stay in your rented apartment for now, do not get a second car, and start to slowly pay off the loans and clear the credit card balances while working in this modest-paid position.

      Realistically, it might be another few years before you can buy your own home and go on some exotic vacation. However, these material things are less important as all involved seem to be content with how things have transpired. You are happy going to work every day, and that joy is evident in your personal and professional life. This shows that money has been a secondary issue all along.

      However, if you have entered into this career path to make lots of money, a situation like this will be extremely frustrating for you. Even worse, if you have chosen another area in the medical field in which a higher income is possible, and chosen it just for the sake of making more money, then you are likely well on your way to a miserable and unfulfilled career.

      2.3 Status

      You have always wanted to be physician because doctors are apparently so well respected. You cannot wait until the day you can tell everyone you are a medical student and later a fully qualified medical doctor, maybe even a brain surgeon! These superficial concepts far outweigh your inherent desire to help people. Actually you have a long-standing passion for flying and wish to become a pilot one day, even if it means doing it in your spare time when you are not in the medical office.

      You eventually get to display that stethoscope in your pocket and around your neck every chance you get. Somehow you wonder how that novelty of the stethoscope being visible at all times could ever wear off. Well something happened, because after a few years in medical school, the joy of showing off the stethoscope has waned. This is because the motives and primary reasons for following a career in medicine were very wrong.

      Another factor could be somehow feeling special when you are paged, or called, to the emergency department at the hospital. This makes you feel especially important and special while amongst other people, or at some social event. The novelty of been called away from the office, home, a family function, or a social event wears off very quickly. People in this situation often wonder how on earth they ever got themselves into this in the first place.

      If the reasons for choosing medicine were honest and true to yourself, when things get tough, the stress will be that much easier to deal with as you will hopefully really enjoy what you are doing. No job is void of stress, and all careers have less desirable portions. What is important is that you enjoy more aspects of your job than you dislike.

      3. There Are Many Different Specialties from which to Choose

      Some people have decided early on in their lives that they want follow a certain specialty. Others make that decision during university, or even beyond. Irrespective of when you make that ultimate decision, you have a multitude of specialties from which to choose.

      Sometimes it is really difficult to find that niche that suits you, but it is important you make the right decision. It is crucial to experience, or be aware of the vast selection of specialty training before you decide.

      In the earlier years of medical school, you have exposure to the main fields in medicine — pediatrics and general surgery being two examples. The more specialized areas of medicine usually come later СКАЧАТЬ