Why I would still encourage my daughter to go into medicine

There was an article recently published in Forbes titled “Mamas, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Doctors.” It was a well-written piece that outlined the multitude of reasons that many physicians have become disillusioned with a field they once felt a passionate draw to. The reasons listed in the article were accurate and included the loss of autonomy, mental exhaustion, and asymmetrical rewards. Many physicians feel there is an overall lack of appreciation for the sacrifices we make. With Press Ganey patient satisfaction scores influencing patient care in many hospitals where patient satisfaction is paramount, many physicians feel an adversarial relationship has developed between physicians, patients, and the administration that is focused more on the bottom line than patient health and well-being. With a rise in fake medical news, celebrity endorsements vilifying scientifically proven interventions such as vaccines, and many patients who feel their “Google MD” trumps a physician’s years of training, our jobs just seem to be getting harder. In many cases, electronic medical records have improved the way we coordinate and deliver care, but it has come at the cost of more paperwork, increasingly complicated diagnosis coding, more time in front of a computer, and less hands-on time with our patients.

Source: Why I would still encourage my daughter to go into medicine

About Shikha Jain, MD FACP

I am a practicing, board-certified hematology/oncology physician in Chicago. I speak on topics ranging from the impact of social media on healthcare, how physicians can utilize social media, how to write Op-eds in the medical world, gender equity and barriers to career advancement, and topics in GI oncology and immunotherapy. My goal is to explain complicated topics in simple terms. I also enjoy writing and you can find some of my writing on this site. I am a mother to three amazing kids and married to a gastroenterologist. I look forward to connecting with you.

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