Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

My future as a physician looks mediocre at best

Taylor Brana, DO
Education
November 5, 2016
1K Shares
Share
Tweet
Share

I am currently a fourth-year medical student, and I will not accept mediocrity in my life any longer (and neither should you).

When you were growing up did you ever wish for happiness? Did you ask for a good life? Did you want to feel fulfilled and self-actualized? Yeah me too. We are meant to reach for the stars, we are meant to go for our dreams, and we are meant to climb mountains. What happened?

When I decided I wanted to be a doctor, I had this ideal image of how things should be run. I wrote a personal statement that provided my explanation as to why I wanted to dedicate my life to “help people.” I wanted to be able to hear any problem and work with my patients the best that I could. I wanted to be able to connect on a deep level and overcome any fears that my patients possessed. I wanted to develop trust with time.

However, I am sad to see that my future as a physician looks mediocre at best. My current role models do not have the time. Every physician I have worked with is well-intentioned, extremely intelligent, and fully capable of developing strong healing relationships with their patients, but the current medical model doesn’t support this behavior. The business and legal aspects of medicine have gotten in the way of the “health” in the word “health care.”

Physicians do not spend time with their patients. Physicians spend time doing paperwork, dealing with insurance and staring at lab numbers (this is not true of every specialty or situation, but this is the growing norm). Even worse, being a physician is increasingly becoming a risk factor for psychiatric issues and suicide. And why is that? I believe that money and fear-based legal thinking has become more important than actually healing the patient. I believe that the quantity of medicine has trumped the quality of medicine. I believe that we have forgotten about the most important unit of medicine, the health of our medical provider.

Have you truly seen a happy modern-day physician? Do you know what that even would look like? What would that entail? My dream practice would be one with controlled hours. I dream of having high-quality patient interactions, that are not rushed. I want to love all my patients and show them that I care. I want to practice what I preach. I dream of a model where as a physician I can make my meals, have time for exercise, meditation, and even spend time with my own future family and children.

Is this possible? If I were to subscribe myself to the current medical model, I am sad to say I don’t know if it is. Why must I give up on being happy? Why must I subject myself to a potentially sub-par, mediocre, or even worse, sad life? I am done accepting that being a physician is at best mediocre. I want to make active changes so we can build happy doctors. I want to be the change, so every physician can see it is possible!

Why is this topic of paramount importance? Because our patients are depending on us! Patients deserve happy doctors who as a byproduct will provide quality care. If we do not choose to find and actively seek options to improve our own lives, and yet expect patients to actively improve their health, we are being hypocrites. We must actively make changes to improve the care we provide, and if necessary, create the practice that envelopes all of our ideals. We cannot expect our happiness to be handed to us, it is in our hands to grab our happiness. No one can believe in our dreams more than us, they are our dreams. So please, please, please, I beg of you, get in touch with your inner child; the one who asked for happiness, the one who believed in healing people, and the one who believed in a dream.

I call upon you physician, resident, medical student, or pre-medical student, to not accept mediocrity in your life. Remember you deserve to be happy. Remember you are the commodity of the health care system. Remember that you can achieve change! But, it starts with you believing it is possible. It starts with you transforming your thoughts into action. It starts with you opening your mouth and discussing the issues. It starts with you implementing change in your own life and shifting your fear-based thinking, into action-oriented, goal-driven, dream achieving thinking. It is time for you to actually take care of you. Your patients’ lives are counting on it.

Taylor Brana is a medical student.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

The health impact of incarceration

November 5, 2016 Kevin 5
…
Next

Has medicine become a flock of super chickens?

November 6, 2016 Kevin 1
…

Tagged as: Medical school

Post navigation

< Previous Post
The health impact of incarceration
Next Post >
Has medicine become a flock of super chickens?

More by Taylor Brana, DO

  • Are doctors more like humans, animals or robots?

    Taylor Brana, DO
  • Here’s how to help create the future of medicine

    Taylor Brana, DO
  • Is it possible for the modern day doctor to be happy?

    Taylor Brana, DO

Related Posts

  • A physician’s addiction to social media

    Amanda Xi, MD
  • A medical student’s physician inspiration

    Uju Momah
  • My future as both a mother and a physician

    Madeleine Norris
  • Start with the students: Addressing the future of physician suicide

    Anonymous
  • Why this physician teaches first-year medical students 

    Mark Kelley, MD
  • Overspecialization in medical education: Is it hindering physician growth and stifling innovation?

    Katherine Bishop, MD

More in Education

  • Breaking the silence: the truth about mental health challenges among medical students and why medical schools must take action

    Erin Waldrop
  • Breaking the stigma: Encouraging mental health help-seeking in medical trainees

    Anonymous
  • I’m not so different from Lionel Messi – and neither are you

    Lauren Tien
  • 6 ways ChatGPT can help you succeed in medical school

    Drew Bergman
  • Is it time to say goodbye to medical school rankings?

    James Goldchild
  • The unintended consequences of ERAS: Are we losing unique applicants?

    Ank Agarwal, Aditya Narayan, Joshua Leaston, and Akshay Bhamidipati
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Unmasking wage disparity in health care: the truth behind the Elmhurst Hospital physician strike

      Kevin Pho, MD | KevinMD
    • A patient’s perspective on the diminishing relationship between doctors and patients

      Michele Luckenbaugh | Conditions
    • Why affirmative action is crucial for health equity and social justice in medicine

      Katrina Gipson, MD, MPH | Policy
    • How electronic health records preserve patients’ legacies in the words of oncologists

      Marc Braunstein, MD, PhD | Physician
    • Emulating Michael Jordan’s winning mindset: a path to success for health care professionals and entrepreneurs

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Physician
    • Why is being a patient a difficult pill to swallow?

      Harvey Max Chochinov, MD, PhD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • The growing threat to transgender health care: implications for patients, providers, and trainees

      Carson Hartlage | Policy
    • Breaking point: the 5 reasons American doctors are dreaming of walking away from medicine

      Amol Shrikhande, MD | Physician
    • “Is your surgeon really skilled? The hidden threat to public safety in medicine.

      Gene Uzawa Dorio, MD | Physician
    • It’s time to replace the 0 to 10 pain intensity scale with a better measure

      Mark Sullivan, MD and Jane Ballantyne, MD | Conditions
    • Revolutionize your practice: the value-based care model that reduces physician burnout

      Chandravadan Patel, MD | Physician
    • Breaking the cycle of racism in health care: a call for anti-racist action

      Tomi Mitchell, MD | Policy
  • Recent Posts

    • Why doctors aren’t to blame for the U.S. opioid crisis [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Raw humanity on night float: inspiring patient encounters and overcoming challenges

      Johnathan Yao, MD, MPH | Physician
    • Is AI the solution for the shortage of nephrologists? ChatGPT weighs in.

      Amol Shrikhande, MD | Tech
    • Unlocking the secrets of cancer conferences: an end-of-life counselor’s journey among pharmaceutical giants

      Althea Halchuck, EJD | Conditions
    • Why HIPAA is failing and what you need to know to protect your data [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Revolutionizing emergency medicine: Overcoming long-term challenges with innovative solutions for physicians and patients

      Anonymous | Physician

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 26 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

CME Spotlights

From MedPage Today

Latest News

  • What Drug Did FDA Just Approve for COVID?
  • PET Scan for Alzheimer's Dx; Predicting Colon Cancer Survival
  • What Happens When We Classify Kids' Weight as a 'Disease'?
  • Sotagliflozin Gets FDA's Blessing for Heart Failure
  • Cardiorespiratory Monitoring Can Be Telling of Outcomes in Extremely Preterm Infants

Meeting Coverage

  • No Access to Routine Healthcare Biggest Barrier to HPV Vaccination
  • Trial Results Spark Talk of Curing More Metastatic Cervical Cancers
  • Cross-Border Collaboration Improves Survival in Pediatric Leukemia Patients
  • Monoclonal Antibody Reduced Need For Transfusions in Low-Risk MDS
  • Less-Invasive Surgery for Pancreatic Cancer Proves Safe, Effective
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Unmasking wage disparity in health care: the truth behind the Elmhurst Hospital physician strike

      Kevin Pho, MD | KevinMD
    • A patient’s perspective on the diminishing relationship between doctors and patients

      Michele Luckenbaugh | Conditions
    • Why affirmative action is crucial for health equity and social justice in medicine

      Katrina Gipson, MD, MPH | Policy
    • How electronic health records preserve patients’ legacies in the words of oncologists

      Marc Braunstein, MD, PhD | Physician
    • Emulating Michael Jordan’s winning mindset: a path to success for health care professionals and entrepreneurs

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Physician
    • Why is being a patient a difficult pill to swallow?

      Harvey Max Chochinov, MD, PhD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • The growing threat to transgender health care: implications for patients, providers, and trainees

      Carson Hartlage | Policy
    • Breaking point: the 5 reasons American doctors are dreaming of walking away from medicine

      Amol Shrikhande, MD | Physician
    • “Is your surgeon really skilled? The hidden threat to public safety in medicine.

      Gene Uzawa Dorio, MD | Physician
    • It’s time to replace the 0 to 10 pain intensity scale with a better measure

      Mark Sullivan, MD and Jane Ballantyne, MD | Conditions
    • Revolutionize your practice: the value-based care model that reduces physician burnout

      Chandravadan Patel, MD | Physician
    • Breaking the cycle of racism in health care: a call for anti-racist action

      Tomi Mitchell, MD | Policy
  • Recent Posts

    • Why doctors aren’t to blame for the U.S. opioid crisis [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Raw humanity on night float: inspiring patient encounters and overcoming challenges

      Johnathan Yao, MD, MPH | Physician
    • Is AI the solution for the shortage of nephrologists? ChatGPT weighs in.

      Amol Shrikhande, MD | Tech
    • Unlocking the secrets of cancer conferences: an end-of-life counselor’s journey among pharmaceutical giants

      Althea Halchuck, EJD | Conditions
    • Why HIPAA is failing and what you need to know to protect your data [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Revolutionizing emergency medicine: Overcoming long-term challenges with innovative solutions for physicians and patients

      Anonymous | Physician

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

My future as a physician looks mediocre at best
26 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...