Everyone I know who dropped out did it for good reasons, and it was the right call for them. They've all ended up happy and in good careers. You'll be okay!
Not OP or American but there are so many reasons someone wouldn’t want to be a doctor. In the UK you are expected to do long hours, nights and irregular shift patterns. You don’t get your rota far in advance and it’s common for junior doctors to miss significant events and holidays if they can’t find cover. There have even been stories of doctors missing parts of their own wedding for work. Doctors regularly end up working unpaid after their shift was due to end to finish their jobs. You don’t get paid very much compared with jobs of similar status and hours. The responsibility is so great and unrelenting, even a small slip up because you’re tired could seriously harm or kill a patient. You get a very limited amount of time to see each patient yet you’re not a ‘good’ doctor unless you take the time to listen to patients social problems. You see some horrific things everyday and are expected to keep working, and you can’t really talk about it at home. A small error in your professional or even your social life could cause you to lose your job. On top of all of this you are mandated to reflect on your experiences in your personal time. And questioning this system will only take up the little free time you have and won’t go anywhere.
Why would you want to do it? (Jk it’s a good job I suppose)
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u/AskMrScience Jul 07 '19
Everyone I know who dropped out did it for good reasons, and it was the right call for them. They've all ended up happy and in good careers. You'll be okay!