I was thinking of becoming a DOCTOR, but y are the hours so long and the pay low compared 2 other professions?

Answer 1

Compared to what professions? Teaching is probably the poorest paid one. Even new policemen get paid more than a new teacher. Recently there were reports of some doctors in the UK getting paid in excess of £250,000 a year.

Answer 2

Hi - Welcome to the world of the "Public Servant", and the term is not used in a derogatory manner. Unfortunately virtually all professions within the public service sector pay low rates of pay compared to the private sector (Doctors, nurses, police, firefighters, teachers). It is a fact of life that will never change, however you do need to ask yourself if your are choosing the right vocation? If you are primarily using the hours and salary as the primary motivation, maybe you need to look at another profession. Working in the emergency / health care service is a "Vocation", a job for life. Almost all of the care professionals I come in to contact with do their jobs for the love of the job not the money.

Contact your local hospital / teaching centre and ask to do an observer stint in A&E or on a ward. Should give you an idea of what to expect.

Good luck

Answer 3

the pay is only lower when you are just starting out, most doctors gain all the qualifications that they want and then they become a consultant, this is where they can make mega bucks. then they can become a professor - mega mega bucks, and in between consultant and professor they can make a million by going private. this is only if you are mercenary in that you take all the qualifications and experience that the NHS has to offer and then turn your back on it, and then charge them the earth for your services as a private consultant if you turn round.

genuine doctors do it for job satisfaction and pride, fortune is secondary but will come with experience.

Any job that you take will be low paid when you first start out, better pay comes with hard work, dedication and experience. If you want a mega bucks job then you must be prepared to work very long and very hard at the outset and reap the rewards later in life, with ulcers, stress and money.

Answer 4

the hours are long because there aren't enough doctors to go around. so they have to fill the gaps everywhere. they pay can be comparatively low because of malpractice insurance. doctors do get paid well but depending on your specialization and what state you work in your malpractice rates can be extremely high. anesthesiologists generally have the highest rates while a gp will have the lowest. a and they vary state to state. other professions with similar schooling (like lawyers) don't have to worry about malpractice. so their take home pay might be higher.

Answer 5

Depends on what area of medicine you wish to enter into, GP's have reasonable hours, surgeons have very long hours, but they top up on private care to make their money. Do you want to work in a hospital, on call, community? decide your avenue and then make the call. Dr's hours are so long in general though because we do actually have a shortage in this profession, therefore it has a knock on effect and cover is needed. But if you see it through do the hours and time, work hard you can become a consultant, now they earn the real money and lots of it, and they don't work unreasonable hours either. ( pecking order hun ) hope this helps.Good luck with your career.

Answer 6

Hours are no longer crazy there has been legislation capping the number of hours they are forced to work when newly qualified, and they don't have to work 48 hour shifts. Pay is decent on qualification, but if you rise up the profession then 200,000 a year is not impossible, even for NHS Drs as most of them work privately as well.

Answer 7

What? The pay for doctors is not low.

The hours can be crazy -- unless you pick the right subfield. People have babies and heart attacks at all hours of the day -- so obstetricians and cardiologists have to be available at all hours. But if you become a dermatologist or an opthamologist, you can set your own hours.

Answer 8

Ask yourself why you would want to become a Doctor. If high pay and regular hours are a priority for you then you may be better doing something else.

Answer 9

Okay, I will agree that newly qualified doctors get a raw deal, but after a few years a doctor earns far more than similarly qualified professionals

Answer 10

Because doctors are too ignorant to fight back. Issues with insurance companies that have been going on for years. If the doctors worked with people it could get fixed, but no they would rather take money on the side to promote drug companies drugs than to really cure people or accomplish anything.