What is the life of a doctor like?

Question

Do all those medical tv shows really show what doctors live like? To any hospital doctors...what are your days really like?

Answer 1

Doctors have different lifestyles, depending on such things as specialty choice, and if a doctor chooses private practice or an academic environment. I don't watch many of those shows, but no, most of them don't really match the real thing that I experience. They are always very dramatic, especially when it comes to romances and things that usually don't come up at work. A typical day can be very busy, with constant pages, unexpected problems, many patients to see and new patients to admit to the hospital, family meetings, important decisions to make, frustrations with noncompliant patients, satisfying moments (including meeting some very incredible patients and their family members), dealing with all kinds of personality types, occasionally being confused for someone other than a doctor because I am a woman, being pulled in many directions at once and having to prioritize. There usually is not much "down time". It can be tiring and frustrating, but it is, overall, very rewarding.

Answer 2

I'm not a doctor myself, but I am planning on becoming one. I do know though, that all those medical tv shows are way different than real life doctors. It still can be a very rewarding job because you get to help so many people and save lives.

Answer 3

well, being a Medical Assistant and working a a doctors office can be busy. YOu have your moments when you are happy because you made somebody feel good. YOu have helped them. Doctors can be busy but it can be rewarding. Knowing the feeling that you have helped someone can make you feel great. It's busy and you are on call alot. If your are thinking of becoming a doctor go for it.

Answer 4

It depends on what type of doctor and what his workplace environment is like.

A doctor who volunteers to join the Peace Corps might have a day spent in the desert in Africa giving selfless service to the poor and diseased.

A doctor who is a plastic surgeon may spend his day with people who can afford the luxury of plastic surgery - usually insurance doesn't cover it, and so they have to be able to afford the cash up front.

On the same token, I knew an ophthalmologist who worked at an eye clinic in a hospital, and once a year he spent a month giving free medical operations and eye care to people in South America.

I knew a surgeon who spent a month a year from his busy practice in the U.S. and travelled every year to the Fiji islands and gave medical care and surgeries free for the poor.

If a doctor is employed at a non-profit hospital like the Veterans Affairs hospitals or state charity hospitals, they have a fixed salary which is often lower then if they worked at for-profit hospitals.
These doctors are usually overworked and extremely dedicated to their profession.

Doctors are humans just like anyone else. If they have families, they enjoy spending time with their wives and children. If single, they go out and date like anyone else who is single.

Doctors have a lot of stress and pressure in their lives and this comes with their profession. They receive phone calls and on urgent calls on their cell phones and often are awakened in the night or interrupted from activities and have to attend to patients. Their medical profession is their top priority.

Thus some doctors become addicted to alcohol and drugs, just like people with lower incomes.

Often people in certain professions that require a lot of education can be highly intelligent but lacking in "people skills" and sometimes even common sense, especially those who are highly specialized in a certain aspect of medicine.

I've known some doctors who were very laid back with a great sense of humor and terrific people.

Hospitals, like any large organization, can be prone to having certain people who gossip. When one dates someone at work, this almost always causes people to talk.

Doctors have to deal with a lot of negativity all day long,
hearing people tell of their sicknesses and must be very
dedicated to remain in their professions. Insurance companies have set amounts they pay for various medical procedures and they are paying less and many doctors are even leaving the profession because profit is no longer such a lure to remain.
Many headaches are involved with management of a doctor's practice, especially the billing/insurance aspect. Medicaid, the government's program for the poor and elderly pays very little compared to insurance companies. If a doctor's practice has mostly elderly patients, this means that the majority of his income is from Medicaid. Thus, there are fewer and fewer doctors entering the geriatric physician profession, which is creating a crisis in the United States. Who will care for our elderly?

I believe a socialized medicine system in the U.S. is sorely needed, to include dental care. I would gladly pay more taxes to have this benefit, so everyone could obtain the medical and dental care they need.

Thank you for an intelligent question!

Answer 5

My high school friend is a doctor. He is stressed out four days a week, and plays golf on his days off.

Answer 6

Way different