Do you think 99.9% of doctors are in it for the money and social status?

Question

I think so! Its all about charging people lots of money while they give out samples that the drug companies make them do. Do doctors really care about patients, I really dont think so. I never heard of parents telling their kids to become doctors cause of the humanity of it but only for the income. These people become doctors for the money, and to impress the daughters parents for marriage, lol.

I agree with a lot of u all. I'm not bashing the medical profession but just the bad doctors which I stronly feel are at 99.9%. Only a very few are genuiely good.

WOW!!!! 46+ reponses! Well, I still believe that its 99.9% of doctors that are for the money. I don't know how to choose a best answer. I like all u your answers that are near to my opinion. There are SO MANY BAD DOCTORS thats it sucks!

Answer 1

I married a doctor (actually, he was an intern when we married, with 3 years of residency to go). I didnt know him well enough (we didnt live together first) and we married after a year. I also work in healthcare. Let me tell you, I got to know the real 'him', and what he really thought about doctors, nurses and patients, and I ended up divorcing him!!!! He definitely only went into med school for the money and power. He chose the specialty of Physiatry (rehabilitation) because it meant he would not have to do any surgery or any emergency room or any long days or life-threatening illnesses.... as he put it, he would be "home for dinner". He used to ridicule the other staff behind their back (including people in my own profession!!). He used to act like rules didnt apply to him; for example he would get careless about going through traffic lights that had just turned red. One time, I was with him when he did that, and a cop pulled us over. We were right near his hospital. He had the nerve to give the cop his drivers license and his hospital ID badge! (He was NOT on duty or on his way to an emergency or anything) and guess what! The cop let him off!!! I swear, society treats them like they are special.
And another thing, he used to tell me how when he and his fellow residents would get in trouble with their supervising doctors, the directors would "threaten" them "if you people dont work harder, you are ONLY going to make $120 thousand a year"!!!

Answer 2

I pretty much agree totally. I read somewhere recently that the average time spent with a patient at the doc's office is about 7 minutes. In-out, is the way it is now days. I grew up in a small town in the 50's, and back then there was only one doctor. When someone got sick, he would come to your house with his black bag and would actually spend time with whom ever was sick, and that in itself, made a person better just knowing the doctor had some compassion about the situation as well as medical expertise. I think a lot of this in-out we see today is due to the increase in the population and number of people a physician sees in just one 8 hour period. I'm not so sure that they don't care, as much as it is the "numbers",,,,but it's still sad that we live in such a fast paced world today. It's the same way when someone is in the hospital now days....if there is no family to stay with that person,,,they certainly don't get much personal attention because they are simply under staffed.

It's pretty much the same way with a Dentist anymore. I went to the dentist a few years back, they took me in, set me in a chair, did the 360 Xray thing, moved me to another room, the doc comes in and says: "What can I do for you?" Crap, he's the one with the xrays and could clearly see that I had a cracked tooth that was giving me tremendous pain. I mean, what was I suppose to say? "Oh, hi doc, I just came by to see how your new BMW is doing.

Anyway, I hope it doesn't come to the point that they install a chute in the office and just start sending everyone through there to get an MRI done, oh well, Medicaid, Medicare or Hillary will pay for it.

Answer 3

Some people could say being a doctor is a wonderful experience in life; being good at what you do and enjoying it at the same time.

The money,well it goes on expenses like covering your legal fees, car expenses for house calls, equipment etc. Its more harder to work as a doctor in UK because of all the new regulations they have brought in. A lot of people have suffered by the new MTAS scheme and have been left without jobs to support their families. The other pressure is that you don't always get the job you want, close to your family. Long distance traveling just to earn a living, sometimes having to be in grotty hospital accommodation.

Also paying back debts that you went into trying to get your university education. You also sometimes return home to find that all your friends have married with children, while you are still on your own trying to pursue your career. And its not like you are going to meet your future partner at work as sometimes all you see is patients!

But its almost rewarding when people come to you with their problems and you can help them. Sometimes even a home visit to an elderly person who is alone at home, just for a friendly chat. Its not always about medicine.
Sometimes there are times when people come and you cannot give them the answer they want to hear.

And you do go home sometimes thinking about whether you could have done more, or knowing that you felt helpless with for example ; a new diagnosis of cancer in a patient.

You also have to keep updating your knowledge so that you are aware of new guidelines, so your social life sometimes becomes somewhat limited.

In UK most practices offer the medication at its cheapest, in wales the prescription charges have been dropped. I think the fault lies in dispensing practices.

In summary, people have sacrificed alot to become doctors to help those who need it.

Answer 4

I know plenty of people who does it for the money and status, but I also know a few who truly wants to help people out. I understand this feeling after watching the Discovery Health channel to see how heroic and dedicated some doctors are tin saving and helping others. And don't forget about the volunteer doctors working for Doctors without Borders. So while I believe that a lot people are in it for themselves, there are plenty of others who really does care since it takes plenty of passion to drive someone to go through the long and painful years of medical school. At least that's what I like to think.

Answer 5

I don' t think that's true at all.

My mother when through a radiology program where she met several people who desired to become doctors and nurses because they wanted to help people, and because they found medicine interesting!

And I worked with a woman who's daughter wants to become a doctor because she wouldn't be here if it weren't for the doctors at the Children's Mercy Hospital.

She was one of triplets born almost 3 months early. Her brother and sister died shortly after their birth and she was in the hospital for the first 2 and 1/2 months of her life. She wants to give back.

I'm sure there are some that become doctors because of the social and economic benefits, but your general family doctors make on average $150,000 a year. It's good money, but they aren't wealthy by any means.

As for the amount of money you are charged, well you have all of those who are uninsured and can't pay their medical costs to blame, as well as all of those who file frivolous malpractice lawsuits to blame.

Frivolous malpractice lawsuits drive up the cost of the insurance the doctors need to carry, so they have to charge more to cover their costs. This has been a huge problem and no one seems to have any good ideas on how to stem the tide of those looking to make a quick easy buck.

And everyone knows that health care costs have been driven upwards becasue of the amount of people who don't have the ability to pay for healthcare on thier own.

I think the biggest crooks in the medical industry are the drug companies. I have always had a big problem with drug companies pushing their new drugs on both doctors and the public. Some of the newer drugs might be helpful, but I would stop going to any doctor who always wanted to try the latest and greatest drug on me!

But just so you know, my doctor, and I know others have done the same for some of my friends and relatives, have given me sample packs of drugs rather than write a presrctiption becsue he knew they were super expensive and wanted to save me some money!

Answer 6

Not necessarily so. Some of them really cares about others so they become a doctor. It is not easy to become a doctor. The study process is long and hard and it is not easy when someone you treat dies. They charge a lot because the doctor course is quite expensive. They have to get their money back for the school fees and their hard work. I've heard of many people who wants their kids to become doctors because patients are increasing each century. It is undeniable that some of them are to show off but you must remember not everyone is like that.

Answer 7

I don't believe ALL of them are like that. I think it takes a lot of courage and strength, and stress maintaining. Think about how many different TYPE of doctors there are... you have the family doctor *ooo I sprained my wrist* and then you have ER doctors where you're life is in their hands... then you have suregons and blablabla. Not all of them get paid that well when you consider the amount of school they have to pay for. The old ones are the ones with the money, because they FINALLY paid for all the school... but the young ones, that either went in to help or for money are still paying off bills you can't even phathom. And what about all the doctors in the Military? Who go to war and save our soldiers? Can you honestly say that they, themselves are in it for the "money" and social status? And speaking of this social status?... Doctors get called in all the time, just like police and fire fighters and nurses. They don't have much of a social status other than who they work with. Their families rarely see them because either they are working on paper work or a patient. So, next time, consider the number you are putting up there, because 99.9% IS A LOT of people. I wouldn't want to be your doctor if I knew you thought of me like that. *I'm not a doctor btw* but I do have a lot of respect for someone like that.

Answer 8

yes,they would't care less for you and me,they get educated by
the Big Pharma,mainly how to be a drug pusher
The Doctor Is In (Big Pharma's Pocket)
The New York Times has a compelling – and disturbing story – about how pharmaceutical companies are buying doctors.

The story is based on public records from Minnesota, one of the first states to require that doctors reveal their ties to drug companies.

Money quote:

" . . . The Minnesota records are a window on the widespread financial ties between pharmaceutical companies and the doctors who prescribe and recommend their products. Patient advocacy groups and many doctors themselves have long complained that drug companies exert undue influence on doctors, but the extent of such payments has been hard to quantify.

"The Minnesota records begin in 1997. From then through 2005, drug makers paid more than 5,500 doctors, nurses and other health care workers in the state at least $57 million. Another $40 million went to clinics, research centers and other organizations. More than 20 percent of the state’s licensed physicians received money. The median payment per consultant was $1,000; more than 100 people received more than $100,000."

Click here for more.

Answer 9

I think in a way yes. I think that a lot of these people did want to be in it for more than the money at first. You know the kids we all knew in school who talked of being a doctor so they could help people. But then they spend all that money and go through all that training(cause it takes that long to thoroughly brainwash most people)that they really don't care anymore. Plus they end up realizing they arent really helping people anyways. So in the end they stay just for the money and the social status. I don't see anyone getting better and feeling great from taking drugs or surgery. Do you?

Answer 10

I don't know where you're from, but I have worked in a hospital for many years (I'm not a doctor). I see young people study for 6-7 years after high school just to become junior doctors, then work 10-16 hours per day for a few more years. Then maybe begin to specialise, taking a few more years. They give up a good part of their young lives just to learn how to help people.
Do they earn a lot? Yes they earn a good wage.
But consider this, they are generally the top 1% of kids coming out of high school who go on to study medicine, so you can't deny that they are intelligent. If they were to study law, economics or business, would they be earning any less? I don't think so. Would they be more useful to society? I don't think so. Most male doctors I have met marry nurses, because that is who they see all day. A lot of female doctors that i know have married other doctors, or are single. Many delay having a family until after they are about thirty, just because they are still studying, well past their graduation as a doctor. Most doctors that I know, including those in general practice do care about their patients, but the patients just aren't happy with receiving a rapid and accurate diagnosis. They want to talk about how they feel about their disease, and want to chat. If you call a plumber, would you want to chat about how you feel about your pipes not working? You just want things fixed.
Most doctors earn their money, but they tend to earn it later in life, and that is when people start to complain about it. Few people (yourself included) care about the stress they endure early in life to get where they are.

Is the money important? Yes it is. Are some in it for the money? I'm sure some are. But they are in the minority, they could earn more money in other careers, had they chosen them.



.