The Best Answer to "Why Medicine" I Have Ever Heard

“Why Medicine?”

Why go into a career that takes several years - and costs hundreds of thousands of dollars - to complete? And, it is still a very demanding job at the end of that long, expensive path. So, why do it?

Many, including myself, have answered that question to countless people either in the field or aspiring to be in the field. And, during my conversation with Dr. Adam Cifu of the University of Chicago, I heard the best answer that anyone can give:

It's an amazing field...It's this incredible coming together of really interesting science, biomedicine, [and] critical appraisal...Which, even on its own, would be great, right? But then it's applied to bettering, human existence...to relieving suffering, to prolong your life. What the hell more could you ask for?

That is so right on the money.

And the rest of his answer is also so poignant:

This is an amazing thing to do. It's an unbelievable privilege to actually do it: to come to work doing this and...for 30-odd years, I still just love doing it.

But, [with] every privilege, there's a cost to it, and you [have to] earn it. And the earning is: it's stressful; you [have to] take responsibility for things; you get blamed for things that weren't your fault.; you have to work really hard. And you have to sort of recognize, early on, that the good comes with the bad.

Would that more people have this kind of an attitude towards our field. I bet people will be happier and, perhaps, there will be less burnout.