I’m a (extremely) nontrad premed about to start MCAT prep and applications next semester. I’ve already had a full career (and burned out) in film and have been building a small real estate portfolio by buying, living in and improving two multifamily properties to allow myself some room, financially in terms of cashflow and literally as in no rent during my premed program, to make this transition. It took more than a couple of years to figure out how to walk away from the golden handcuffs of my film lifestyle and jump into the fulltime premed post bacc track, and now here I am, 2020, COVID and almost ready to start my applications.

I have been diligently trying to approach this change of LIFE/DIRECTION into medicine with a clear-eyed pragmatic skepticism and over 20 years of yoga, as both student and teacher, among other mindful modalities. 😉

I’m wary of the “production line medicine” factory medicine – US insurance model – pharmaceutical – industrial complex model that seems to be the root of a LOT of burnout among physicians and other healthcare professionals. I’ve been tracking Dr. Pam Wible on this topic for a few years now and have gleaned some ideas there as well.

I’m wondering what your thoughts are on the intersection of COVID with what was already a dire situation in the US in terms of HEALTH-care vs. disease care (and disease inducing caregiving for medical professionals).

We will need more MD’s, DO’s, NP’s, PA’s, RN’s, MA’s, and more to replace those who have died, been injured by COVID long-hauling, have left the field, etc. We are also facing a massive escalation of healthcare professional mental health crises and calling it burnout does it no justice. Wible uses the term “moral injury” and I think it fits.

So on and so forth. I’d love to hear how you’re thinking about this “complication”. Oh and climate change is also a global health crisis.

Seems like there may be increased incomes available due to demand but holy moly Batman….

🙂

Thank you Fishbird. I try not to be too cynical in my writing, and I hope the young medical students and residents reading this don’t get that sense. The fact is, we change, and we change in ways that none of us think we will when we are young and (relatively) naive.

The front lines of law enforcement is a tough job, and one that is underappreciated when it is done well, and the pitchforks come out when it is not done well. The only real similarity between medicine and law enforcement is the massive stress and potentially catastrophic consequences of a mistake…I guess that is actually quite a bit of similarity 🙂

It’s easy to get tangled up in group identity and group suffering, but at the end of the day, as individuals we should seek to make our lives better and escape the victim mentality. It’s just not healthy. Unfortunately that’s where most people encased in burnout end up. They find an online community of people similarly suffering, and everyone blames the system (sometimes rightfully so) without thinking about actionable solutions.

Thanks Vagabond. I hope this reaches many medical students and residents and they at least consider the issues I’m discussing here.

Thanks, as always, for your amazing insight.

But you can delete “student loans” too.

So it evens out 🙂