7 Reasons Why Becoming a Physician May be Right For You

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7 Reasons Why Becoming a Physician May be Right For You

Physicians occupy a critical role in the healthcare system all over the world. While the days of a physician who went door to door caring for local patients are long gone, doctors are still critical to the process of providing healthcare to patients of all ages. There are many different kinds of physicians that you can train to become, and each physician type helps to improve the lives of their patients each day.

If you have been considering becoming a physician, you might not be aware of all the benefits of pursuing the profession. Most of us know that doctors are always needed, but we might not know much else about the reality of working in this field. We will discuss the reasons that you should consider becoming a physician in this guide so that you can make an informed decision.

Reasons That You Might Want to Become a Physician

There are lots of reasons that people decide to become doctors. You might like helping people, or you might be attracted to working on specific disease processes or research. There are many avenues to pursue within the profession of a physician, which means that finding your area of expertise is usually quite simple. Becoming a physician can be highly beneficial for your career goals, but also for your personal goals.

Physicians are always in demand, and there are many different specialty areas that you can choose to focus on as well. Physicians enjoy access to many professional opportunities and can move from their daily practice of caring for patients to research jobs, management, or niche areas of focus that are not patient-facing. There are so many avenues of future growth and potential for someone who has been to medical school, which is why this job can be right for people with various interests and passions.

This is one of the most meaningful and impactful jobs around. Here are some reasons that becoming a physician might be perfect for you.

1.     High Salaries

HealthStubs can help you check out the median base salary for various physician jobs.  The median total annual compensation for physicians in the US is $360,250. Being able to pay back your student loan right away and being able to earn enough money to start a family or get your own home are top reasons that people choose to become doctors.

While there are always going to be regional limitations on doctor salaries all around the world, you can easily take your physician expertise with you if you choose to move to a place where salaries are higher. Doctors can also specialize, which can help to increase their earning potential.

Per the AMA, Plastic surgeons earn $576,000 per year on average, and Cardiologists earn $490,000.  Considering the base salary for generalized physicians above, it is clear that specialization can help to foster increased income, even in areas where pay is lower. Cities and places with specialty hospitals or a higher cost of living will compensate specialists far in excess of the stated numbers in this guide.

Doctors are also paid during their residency, which is not something that can be said for many other professions. Most fields of study only offer unpaid training and internships, which can make the bar to entry far more difficult to surmount. While physician training and time spent as an intern can be busy and include a lot of hard work, it is still compensated, which helps offset the cost of medical school and ensures that doctors are able to get on their feet right away once they have their degree in hand.

Investing in yourself by going to medical school can allow you to earn far more money than most managers or business professionals will ever be able to earn in a year. This is because of the critical nature of the work done by physicians, and it is a big motivator for many people to become doctors.

2.     You Get to Help People

Many people who are physicians cite the ability to help people get well or stay well as the biggest reason that they chose to become a doctor. You might have had a family member who suffered from a long-term illness, or maybe you have always had a passion for helping others. Many people with similar stories and interests find that becoming a doctor allows them to make the world a better place each day.

In a recent study, it was found that over the course of a four-year period, participants who volunteered had a reduced risk for mortality and improved psychosocial outcomes. This study demonstrated clearly that those who volunteer their time and engage in activities that help others are much more likely to be happy and healthy every day.

Another study conducted during the pandemic in 2021, stated that more than one-third of people had donated to charity or medical assistance during the past month. It is clear that being able to assist others to feel well is an important means of increasing self-esteem and personal well-being, even among the general public.

Doctors are often the first line of defense for people who are scared and sick, and it feels really good to be able to help people to get better and to feel better long-term. Physicians get to create real change for their patients and their families on a daily basis.

3.     Preventing Disease and Ending Health Crises

For many doctors, the diseases and health conditions that plague communities are the enemy. They fight this enemy on a daily basis, knowing that they are making a difference, but wishing that they could stop disease in its tracks. If this sounds like you, then you might need to become a doctor to be able to spearhead research that will help create cures for things like cancer.

Disease prevention is its own very important science, and doctors can choose to focus on this area of work once they have completed their education. Per the Bureau of Labor, medical scientists make an average of $100,590 a year while also getting the privilege of working hard to create essential vaccines, medications, and treatment protocols that benefit everyone all over the world.

Preventing disease in the laboratory is highly critical and is just as important as working on the frontlines, helping people to make better health decisions, get access to medicine and treatments of various kinds, and saving lives. If disease prevention on a global or US-wide scale matters to you, you might seek employment with the CDC or one of the various labs that work on breakthroughs in major fields of study, like cancer research or vaccine research.

Medicine is a science that is always improving upon itself, which can be very motivating if you love the idea of preventing disease. All one has to do is look at the way that medications like insulin have improved the lives of people all over the world to see the value in medical research positions. While it might take years to find a solution for medical conditions, if you are able to be part of the process of saving lives through your research, those hours will be entirely worth it.

Medical scientists are responsible for some of the most incredible technologies and advancements of the modern age, and you can be among the ranks of brilliant scientists who help make the world a healthier and safer place.

4.     Excellent Work Culture and Environment

Overall, physicians report that the work culture around a physician is very positive. Physicians report a facility culture of 4.67 at the Mayo Clinic when surveyed. This is one of the biggest hospital networks in the US. Work culture is very critical when it comes to finding a profession that will not only support you and your family but also help you to be happy and productive as a person.

While it can be taxing to help people who are scared and confused, the team at a hospital or a clinic will pull together and help care for patients. Being part of a greater whole with the same goals is critical for humans, no matter what profession they might choose to dedicate their life to. Most doctors feel that their staff work alongside them to save lives, and this is incredibly valuable when it comes to preventing burnout and keeping things fresh each and every day.

Physicians are supported by skilled nurses and medical staff, and they are able to help create a culture of passionate care for patients and team effort within the clinic or hospital where they work. Being able to come to work and enjoy your job matters, particularly in a field like medicine. If you are worried that you will not remain committed and passionate about your day job if you just work at a desk all day, becoming a doctor is probably a great option for you.

5.     Improving Quality of Life

Various factors related to modern life compete with the health of people all over the world every single day. Highly processed foods, too much screen time, too many hours sitting at a desk and working, and so many other realities of modern life can make people unhealthy. Doctors are the main defense against these ills, and they are able to help patients learn about healthier ways to live.

If you hate to see people living in ways that will impact their long-term well-being. Becoming a doctor might be ideal for you. You will have the chance to positively impact the lives of people who are already sick, but you can also help to teach and educate people about ways to avoid getting sick in the first place.

According to the AMA, medicine has increased the lifespan of American men from 46 years in 1900 to 75 years in 2004. American women enjoyed an increase from 48 years of age on average in 1900 to 80 years of age in 2004. For doctors all over the world, this kind of incredibly positive change is a key reason for their interest in learning about the field of medicine and making it their career.

So many doctors report that improving the lives of patients is what gets them out of bed and hurrying to work each day. This kind of passion is almost a requirement for those who enter the medical field.

6.     Career Growth and Opportunity

Many medical professionals will tell you that the opportunity to grow in their skills and experience while on the job is a key reason that they wanted to go into the field of medicine. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, as of 2023, there were 834,500 jobs open for doctors with a professional degree. The growth of positions is steady, and doctor shortages in specific fields are quite common.

There are about 23,600 job openings for doctors on average each year, according to the BLS, and this number has been steady for a decade. While it does take time to get through medical school, you can count on jobs being available for you when you have completed your education.

Choosing to enter specialty fields can make you even more in demand and can increase the chances that you will be able to grow rapidly in your career. Physicians can easily step from actual patient care to other areas of the healthcare industry as well. Doctors routinely move into management roles, or they might step out of practicing medicine and move into health insurance jobs, risk analysis jobs, and more.

There are also large numbers of physicians who provide documentation-based services like approvals for surgical procedures, assessment of guidelines for procedures, and so much more. Career growth in the field of medicine is well above average when compared to many other industries, and for people who want to grow rapidly at work, becoming a physician is ideal.

7.     Flexibility for Schedule and Work/Life Balance

People are increasingly concerned about flexibility in their job, from opportunities to go on vacation, to flex days to care for children or to take care of appointments, to benefits that will allow for retirement someday. Physicians are far more likely to be offered flexibility in their work schedule than other professions and are usually granted flex days, personal time off, and the chance to block out weeks for travel or other activities.

Forbes recently published an article that states that 58% of millennials and 64% of Gen X responders prefer to conduct their scheduling and even their doctor’s visits online. With the rise of telehealth, many physicians can get access to the ultimate flexible work environment by offering simple medical care visits from their home office.

It is quite common for physicians in hospital systems to be able to dictate much of their schedule to allow for travel, family, and mental health. Most healthcare systems also offer a significantly higher number of PTO days per year to help ensure that staff get adequate downtime to rest and recuperate when needed.

These are incredible benefits of becoming a doctor, and they can be key arguments in the choice to head to medical school as soon as possible. Who doesn’t want to be able to take two weeks off at a time to head to Europe, or choose to work from ten to six if that’s the best time of day for them?

While the early years of a doctor’s career are often quite busy and tiring, once they have become established in a role that suits their specific interests and degree focus, they are able to start creating a routine that allows for personal time, self-improvement, and things like raising a family. Due to the various fields of study within the overall heading of doctor, you can also choose to aim for a job that will allow this kind of flexibility right from the start.

Physicians Have a World of Options In Front of Them

There are so many reasons that you might want to become a doctor, and this guide should have shown you the data on various of the most motivating reasons to choose this profession. Doctors are able to make the world a better place, one patient at a time, and they have the chance to move into research for disease prevention, risk-analysis roles, or even paperwork-based roles. The flexibility and future earning potential of this job are unparalleled in most areas of the US.

Doctors occupy a uniquely positive place in the job market and can find a world of professional opportunity in front of them as soon as they are done with school. You can opt to specialize or be a generalist, and you can choose to aim for management jobs or stay hands-on with patients on a daily basis. Doctors are essential in nearly every area of medical car,e and you will find yourself faced with immense potential and possibility if you choose to become a physician.