The Joy of Practicing Medicine

Abstract

Medicine has traditionally been regarded as a profession which provides tremendous job satisfaction. Many doctors and even medical students are being increasingly dissatisfied with the practice of medicine. In the past, when doctors met, they used to talk about the interesting patients they helped to treat. These days they usually talk about financial stresses, job pressures, bureaucratic hassles and red tape. Doctors are increasingly toying with the idea of changing careers, while others are burning out in their mid-forties, where has the joy of practicing medicine gone?