Candid conversation with Monisha Veerapaneni, a student who left med school to pursue health system change. I get tons of calls from distraught med students and Monisha and I did a Q&A session in hopes of helping others.
0:10 How come premeds aren’t told about high suicide rate in medicine?
1:00 Why didn’t we know suicide rate by specialty prior to my research?
2:35 Why do trainees fear asking for help?
5:02 Cartoon explainer on physician overwork & self-abuse
9:54 Physician betrayal cycle & institutional betrayal trauma
13:49 The foundational flaw in Western medical training
16:43 Why med students are forced to memorize (& then forget) 90% of what we learn
17:12 Med school outrageous tuition rates
21:24 What’s really causing the residency bottleneck?
24:35 How can for-profit med school exist? (& get away with subpar education)
26:46 Why should we care about sleep-deprived doctors?
30:38 Burnout is bullshit explainer cartoon
34:24 Why are med students & doctors afraid to get therapy?
37:43 Physician suicide & hospital crimes against humanity
38:04 Why the physician exodus from medicine to health coaching
40:00 Discussion on physician salary, overhead & reimbursement
41:50 Unique challenges for female physicians
44:44 Why are premeds clueless (or overly idealistic) about the medical profession?
46:22 Family pressure for a physician trophy child
It was a privilege to collaborate with Dr. Wible to create this Q&A. None of this is meant to take away the amazing nobility of this profession and how massively rewarding this can be. Nor is this meant to point fingers at anyone or organization. This is simply to open the discussion and pave the pathway to a better environment for future generations. I strongly believe healthcare functions at its best when clinical professionals are able to work at the highest level they are properly credentialed for + when healthy, empathetic, encouraging work environments are being promoted + everybody’s job (from the CEO to the janitor at the hospital) is being respected. Healthcare is a team effort, and we are all there to serve at the best interests of the patients. Right now this simply cannot be sustained in the long run, and all the data/trends show that.
I loved practicing as an Internist in a rural setting!
The advent of the electronic medical record added 2.5 hours to my already very long days but contributed NOTHING to to art and science of patient care!!!
I left medicine because of my worsening frustration with, and subsequently growing anger, at “computerized medicine”.
I feel ya. I think lots of independent docs are getting back to the basics. I retired my license and do 100% coaching, teaching, educating and I have never been happier! Reach out if you want to have some fulfillment in your “retirement” here.