Is medicine the right choice?

[kudos]

This is sort of following the "life as a doctor; as good as it seems?" thread.

So I got into medical school (hoorah) and I've started the course. So far the work seems ok, I'm on a PBL (often refered to as WBL, wikipedia based learning) course which took a little time to adjust to but now seems to be a really good way to learn a lot of information and to benefit from others' thoughts and insights. And the way of testing rolls on through the year and it appears one can't really revise for the them, except practicing clinical skills and watching "House" and other similar programmes. It's seems to good to believe!

My big problem is; is it worht it and is medicine all it's cracked up to be?
I ask this for several reasons.

1)The state of the NHS, which I feel will wither die or mutate in to another form of service. Possibly an acute care service with private for the other stuff. The chance to go into non NHS work is not there until one hits consultant level, about 35 years of age.

2)The length of training.....5 year medical schoool, 2 years in F1&2, the specialist training.....if one starts uni at 18, one will be 28 before reaching principal GP or mid thirties before reaching consultant. I am a female and I want to have a family. I know the NHS has flexitime and good maternity leave ect, but to be frank, it's not wise to take a break from climbing the greasy pole, esp. if one is hoping to specialise in a competitive field and one which takes a long period of training.
(there are other medical/healthcare related careers which will allow one to be pretty much qualified upon leaving uni.)

3)Money....this is always a prickly issue, but we all need to support ourselves in life and our families if/when we have them. Whilst doctors are by no means poorly paid, in the early years just under £21k for and F1 doctor and about £25K for an F2 (banding dependant of course) I stress I am not in this for the money, but I want to be able to provide for my family and be well off. If I wanted a load of cash I'd move into stock broking.

4)The lack of post foundation year training jobs.....career progression is not garenteed.

5)I have been told be so many senior doctors that if they were in my postition, they would not be doing medicine at uni, but would go for something like physio/osteopathy/chiropractoring/ect because they wouldn't be NHS reliant and would have far more flexibility and choice, and patients staisfation, being able to see a patient within a few days of them calling, often on the same day.

Still medicine is a highly respected course and a fantastic degree, even if one decides not to persue medicine as a career, although 5 years of medical school seems a bit of a waste if one doesn't practice some sort of medicine. And personally I love the idea of being able to perform prceedures and helping to cure people and I couldn't stand being stuck behind a desk. Job satisfaction is a massive factor for me.

So do I;
Keep on going regardless?
Carry on with this year and transfer for 2008 to another course, or is that a wast of time and money?
Take a year out and risk drifting and also risk not wanting to go back into education and delay career progression?

I know it's quite a depressing way of looking at things and I am aware I am very privaliaged to beat 11 other applicants to my place. And that is not something to be given up on lightly but I am posting to get other peoples' opinions on it and see how other medics and medical students think on it too. (No purly negative and uncontructive comments please)

Thanks everyone

[Renal]

Only you can say mate.

I think a lot of people stay in because they can't see themselves doing anything else (we quite like them).
And a lot of people stay in because of inertia (they're alright too).
And some people stay in because they're not allowed to leave (they can **** right off).
And a few people go, and even more follow them as the years go on.

My advice would be to wait and see, unless you're desparately unhappy with what you're doing, I'd wait and see - certainly you have a good deal at the moment.

[gimperial99]

Medicine is not a bad job. Increasingly though it is becoming for those who want to do it as a vocation rather than a career. By that I mean prospects for future earnings are poor. You will be spending your life as a consultant doing resident on calls. The golden age of medicine is probably over!