I'm creating a network & resource centre for doctors, nurses & healthcare professionals wanting to make a career change. You can learn more and join the waitlist here ❤: qn7et7np3td.typeform.com/to/qz3RSTZd
You are very welcome Ali. It’s great you’ve created this network for helping so many others that are in careers that they despise and feel trapped! You’re awesome 👍🏻🤗
@@333angeleyes I don't know what @MizVoodooDoll thinks, but from my experience the toxicity and bullying is widespread. Of course as a reflection of society as a whole, women and minority groups often experience more obstacles than their more privileged counterparts, but in my experience it's mainly the "top down" approach of seniors crapping on juniors that makes it so toxic, which everyone is a victim to. Even the seniors who have people more senior than them are affected lol. Sadly I feel like it's just the "vibe" of medicine.
@hana.s.ali93 From your experience, what do you think would happen if someone stood up for themselves? For example, in the story you told in the video about the senior tearing into the junior for a mistake, what would have happened if the junior stood up to that bullying senior?
@@333angeleyes Honestly, I haven't seen it happen enough to be able to comment on it. But I do know that in some environments, it certainly wouldn't go down well...
It’s an absolute travesty that a person’s career becomes their identity. Thank you for posting about your choice. This must not have been easy. I applaud you.
@karlaplascencia7998 thank you so much for your support. And you're right, it is a travesty! But many doctors have a self-identity that's very closely tied to being a medic, which is why so many struggle to leave even when they're deeply struggling. 😔
@@hana.s.ali93 I think u could have gone into research ryt after studying like a masters in biomedical science or something like that. Good thing with research is that u dont have deal with people if thats your annoyance
@@nuskyahmad6375 for some people research may be an option, but I wasn't really interested in that either. I'm really happy with the path I chose and wouldn't go back to change anything. 🙂
I did the exact same thing ! Totally agree on the thinking of "just another year..." of just delaying happiness but with no guarantee that anything will come of it. Not worth it!
I am a french doctor and this video resonate so hard. For my residency I tried a new experience and chose to do psychiatry in switzerland. It is not better and after 10 months I hate it, feel anxiety most of time, and just spend my days dreaming the day I Will end. At least until last week, when i had a bike accident, almost dying, woking up in intensive cares, with a tube in my mouth. The first thought I had when I woke up was « why am I not dead, it would be over ». The second thought was, despite broken teeths and unbelievable pain « thank god i dont need to go to work for few weeks ». The third was « I have to stop ». They said I had an epilepsy crisis on my bike after a night at hospital, the reason according to them is « lack of sleep ». Deep down, i just now I am exhausted, tired, stressed, and miserable. Today I chose to quit for good and i found your video. It resonate so hard it is almost suspicious to me 😅 I just dont know what the hell I am gonna do, and how i Will announce it to my familiy. I feel scared, I know I dont want to quit medicine without a solid plan. But I also know that if I continue I Will Die, for good this time. Thank you so much for your video, you gave me hope. Jonathan
Hey Jonathan. Good for you that you know your limitations and prioritize your well being and happiness over your goals. Don't say all that shit about dying, you'll figure something out surely. Keep going, mate. You got this. 💐🫂
How about looking into homeopathy? It covers the organism in its entirety! It treats according to particular symptoms & focuses on the mental & emotional symptoms! Perhaps start by finding a homeopath to see for yourself & how you are feeling. Please be aware that a naturopath is VERY different to a homeopath
Doctor From India. I was bullied and harassed. I quit obgyn residency..and I reflected. I reflected that we have the power to build the life we want. So for starter, build your boundary! Shift off is shift off. No compromise. Just like other hospital workers do. No bowing under fear. No enduring unjust treatment for the sake of hierarchy. Be the black sheep. And have the spine straight. This place will be toxic. But I love medicine. I cannot imagine not being a doctor. Not serving. So, I have decided not to let bullies win..not to succumb and to have the spine straight af! No buckling under pressure. We can always quit. Am a doctor! I'll get employment anywhere. But we will fight this culture.. this toxicity. And pledge to be better seniors, and THIS CYCLE ENDS WITH US! And what I regret? Not replying. Not giving those bullies a piece of my mind. So I swear. I'll never be silent. I'll always take action against them. I'll see the end of it. Am not letting egoistic, mean folks win this. Karma is a bitch and I pray all our bullies will meet it! And yes, WE END THE CYCLE.
@@Samrat_137 The factor is FEAR. If residency is 24*7 job, then the full time asst.prof, Associates and HOD, should also work 9-5, like they are supposed to and not come as visiting for couple of hours and act like apne aap dekhlo. The problem starts from there. If they are so interested in their private nursing homes , they should quit this professor tag. Residency isn't slavery. And vicarious liability. So, anyway, the HOD and unit head will be responsible. There are laws. We need to apply it for our own good. Twist it and use it.
@@DocWanderer75 that’s true. But the fact that professors have the power to fail us, rob us of chances, punish us with menial jobs and humiliate us more during presentations makes me unable to stand upto them.
i am a neet aspirant in india, currently in 12th grade, who dreams about being a surgeon, and reading your comment made gives me hope that the toxic culture against doctors, that I've seen a lot of online and heard about, can be changed. Extreme ragging cases and the "you must respect your seniors" culture really scares me, and i could just try to get into coding or business, but i feel like nothing could make me satisfied as being a surgeon. I really want to give this field a good try because it is genuinely fascinating to me
Final MB student from India...thanks for your message.Being too soft and silent to the bullies gets us nothing..Speaking up for oneself is the only solution.
I'm leaving too. Going to become a certified nurse assistant. Less money, and status, more happiness and mental stability. Simple things in life are the best.
You’re leaving what exactly? A CNA is a simple certificate of which I held at the age of 18 prior to going to nursing school. It is a miserable job that offers very little pay. I don’t understand this decision whatsoever.
@@michaelscott33literally makes no sense. Romanticizing struggle life. I get if you want to leave medicine but this is glossing over struggles of CNAs, they don’t have good either. OP should try talking to one
You should be so proud of yourself. My daughter will be starting her medicine journey in September and I know that if she is ever in this position I will be telling her her health and happiness are whey more important than becoming a doctor. Congratulations for finding happiness and contentment
@Spikeswift thank you so much for your kind words, it really means a lot! I'm so happy to hear that you're going to support your daughter in prioritising her health and happiness, I truly wish her the best of luck and hope she succeeds tremendously. 🙏🏽
You shouldn't tell your daughter to throw away her expensive education to become an entrepreneur, because that's not a real job. She won't have health and happiness when her fraud startup runs out of money and they keep her last 30 paychecks.
OMG I also left medicine as well. I got my MD, completed my USMLE, and was applying for the US match. I ended up working for a medical startup that paid me around $200,000/year. After 2 years of work, I left and opened up multiple businesses, made over 7 figure. I felt the same way you did. The culture in medicine is toxic and grueling, yet the money didn't make any sense. When I switched out of medicine and into business, I witness excitement along with a lucrative salary. It often makes me wonder if the education and the cultural system of medicine needs to change or not. With that type of stress, shouldn't doctors be making 7 figures?? Why are they not hitting that mark with this stressful culture and work environment??
WOW what an incredible journey!! And yes, I 100000% agree with you. Often, those who should be earning the most in society, don't. Footballers, entertainers, business owners - they all earn more than doctors, firemen, nurses, supermarket employees - all people who are crucial and keep society running! Instead, many those members of society can find themselves with huge amounts of debt that only adds to the immense pressure of their jobs. I really do think the system needs to start valuing doctors (and every other crucial member of society) more!
this sounds good. but it is a different salary for someone with a medical degree than with someone with a business degree. this means, your studies DID pay off. besides, you have the incredible ability to learn and think quickly and logically. and you probably get more respect from employers from the get go. this enables you to achieve anything in life!
I've yet to see an article or video that informs everyone about the alternative career paths outside of anything related to medicine. It's always the same...consulting, management, insurance, research, etc., etc. I'd love to see a series interviewing physicians who left that path and became elementary school teachers, construction workers, coaches, film, the arts, and so on. Physicians have unfortunately been programmed to believe the options are very limited, and that one cannot live comfortably and be happy outside of medicine, when in fact, it's nothing more than gaslighting by the industry as a whole.
@rodneyfarmer6712 Funny you should say that because I totally agree with you and have already started making content on this very notion! I've previously made a video that talks about alternative careers for medics and discusses this very topic (you can watch it here if you're interested: ruclips.net/video/tGusMUD6H7c/видео.html). The idea of the series is also very interesting. I've met many ex-doctors over the years that have done a plethora of things outside of the generic lists we see. I'll try to get a few of them on the channel for an interview one day!
Same, I just graduated and ever since I was 14 I’ve always had this creative side I love fashion and design just arts in general but got into medicine because at the time thought it was the sensible thing to do due to parents wanting me to and from the first year I’ve had thoughts of switching but kept on pushing the thought till I graduated and now I want to switch but I’ve never seen a physician completely switch it’s always them going to the alternative careers you just mentioned like physicians always have to be stuck in those options that are science based like we’re complete robots so I just shut my thoughts of the “what ifs” and move on like I don’t completely hate the position I’m in
@@noraaa8479 I'm so sorry that you feel that way. That's the reason I made that video I linked in the comment below, because I don't want any medics to feel trapped by this generic list of alternative careers. It made me feel so hopeless when I saw it because I also actually wanted to do fashion from a young age (that then switched to design). I encourage you to watch my other video (not for my personal gain of course, but because I really think it'll make you feel that you don't need to be limited to just medical alternative careers). I went from medic to working in a health tech startup doing lots of different roles, to UX design, to Entrepreneurship, to content creation. And my medical degree helped me in all of those careers. You are not limited believe me!!
As a doctor in the US, I have massive student loans and there’s not many non-doctor career choices I can go into that will help pay off those loans. Even though I went to a state school, the tuition was still quite steep, so I feel trapped in medicine.
@smithhbea That is just a ridiculous comment and generalization to make. I’ve gone through medical school and the vast majority are really good people who are going into medicine for all the right reasons.
I am so deeply thankful that you got the courage to speak up about this. I've started struggling with mental health issues as well during med school mostly due to the toxic work environment and culture around making mistakes, and I've felt so alone in my experience for a long time. It is so difficult to admit to yourself that you're struggling, let alone speak up about it to colleagues. I've had senior doctors, nurses and even fellow med students tell me I should quit medicine just for mentioning that I wanted to achieve some kind of work life balance later on. I've had people tell me to not talk back to the nurses when they were actively bullying me because I "wasn't doing myself any favors" and it would be best to keep quiet and to just suck it up like everyone else does. Healthcare somehow leaves little air to breathe and be yourself because of the intense stress and responsibility, and I do believe that this leads to a natural selection of less sensitive people and people who sacrifice parts of themselves, therefore perpetuating the cycle. I don't know much about the UK (I study in Germany) but I reckon it's similar from what I've heard.
I agree with you there - the natural selection process and "hardening" environment does end up leaving us with many less sensitive colleagues (even if they were sensitive to begin with). The bullying is also terrible, and far too widespread in the medical field. I'm really sorry that you're still going through this all right now, and I'm even more sorry that you can't find someone around you to speak to about it. 😞 All I can say is that I'm very sure that more people feel this way than we realise, and that you're definitely not alone. 💙
Omg thank you so much ,you don’t understand how much I needed this video in my current state ,I am a third year med student and I suffer from anxiety due to med school and I have been thinking about dropping out a lot however I keep on telling myself just wait until you graduate and so finding someone to relate to was exactly what I needed,I hope I am brave enough in the future to actually graduate and leave med school to study music which is the carrier path and the dream I have always wanted to achieve
I'm so glad this resonated with you!! If you have the willpower, please try to see it through to the end...I know it's hard, I was in exactly the same position but it has helped me A LOT in life to just have that medical degree. Just make sure you take care of yourself
bro pls dont take a drop you came so far you did a lot of hard work just back at your past the struggle you those sleepless nights its just a some way far be brave go for not everyone can do but you did it you need a backup plan something you secure your future pls dont quit pls just do it you can do it just beleive iny ourself dont listen others just take a break talk your parents but dont step back just walk in the front direction ik it takes a lot but just do it people take like 4-5 drops for getting into a med school you made it till 3rd year just one more year and over, rather quit internship and go for studying music you wont regreet for real dont listen to this women what worked out for her is not gonna work out for you possibly you dont what your future is , ik it must be hard but you are brave enough idk why im trying to just give an advice and interfere in your life but just wanted to let you know that it is worth and you are capable of doing cuz u never what god has decided for you his plans unpredictable maybe he is just seeing you could bear this pain ok then best of luck for whatever you do better dont quit cuz you made this far and you can do it just trust god and yourself he planned something really great for you
@@gargideshmukh4379 thank you so much for your comment ,I have actually come through a long way the past two months since I made this comment and I have stopped thinking about dropping out and I truly believe in god and that things are meant to be and that this is the carrier path I am meant to take. Thank u so much for encouraging me. Wish you all the best in your life.
Thank goodness someone shed a light on the toxic training culture and the constant bullying. I myself have left residency in ENT and I aM thinking to pursue a career in medical teaching
It's an important topic that's not often talked about publicly sadly, but each voice raising the issue is important, no matter what level of training they've reached. Medical teaching sounds like a wonderful route, I genuinely hope you find more peace in it. 🙏💜
It's 1.07 am now in Malaysia, and i am crying tears of relief after hearing your story. I have this immense sense of relief because i resonated deeply with every word u said. 6 days ago, i officially took the long overdue decision to quit clinical medicine entirely after only been in housemanship for 2 weeks. Never a day i dont feel dreadful and anxious about going to work. it's literally the worst depression and anxiety i have in life. youre very right about not being able to fathom the thought of just another year and another year for basically the rest of my life. Thank you so much for appearing on my recommendation. u have no idea the confidence i have in my decision now :))))
@erickolb5412 I am sooooo so sorry that you're currently going through this right now but I am SO happy that this video has helped you in some way!! It means so much to me that sharing my journey is able to help you. When I was making the decision there was no one around me who had done the same, so I know how helpful it can be to have your experience validated. I'm SO proud of you for having the strength to make such a difficult decision. There is so much beauty and joy waiting for you!! Don't lose hope and just follows what feels exciting and right to you. You got this!!! 🙏🏽❤️
@erickolb5412 I started off as a medical intern, but because I was the only one in the tech startup with an actual medical degree, I worked my way up quickly and built out their medical department to become the "Head of Medical Quality". The titles don't end up meaning much, it's more so the value I was able to bring to the startup as a medic. Are you thinking of heading into the health startup route? :)
@@hana.s.ali93 hi Hana. it is an interesting path to explore but as of now, i am still looking for other options. Something that ignites my soul and gives me the drive to work for it.
Loved it. I'm an anesthesiology resident going through the same stuff. I can't stand the fact that I have to endure this bullying and toxic culture for my whole life. I don't want to spend the rest of my life doing 36-hour-long duties and night shifts instead of spending my prime time with my family. I hope I find a way to exit this profession.
@@vincentkingsdale8334 If doctors just decide not to continue this cycle of pointless bullying and toxicity when they become seniors, it'll improve the sector immensely
How is it even possible to work 36 hours long and not be hallucinating. How do you not kill patients by mistake? I genuinely dont understand how it is possible
@@alisonmercer5946 when i work 36 hour shifts, i usually forget about the patients and fall asleep with them.....but, in all honesty, a 12 hour shift is long enough....i am hoping the OP is being facetious
Hana, you're amazing for sharing this. I also felt like it wasn't for me during the training. I am working in medicine, dreaming of the day when I can start my own non-healthcare related business. You are not alone. You were brave to do what you did!!! Your story is giving me courage. Tank you!
Super happy to hear this resonated with you! And I really hope one day you'll get to experience trying out your own non-healthcare related business...if you do, let me know how it goes! 😁
I exactly felt the same way for the past two months after graduating in Osteopathy in Italy and starting to work in my private office. I felt almost depressed and always anxious about my job and the results of my treatments to the patient, even though i've always been pretty confident about my knowledge and kills as an oteopath. Right now i'm leaving my career in the world of medicine, trying to get my way in finance and sales. Can't wait to start a new journey in my life. Thanks a lot for the video, it motivated me and inspired me!
Dear Hana! Thank you so much for this video! I'm a veterinary doctor with 12 years of experience and I'm so (like you said) so miserable right now. I have been feeling pretty low these past 2 years and have been trying to figure out what to do next. It's not easy to untie this feeling of identity with a career that became your everything. I thought of myself to be a veterinarian before anything else, and this liberation feels like a very bad divorce. Thank you so much for sharing!!! See you on the other side!
@maryopop83 I'm truly so sorry to hear that you're currently in this position. It's honestly so much more difficult than many people think it is, I totally feel your pain. 😞 It definitely does feel like a divorce, like you're leaving behind a huge part of yourself. But please don't lose hope. There is happiness to be found out there. As cheesy as it may sound - the end of one journey, no matter how big, is always the beginning of another. Loss and grief are emotions that many of us are not well equipped for, so it can feel extremely difficult to go through, but there's usually always something beautiful waiting for us on the other side. Sending you a lot of love ❤🙏🏽
I’m a PA in the US, it’s the same with us in terms of those who teach us. During our clinical year you see so many people being rude to one another, not making anything a safe learning environment. I now work for a doctor in the US and it’s the same thing. Always hard on you. Always making you feel like you aren’t good enough. Medicine is the more corrupt field. If you are just a good person who wants to help people it is VERY hard to stay nice and feel happy. I have stayed nice but many nights I’ve went home in tears over the way an attending or lead doctor spoke to me. The culture is wrong. Thank you for speaking truthfully. This whole arena needs to change. It’s not right.
I am from Uganda. I quit clinical practice immediately after finishing my internship. It's been 1.8 years now. Since I am lincensed to practice, I still keep my knowledge up-to-date. I am happier out of medicine, but the career space out here isn't very wide for me (I work as a medical writer/editor).... For now, I am enjoying the moment as it lasts since it is possible that I will go back to clinical practice in the medium future (I hope I don't have to, but artificial intelligence is eventually going to kill off medical writing/editing as a career).
Have you ever thought of trying to expand outside of medical writing and trying something else? Perhaps in the health-tech space? Maybe even something related to AI so it doesn't take our jobs! Haha
You are describing well the experience of almost every single medical student/resident/fellow/lower in the food chain MD in the US. Bullying is a cultural default in medicine, and aforementioned are the worst victims. It reached such gruesome levels that they have to deal with bullying by even nurses, admins, and other ancillary services. It is ridiculous that if you're not part of the system, the nurses, consultants, and sub-specialty bullies are the ones getting all the credit for "saving lives" etc when in reality, they make so many mistakes and harm so many people, including very good students/residents/fellows/MDs that have little choice but take all the crap, smile, and move on or quit. The very few decent people who reach medicine feel very alone and strange from as early as medical school and it only gets worse.
Good for you Hana!! I think I felt for my entire medical career the same way that you felt but I stuck with it for 18 years. Until about 2012 or 2013 there wasn’t a lot of Internet access where you could see that others were feeling the same way that I was and that there were other options. Luckily in 2017 I went to part-time and now I’m down to working 4 to 5 days a month as an interventional pain doctor. I never wake up excited to go do that work but I only need six more months and then I’m retired. Luckily since I’ve been part-time, I taught myself how to daytrade And I love it! It took me five years to become profitable, but now I am. I don’t actually need the money but I love doing it anyways which is such a great feeling. Pain doctors have the highest burnout rate in all of medicine. Things have also changed a lot in the last 5 to 10 years. Regenerative medicine, I see is the answer For most orthopedic conditions yet it’s not covered by insurance. That eats away your soul to see a patient that you know you could technically help but financially they can’t afford the treatment despite having normal health insurance. I’ve got a brother who is urologist, a brother who is a plastic surgeon, a brother-in-law, who is an anesthesiologist, my sister is occupational medicine, my father is Family practice and occupational medicine, my uncle is a dermatologist, sister-in-law a dermatologist, cousin dermatologist, her husband is an orthopedic surgeon. I have a lot of people in my family and medicine. However, nobody feels as awful about medicine as I do. I’ve helped out a lot of people so in that way I feel very good about what I did. But I never really loved it (I could put my head down at night, knowing that I always listened to my patients and really gave it my best effort) Nonetheless, I’m glad you went with your heart and now you found something that you love. I liked your video.
It’s amazing to hear your story, thank you for sharing this with me and the rest of the community. Although it seems like it was a struggle at points, I am glad you were able to find a way to make it work by going part-time. Leaving entirely is not necessarily the best choice for everyone who’s discontent in medicine, and I also encourage looking at other options like going part-time instead - I know it can work well for some people! I also know how you feel regarding being the only one in the family who dislikes it so much, I also have a lot of doctors in my family and they definitely didn’t feel as adversely about it as I did. In any case, it’s good to know we have options, both within medicine and outside of it. Really happy to hear you’re almost retiring - congratulations and I hope your hard work and sacrifice really pays off 😁❤️
Some doctors are nice others are not..Just like every other profession.. . But it all boils down to your passion.. I personally would die of depression or worse if someone told I can't be a doctor..... People following their passion is everything... Wishing you all the best 🎉
Unfortunately there are far more boring jobs out there than exciting ones. Therefore everyone cannot follow their passion or their dream. You might dream of becoming a professional footballer in which case the next question is, are you good enough? There aren't many jobs at that level.
Hana, your story is seriously so inspiring. I am in a similar situation, but this time, I’m a freshman in college (tertiary university) on the pre- med track, soon to enter my second year after the summer. I just recently had a deep longing and sense that I am meant to do just more than being a doctor or dentist or whatever. I feel like my role here on earth is so much more bigger than that. I am currently really stuck, debating if I should leave this field, and study something else. My whole life I have been taught, growing up in a brown family similar to you, I had been taught that medical school was the way, and that is what I have known since I was a child. I think that’s why it’s been so hard now, as all I’ve known my whole life is medical studies, and I feel like I don’t even know what I like anymore, almost like an identity crisis. My parents support me, but my dad has a little biasness. The thing is I know I’ll be successful and make just as much money as a doctor would, in fact more, in any field I pursue, simply because I have the passion and drive. I honestly just don’t know what to study though or what else I would like. If I did switch majors, it would be either psychology or an entrepreneurial major similar to what you are practicing now. I find myself liking science and what I’m studying, because it’s a challenge and very rewarding. But I honestly just don’t want to go to med school. My main goal is to help people, I just don’t know in what way, and where to start. Sorry for the long comment, but if you have any advice for me that would mean the world.
Hey Armin! Thank you for sharing your story, I know how difficult it can be to feel unsure about which direction to take, it’s really tough. Usually once people start a medical degree, I often try and tell them to continue until they have the degree because it has helped me so much in my career to just have the degree, even if I chose not to practice. It’s not always the best advice for everyone as everyone’s circumstances are different, but usually, it’s best to try and secure the degree cos it’s so hard to just get into med school in the first place. However…. Sounds like you’re premed so you haven’t actually started your medical degree right? Which may be a good time to really think about if you want to do it or not. If it’s just about money…you can definitely make good money on different paths. There are also lots of ways to help people, medicine isn’t the only way. I would maybe try to think about what you’d want your future to look like. How much would you regret it if you didn’t give med school a try, for example? Sometimes it requires us to do something first before we know how we feel about it. I had to be immersed in medicine before I realised I didn’t want to be in it. Before that, no one could convince me I wouldn’t want to be a doctor. So I’m not sure how useful all of that is, but at the end of the day you’re really the best person to make a decision and you need to trust yourself that you’ll make the right one. ❤️
I will suggest to work as a volunteer in a hospital and with a doctor, you find you if you enjoy it or not. Don't worry many people like you and me are still struggling to find there path. I am a doctor myself.I took a long career break because of the bullying and stress I suffered at the start of my career. Now I am trying to come back but it's not easy.
It felt like someone was describing my exact journey and thought process. Leaving medicine was absolutely the most difficult decision I have ever made, and it also comes with a lot of uncertainty. This made me feel that I'm not alone in this situation, and thank you for that. :)
@@Joyjoyjoy4 Doing a lot better, thankfully. It took some time to be where I am right now, and it's still a work in progress. :) I hope you too are able to power through and be happy with whatever you choose to do :)
An eye-opening video that nobody wants to talk about but everyone kind of knows about. I hope your experience and advice dispel the glorification of medical school and the profession in general. Bullying and toxic environments breed poor healthcare, which worries me if I ever get sick. The medical field is as age old as how antiquated the education system is. Breed mental health issues for so many. Thanks for your video!
hey sis. So proud you're being honest with yourself! better to take care of your mental, physical, and spiritual journey over money and status. Letting go a certain identity is so freeing!
I am in 4th year of MBBS. My parents honestly forced me into this but i don’t completely hate it. That’s why I went on. But lately my mental health is going down. I just think engineering is more of a better fit for me. (I used to love physics and maths) Idk whether to continue or just quit. 😩 People say just go on 1 more yr and get that degree. But god i feel suffocated rn. 😂
@squidward1578 I know this pain!! I was in such a similar place. I didn't feel forced to do medicine (I'm super sorry about that by the way), but I remember being in my 4th year and feeling so suffocated and like I really wanted to leave badly. My sister convinced me to stay to get the degree, and honestly speaking, I am so glad I got the degree. It really helps so much and is worth a lot more than you think, even outside of medicine. If I may give some unsolicited advice, I would say try your absolute best to stick it out one more year, just for the degree. Then if you decide to leave, you will have gained a really powerful professional asset to take forward with you. I actually made a video on this topic which you can watch here: ruclips.net/video/uC88CGq_j2M/видео.html But no matter what you decide to do, trust me, things will be ok. :) You are an intelligent, hardworking person (you have to be in order to make it to 4th year), so that alone will be of great help to you professionally, no matter what you end up doing. Stay strong, I'm rooting for you!!!
@@hana.s.ali93 Thank you so much 💕 I also wanna at least get a degree by the end of it all. It’s nice to see that even if I don’t pursue a medical career hopefully I could make some use of the degree. Your words mean a lot and I would definitely watch the video! Ps. I am from Pakistan and economic conditions are so shit so honestly speaking the only career rn that offers some future stability is medicine. 😂 I just hate that something we actually do want to do-doesn’t always coincide with what is practical.
@@luluu96 honestly we don’t much choices and opportunities to pursue our dreams when our birth country is literally dying economically. Living in Pakistan, inflation is so so high and job opportunities are so few. I don’t hate studying medicine. Honestly love pathology, psychiatry so gonna try those out! But if it doesn’t work out I will def shift to engineering. May be get a second bachelors even. I am not hopeless though. We all get one life, there is so much to achieve. Medicine has one biggest advantage for me and it’s that it gives me the best pathway to leave this country. I hope you and your brother find peace and meaning in the work you do and achieve great things for the community. Thanks for the reply, appreciate it! 💕
i am in a different professional course and somewhat i was also feeling the same to switch to engineering but then eventually i realised that 1 my interest was drawn towards things towards which i had a positive mindset either thr appreciation or degree or achievements 2 the bubble which is being created around engineering is harming other professions cause these people are boasting abt there 1 mil salry and so on where as the actual truth may be hidden 3 sometimes we get confused after hearing someoe boast about tehre passion and purpose where as we actually do not know there true meaning 4and truelly speaking after a lot of thinking identifying analysing i have finally came down to a conclusion that you should be at the top 1% of your field be the best doctor use tech at the max applications add value to you clients earn money and then if eligible enough financially mentally basically after achieving comfort then try to switch completely i hope that this helps you love from india and hope that your country overcomes the current situations
@@sanket______ Thanks for the insight. Appreciate it. Ig as the saying goes: the grass is always greener on the other side! I think the best thing to do is either either to try to love what you do and if not then become secure enough to leave. That’s the main reason I want to get my medical degree now rather than finishing half way and letting time and money go to waste. Meanwhile also research the good and bad sides of other professions to have a thorough understanding. But obviously before switching to any career, one should have the finances, safety net and pros cons calculated before hand!
@sneyhart868 I would've assumed that it would at least be better in private practice, it's a real shame to hear that the culture is the same even then. I'm sorry. 😞 My sister was also a nurse and she left the career a few years back too.
@@hana.s.ali93 it is just toxic patients. My practice is cash based and people always have something to complain about. Don’t get me wrong, I love working for myself as a Nurse Practitioner. In my state we don’t need a collaborator. But, I am just ready for something new.
@@Holistichart868 I'm actually planning to make more videos on career transitions! Hopefully I'll be able to upload them soon, but I also recommend Helena Bridge's channel @HelenaBridge. She's an ex-doc turned life coach and makes videos about leaving the medical field. Might be worth checking her channel out also. 😊
I'm in the last year of my surgery residency in india, And will end my medicine journey after this, I had the same instinct after my medical graduation but was too belittle to discontinue. Thank you. "This people hate their own life" was the most apt line of the video. 😂
Thank you so much Hana.Your story is really a part of therapy for me now.A week ago I left the intership and I am home now trying to find a transition to move on but it's not easy..keep it up dear,you have really contributed to my mental health setup ❤
It really means a lot to me to hear that. It really isn't easy, but I really think you will find a way. Stay hopeful and if there's any specific info you think I can provide please let me know 🙏🏽
I am so glad I found you. I have just done the same as you and have decided to defer f1 for a year due to poor mental health throughout medical school (really bad anxiety and depression that came with it),and being unsure of Medicine since the beginning of uni. My sister also pushed me through each year to try and graduate. I relate to much of what you mentioned especially how others react. In the end only we know what's best for us and how hard the mental struggles were
@saraiqbal2307 I'm so proud of you for making such a difficult decision for your mental health!! It's so much harder than it looks to choose to take a break, but the space can really help give us clarity. I'm proud of you for sticking till the end and getting the degree and thankful you had a sister just like mine that pushed you to get the degree because she probably knew how powerful it would be. But yes you're completely right, we're the ones that know what's best for us, so trust yourself! I hope this break helps, please keep me updated on how it goes. 🙏🙏
@@hana.s.ali93Thank you for responding! For sure, it is such a difficult decision to make even though I know it is the right decision for me, it was still a difficult choice to make and go through with it. It's been a really really tough 6 years and it still has not sunk in that I've managed to get through it, it definitely pushed me to the brink. Did you find that therapy or anything else helped your anxiety? I know in a years time it will be difficult to come back and do F1, but hoping that this year out will help me feel a lot better, and manage anxieties better, and that I'll feel excited for a change about medicine (I've never been passionate about it, it was something that i just Did cause I had the grades and didn't know what to do, which in hindsight I think added to the difficulties and feeling of trapped I had throughout med school). Having the time to explore other options is something I hope will benefit me in the long run ❤
This is the most refreshing video on medicine. So many RUclipsrs completely glamorise Medicine students with their ignorance to the really hard gruel side which isn’t down to medicine itself; but the toxic culture and stressful work environments. I think many see this as part of being the heroic champion they set out to be, but it’s exhausting and demoralising on self. I work across many wards and every night I lay awake dreading interacting with fellow staff because they are so rude, and you don’t know who to trust or turn to for support.
I also hate it when people say “oh I’ve never been bullied so I don’t think it occurs often” or “oh I found it fine so it’s fine for everyone” - that’s how the toxic cycles continue!
Wow I am lost I’m in year 13 and my interviews are gonna be in the next 3 months, I don’t mind medicine currently but what you’re saying makes a lot of sense 🤷♂️ its just I don’t really know what other paths there are for me and I want to make my parents proud while I still can
You know yourself best. Sometimes other people fail to understand how different people’s thresholds/tolerances/boundaries can be. No one in the world can make you do anything that you in your heart are genuinely not happy with and I am so glad at the outcome. You are happier and thriving. Perseverance and resilience should also arise from a genuinely desired goal imo, why would you persevere for something that you don’t actually want in the long-term? It is an uplifting story because comparison can be the thief of joy. Lots of people will have lots to say in your life, but at the end of the day, you are living for you and it closely aligns with your goals. Wish you nothing but the best.
This video feels like it's straight out of my own diary. Thank you for sharing your experiences, as I'm about to apply to a new program after four years of my medical degree. I finally worked up the courage and now am just looking for some support as I take these scary first steps. Your video is exactly what I needed to hear!
Wow best of luck Kayla!! It’s so hard to find the courage to do something like that… I hope you’re able to find that support from those around you, but if not, I’m always here to provide as much support as I can! Would love to hear how you get on and which program you chose to switch to! ❤️
I studied to become a doctor too and luckily decided before my practical year to finally drop it. Now I’m a stay at home mum of two wonderful little girls and I couldn’t be happier. I’m so glad I left the medical field. It consumes everything and brings nothing but misery for the person stuck in it.
I went to dental school during the late 1970s. I ‘ve had a 45 years dental career starting in Public Health , ending my career with 23 years in academia.I went to school where women students were in the minority. I had to struggle against all odds to make it through to have a career, feel like a human being in mostly toxic environments. I retired to take time to take care of my mother . She passed in 2023. I went back to work in my field to work remotely. I love it. Thank you so much for sharing your story.
I'm a NHS ICU nurse, it's summer and we're always full, no beds, huge problems with staff retention amongst us and the doctors. We've created a new band 8 nurse role because we can't recruit registrars, can't recruit Band 5's and I've heard of multiple suicides amongst doctors in neighbouring hospitals. I can't see how it's going to improve. I think you've made the right call.
My heart breaks for you and everyone you work with Laurence. The pressure you must be feeling is unfathomable to me, since I can see it has only gotten much worse over the past 6 years. I would thank you for your work and sacrifice, but I just know that it's not enough to make up for the pressure you must be facing. It's a real shame that this is how it's all playing out, and deeply distressing that people are losing their lives over it. My sister also left her NHS nursing post a few years back, so I know how deeply this affects nurses too. Hope you have enough support around you, if not, please feel free to reach out to me for anything I may be able to help with. 💙
@@hana.s.ali93 Thank you. Luckily my family is lovely so I'm well supported. We're relatively protected here really, it's the medical wards I worry about - they were always under resourced x
I am sorry you had the experience you did in the medical field. As I read in the comments I feel like you are not alone. Me however had an exactly opposite experience. I did my MBBS from India went thru foundation training in the UK and moved to the US and did my Internal medicine residency. I practiced for 12 years in Acute Care while teaching medical students and residents. I had some wonderful mentors throughout my way. There some very kind teachers and students from whom I learnt a lot from. After 12 years of teaching/practicing I was motivated to train further and currently I am Pershing a fellowship in critical care medicine. I am looking forward yet another fulfilling chapter in my professional life as I am finishing my fellowship. I did have tough times, but most I remember in the last 20 years since I finished med school are some wonderful people and how I went from strength to strength. And with this experience I have so many options ahead not just for me to grow but to give back to the society. I am truly grateful to all my mentors and teachers from India to UK to USA.
I also studied medicine in the UK and graduated as a doctor. I left the profession like you before the junior doctor level. I felt deep down the whole thing wasn't for me. I did it moslty to please overbearing and ever judging African parents. I also did not like the culture within medicine. Tons of egotism, narrow mindedness, competion was insane. And tons of people with low self esteem that are in the profession just to feed their egos. But thatbwhole sha bang wasn't for me. Also as a multi-passionate person I could imagine soending my ENTIRE life focusing on one thing. Kudos to any former Medic for walking their own path against all the pressure. Now im a Naturopathic doctor, holistic heaker. Writer. Poet, herbalist, artist, abd ive just started my RUclips channel. 😊
Since 4 months I was thinking about it , leaving medical college and change my college … I hate medicine , I wanted to be an astronomer I hope someday I will be what I want
This is how I feel about my family - aunts, uncles and cousins. I always felt anxious and depressed around them. When I walked away, my life completely transformed for the better.
Really happy to hear that your life improved, although I really do understand how painful a decision like that can be. Hope you have support from others around you at least ❤️
What courage !!! God bless you for being true to yourself. You have only one life to live and it's not worth it if you live a miserable life just because your family or society expects you to conform to their wishes. Do what you makes you happy Hanna, and remember that the only thing you should be sorry about is missing out on life. Life is too damn short to waste on bullsh!t
I graduated recently along with doing the foundation training and started a specialization in ortho and trauma… this video just hit home . The toxic environment is INSANE, you get worked to the grave whilst taking constant banter from nurses, superiors, senior doctors … it just never STOPS. Hell, i thought i’d have some sort of work life balance at this point but this is ridiculous. Shit pay, with over 200 hours a month and the mere mention of balance is followed by something along the lines of lmao what were you thinking XD Im also an anatomy assistant and i do find joy in that quite a bit and i keep telling my students to quit unless they want to spend every ounce of their soul into the job. Cuz if not thats not for you. I was a way more joyful and happy before i graduated. I had a girlfriend for 7 years and i could go out 2 times a week or have shits n giggles with my friends. Now im miserable, alone and i have to schedule my friends 2 weeks in advance to even see them for 30 minutes. I barely sleep and gained weight even while keeping my calories low. And for what ? I get to tell people im a doctor… whooptiedoo. This profession can go f itself if you ask me… if i had the wisdom i have right now 6 years ago, id go and become a programmer and be done with this shit. Thanks for the good video tho, feels nice in a way to relate to someone.
Hey there, I can't believe I found SOMEONE with similar experiences as mine everything u did including Germany part I did 😂 , I did Graduate as doctor in 2020 but didn't do my Internship and my family keeps pushing just another year but it didn't align with my authentic self thus I started my journey of healing and I realized that breaking generational cycles is the most important work a human being can do. True success isn't about my external achievements. It's about how I feel about myself, within my relationships, and in the greater world. I make choices that are best for me and my family regardless of pushback. there is these books by dr.gabor mate called the myth of normal also dr. Nicole lepra How to do the work are amazing one last thing keep going girl 😎
Wow!! How amazing to find someone who went on such a similar journey! I'm so happy that it worked out for you also! 😄 I totally agree with you, and your comment "true success isn't about external achievements" is very very true and real. Thank you so much for sharing this with me and for the book recommendations, I'll definitely check them out and this comment has totally made my day. ❤ :)
I regret doing mbbs in India being an American citizen of Indian origin. I listened to my parents when they painted a picture saying how i could go to med school directly after high school by studying abroad. It was the most toxic work environment ever in India. The profs/ consultants always bullying, yelling at the medical students, residents, nurses, hospital staff, etc. Threatening to fail med students and ruin someone's career even before it started. It was a pure mental torture doing mbbs in India. I finished it for the sake of getting a degree since i was already half way through that horrible ordeal. After coming back home to the U.S, i no longer had the interest or hope of being a doctor that I once dreamed of eince childhood in spite of having a medical degree. Did not pursue USMLE for residency. I applied for a competitive job at a well known medical device company and went through series of interviews, did well and got hired. I probably don't make as much, if i had worked as a doctor. But i still make a good six figure salary and good work life balance. Looking back i wish i had known about other career paths like Anesthesia assistant or something who make money as much as doctors. I also don't talk to any of my "friends" from med school!
@@hana.s.ali93 very true! And we are also made to feel that even considering alternate paths within medical industry is somehow less or not prestigious when compared to becoming a doctor!
Hey I’m also an img who just returned home. Im thinking of alternative paths I can take but I have none so far. I don’t mind a lower paying salary, did you have to go back to college?
I recently started with my clinical years, currently in 3rd year now. I really can't keep up with the theory and clinicals, not to talk about the work environment. My grades are going down the hill and I'm really trying my best to keep a positive attitude but my mental health is also at its lowest. I've experienced the work environment and I've been questioning if I wanna live the rest of my life like that. I've been thinking of taking a different career path, but I'm really scared of starting over and also I'm scared of disappointing my family. I don't wanna regret in the future for staying in medicine, but at the same time I also feel like I'm making a mistake if I quit.
Hey! It's honestly such a difficult decision, and I was pretty much exactly where you were. It took me a long time to make the decision of leaving, and I know that leaving is not necessarily the best choice for everyone. I felt the exact same as you in third year, but I'm really glad I pushed through and at least got the medical degree first which has helped me so much in my career, even outside of clinical medicine. The degree itself is quite powerful so I would really try my best to push through to get it, and then you will be a better position to make the decision of what you want to do. I hope that helps a bit, but I really feel for you, this journey is so so difficult. 💙
Ex-med school student here! The heartbreak of having to face the truth that you just don't fit in with the actual life in the medical field is real! And so is questioning yourself from time with all the "What ifs...". But the happiness and joy of living your life while looking forward to your next day of work is incomparable! P.S. I'm in arts and education now 😂
Thank you for taking the time to make this, you should be so proud of how far you have come and the decisions you’ve made so early in your career. It’s taken me far longer to reach the point where I feel almost ready to leaving medicine. At 40 I still feel infantilised, tired and demoralised. I’m about 80% there but still feel a lot of guilt about leaving a stretched NHS.
Thank you for your support! I really hope some point soon you'll start putting your needs above the needs of organisations like the NHS...unfortunately it's a system that is unlikely to care for you in the same way you care for it. I wish you all the best in whichever choice you decide to make!
@@hana.s.ali93 This has been a year of self rediscovery. I am continuing my other passion for the arts and have started my own screenprinting business. Looking forward to more videos from you. You're doing great!🌻
I have SUCH a similar story! But with my environmental engineering PhD program. I left 3 years into the program. I "mastered out." I felt the same as you that everyday, i wanted to quit, but a voice would always tell me it was for a purpose and i needed to stay. Until the day that i felt i had done enough and left. I did not work in or miss engineering AT ALL for FIVE AND A HALF YEARS. i threw away all of my engineering stuff. i didn't regret it. I thought the same that i would never go back. And i felt the same as you that i needed something that my career path was not providing me. But now i stand exactly six years from the moment i left my PhD program, and i am in the process of receiving an offer for a job as an environmental engineer doing exactly what i learned and focused on in school and in my research. It would be my first job in my field. So never say never. Sometimes you just need time to develop other aspects of yourself, need a break from our career path. Also we need identities outside of our career, and some of us have not fostered that yet, so we have to take the time to do so.No way u would do all that work for nothing! It is very possible you may come back around to it in some years. God doesn't put you in situations for nothing. Also maybe private practice would serve you well, so u can avoid the bullying. U still loved being a doctor, you just have to find a way to avoid all the creeps. Its possible.
I can sooo relate to every word of yours! I kept pushing myself to accept the "toxicity" that is so normalised here in medical school in India. Some people said that it's far better abroad and advised me to move out of my country. I can't believe that your story is so similar to mine even as you belong to the UK. Just finished medical school, stayed away from home for 6 years, but still can't leave it for another career- coz the govt. here requires graduates to serve for 2 years under a 'bond'. Feel stifled. Have been trying to accept and accept and accept. Your story really resonates with me.
It’s so sad that bullying and putting others down happens at every workplace. I was bullied by one of my managers at my first job where I was working as a waitress. Why can’t people just get along and be nice to each other and not make other peoples lives difficult.
It really is so sad that it's so widespread. I guess as a society we just allow people to do it far too often and because they get away with it, it can be found everywhere.
Exactly same here.Entered med school with ambition and dreams but later learned that it s a nvr ending race.Cudnt be wise like u but i choose ophthalmology as my speciality.Currently im doing well
When I was a teenager, I wanted to be a doctor, so I did my A levels in chemistry, biology and physics and got two voluntary jobs in the N-H-S. Well those jobs totally put me off pursuing medicine as a career. Both hospitals I worked in were riddled with bullying and hierarchy. Those working as porters, other support staff and new nurses were ignored, spoken to like imbeciles and were put in a corner of their own during breaks and at lunch. It was horrendous. The doctors never spoke to support staff at all. They were treated as untouchables and I saw trainee nurses and trainee radiographers often crying in corners after being humiliated by other more senior staff. I decided at the end of my A levels to do a degree in molecular biology and then do a PhD. This served me well because I ended up in a career that I loved and spent 27 happy years in. I'm glad the voluntary work served as such a good guide. Two friends of mine became doctors and both were struck off because they were dropped right in it and given no support. It is a horrendous profession and I have no idea how people stomach it and stick with it. If you want to truly help people, I'd do nutrition and fitness. Proper nutrition these days is rare and is causing people all manner of long term, serious health issues. This is where progress can truly be made
Thank you for sharing this video. It's been two years since I graduated and I always thought I was crazy for feeling this way or that something was wrong with me
Absolutely nothing wrong with choosing a different path. The same thing happened to me but with teaching. I wanted to be a teacher since I was a child and my last semester, my internship, was terrible. I loved the students but the politics within the school and my interning teacher left me in tears every day that semester. After I graduated I applied for a job in child welfare, where I’ve been for the past 16 years and love it. Thank you for sharing your story!
Thank you for sharing this experience. Just another year, just another year.. and it will be better. It does not get better in medicine, just worse. I left midway in my residency as a radiologist, and I hope never to go back.
@Neuronalchannel That was exactly what I feared would happen. Thank you for sharing this and I'm glad you were able to find your way out of a bad situation. 🙏
@@Neuronalchannel best of luck to you. I was asking just because I’m a new medical graduate and I don’t really want to continue residency and trying to see if there’s any other options for me
Thankyou for this video. Such a relief knowing that i’m not alone who is thinking about this. Recently i also had a reality check and realized that i no longer enjoy dentistry and want to quit for the good. i’m still trying to find a career path completely out of medical field but still no luck.
2:50 - “the people and the culture made it hard” - I can’t agree more, Hana. Bullying is being so normalised that mental health issues are soaring in this field. Being a HSP, I’m not even sure of completing my internship on time. I could relate to you in many ways - loving this field, wanting to help people but having this urge to quit due to toxicity prevalent in Medicine. And I’m glad you found your niche. Wishing you all the best!
I’m a retired psychology professor from a teaching college with very heavy teaching loads and so proud for you and that you are sharing this. I can relate to what you went through especially on the emotional struggles and decision-making conflicts. Now I’ve changed my career to researcher with a University, which is where my passion has always been and I wished I would have done this sooner.
Thank you for your support Collin and I am SO happy you ended up choosing a path that was better suited for you!! Love to hear that it’s in research too, such a great field. 😁
Your story has given me hope, at the age of 34, that I can change. Thanks to you, I know I can regain what was lost, and regrow my foreskin. Thank you 🙏🏼
I had a similar experience in healthcare. I wasn’t really taught how to do my job well and I was alone to figure stuff out. My boss and I didn’t get along, and she would verbally abuse me without really explaining why what I did was wrong. I began to dread going to work daily, and I was not happy. I had no idea what I was doing a lot of times and had no confidence in myself. I ultimately left healthcare and am now doing engineering. It was a good decision for me because I like math, physics, and equations alot.
I'm so sorry to hear that you had such a bad experience. It's really quite heartbreaking how many of us are driven out of healthcare due to the poor behaviour of other team members and / or the toxic environment. I'm really glad you managed to find a sector that suits you better. I hope your engineering career is far more positive. 🥰
@@hana.s.ali93 I honestly should have been in a math-based career from the start. I grew up as a gifted math student and loved it. I had to go back to school to become an engineer. On the bright side, I have a group of people paying for my education after the way I was treated in healthcare. I’m more confident about engineering because I can use math to check and make sure things are adding up. When the math adds up, the project will work. I’ve been praying to God a lot, and I think He answered my prayers by allowing me the chance to get a bachelors degree in electrical engineering and a bachelors degree in mechanical engineering for free.
@@caseyhazlewood2138 that’s really great. I’m so glad you’re able to study for free, that gets in the way of so many people wanting to switch careers. Hoping that you have a wonderful and successful future🙏🏽
@@hana.s.ali93 I’m just glad I’m not the only one who had issues in healthcare. I was wondering if I was just too stupid for it, or if people were just that mean in healthcare. Glad to know I’m not crazy and that someone else had the same experience
@@caseyhazlewood2138 you are absolutely not the only one!! And if you’re enjoying engineering then you are CERTAINLY not too stupid for healthcare. Sounds like quite the opposite, high intelligence is definitely required for an understanding of physics and maths. I know soooo many people who feel the same way as us. It’s just a broken system in many parts of the world.
I did the same as a Nurse. I worked 3 years at the OUH, I can find myself a lot in your words. I changed career in IT and being doing great ever since. I am over 5 years now in the IT sector field :)
@@hana.s.ali93 I was exausted as a nurse even though I was helping patients and doing well, I was not taking care of myself. And the NHS acts to be patient oriented, but not staff oriented! I am doing well now and even much better than I was in nursing. It means it was not my call the medical sector
I am a nurse however I am considering a switch . Please which IT field did you transition into and what are the training you did. Thank you to much in advance
I'm close to 40 and still in training to become a specialist. I left medical school at 25 but moved to another country. The emotional trauma and endurance is too prolonged but I hope to preserve. After that, I'm going into management. Medical life is never easy with all the expectations and regulations.
I’ve had this video in my watch later for months and I should’ve watched it much sooner. I’ve come to this conclusion now and I will not be going to medical school but I still work in the medical field and it’s so toxic and mean.
Well done ! You have achieved so much in your life . A qualified doctor . I am a doctor and can identify with you completely , now retired . I know doctors who felt like you , myself included . One colleague left medicine and became a commercial pilot which he adores . Doctors are very intolerant of stressed colleagues and perhaps most have unresolved issues themselves . Anyway best of luck in the future knowing that you made the right decision .
Hi Hana, I salute you in taking such a decision. It’s not easy and our community has this toxic mindset of worshipping doctors. I’m appalled at how many are narcissistic. It’s sad how they look down upon those who are “inferior “ to them in terms on profession. Glad you broke away and found your peace.
Toxic environment everywhere You are a great person just ph being a nurse i have 5 sisters all of them they are nurses and i can see how much they gave all the good things will comebacks to you
bullying and toxicity can be in any profession and at any place. some people take it and some don't. if its draining you mentally leave it but if u r strong enough to bear it, just stay and continue what u r doing
@zurzakne-etra7069 I can't even imagine what it would be like if I were in it now, after the pandemic and Brexit. It's such a tough environment to thrive in and I have so much respect for all the doctors who are still pushing through
I worked in ER for 20 years and specialised only after i was 40! I quit finally when financial freedom came by 47. Recently i setup practise again and find the same set of obnoxious people and impossibly stupid hostile system.You did the right thing though others may not have options or out of altruist feelings continue to suffer as docs. I understand you so well.Goodluck.
Good for you in finding your joy! I teach our students to do the same even if it means leaving the profession. I have launched 2 cash practices and a consulting practice, entrepreneurship has made me happy ❤ Happy to be a resource of you need anything ❤
Went to Med school in India, trained in US and worked in ER till my retirement 2 years ago. Looking back I would have chosen a different career. Proud of you.
In a situation where lawsuits are in the millions, life and death are present, the environment is intense and the stress is high, its not for everybody, you have to be a special type of human to exceed in such a realm
Good for you young lady, do what makes you happy, put yourself first and never mind what others think. Being a doctor demands far to much espicially from young people and honestly,as harsh as this sounds,peoples health issues are usually down to their own life choices and usually burden the NHS far to much with their issues. Doctors and Nurses are not charity workers, they do a job that deserves high pay, they also dont have to care or to be emotinally blackmailed by people who think its their right to demand healthcare whenever they want it. Doctors cant live on morality or compassion, they need to pay their bills and to be mentally healthy so they have every right to demand the best for themselves and if they cant get it in healthcare, then its best for them to move on and to make themselves happier.
You're absolutely right in saying that we cannot live on morality or compassion, we need to be able to survive within our personal lives in order to be able to help others effectively. Unfortunately in the UK there is a lot that stands in the way of doctors and nurses and other healthcare professionals being able to do that currently.
It def gets better IMO, as a few years qualified consultant. However the dread and anxiety never really goes away due to the risk and responsibility and you just learn to manage it. I would look for another career for financial recompense and quality of life.
@@hana.s.ali93 I would say as a higher registrar. Then it became difficult again as a new Consultant for about 6 months then better again. I guess pattern recognition, experience of situations and role delegation help as you go higher up.
Congrats! Best decision you've ever made in your life. It's even more difficult in the US in both stress level and years of study; where you have to do a 4 year bachelor's degree before your 4 years of med school, then 4 years of residency and yet another 4 years of specialty fellowship. For a specialty surgeon it is even longer. The stress increases even more depending on your specialty and work environment. As a consequence, the brightest students are now spurning medicine for a 4 year IT degree where some can even work from home and gets paid more than doctors.
Amazing to see ur courage in this matter. I had the same thoughts. I recently became a doctor ( internship for 1 year still to do). Focusing on a new path . Glad to hear someone felt the same as i had. It makes me feel understandable to feel courageous to change
I actually feel this way in nursing school right now! Thank you for sharing this . The whole medical field is broken, and people lack insight on to why they should be there in the first place . We should be helping patients and uplifting each other ! Instead, nursing school seems like this egotistical clique of high school girls . Im sure its way worse in medical school. .
Hey, my name is karoline and im from poland and i am supposed to study right now for anatomy tomorrow, this is my 2 week of medicine and i am already thinking about dropping out. Last year i decided to study chemiatry because i really wanted to be a teacher, but it turned out that i love to teach but i hate this major, so i didnt finish that year. This year i wanted to be responsoble so i decided to purse medicine, although i didnt feel it at all. Most of my life i was an artistic soul u love to sing performance, but nest moments of life are always connected with singing and performances. I like to stidy and to have a learning rutine, i love people here, i like that everyone is so smart but i since the begging i was feeling that it is the wrong decision i will try to finish this year but i miss so much this feeling of excitement and joy of what i do every single cell of my body.. i feel also guilty all the time, because my parents put a lot of money for my studies ( it is not a proboem for them because they are doctors, even though they did not forced me to choose this major i just felt i need to be responsible, i need to an adult not a naive child, everyone want medicine so maybe i should go? ) i feel like an idiot if i change my major for the second time.. but i dont see me happy as a doctor, before i started i thought i would have more time for my passions but this amout of material is so extreme that i want to cry… i want to be mature but at the same time i have such a huge fomo for other people who are singers, teachers, idk doing social-media full time… i know my message is a mess but i am in mess inside.. thanks for this video
I m jeleaaus of my friends who are so passionate about this major, life would be so much easier if i dreamed of being doctor, because i have it in my hand, but unfortunately i dont:/
Karolina, I know this feeling of pressure to choose "an adult path". I'm a creative soul at heart so I know how messy this can feel, but I never felt a passion for medicine as I did for SO many things outside of it. I loved so many different paths: health-tech, social entrepreneurship, normal entrepreneurship, activism, UX design, content creation etc. I felt so much passion for these roles and they really energised me. I never felt that same passion and energy in medicine. If you have the ability to do so, try to follow that energy and passion where it leads you...medicine is not something that's easy to force on ourselves, it's not an easy path. I hope you're able to make the best choice for yourself, and if it helps I totally relate and I don't think any of your passions are child-like. I think your soul is a creative one, and craves a creative life (just like mine!).
Karolina, I would like to add, I changed my career from medicine to IT and Business. One of the best decisions and I am far happier. Know that if you're young , it is still doable to make a new career change.
Wow! Really happy for you! You made a fantastic decision, many people would not have had the courage and stayed dreadful and miserable. The medical environment is particularly toxic and you got out at the right time!
![Coheed and Cambria - Searching for Tomorrow [Official Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/hDsYGLbmadg/mqdefault.jpg)
I'm creating a network & resource centre for doctors, nurses & healthcare professionals wanting to make a career change. You can learn more and join the waitlist here ❤: qn7et7np3td.typeform.com/to/qz3RSTZd
I feel this in my soul! Thanks for sharing! Are you still in Germany?
You're welcome! And yes, I am :)@@lucie442
You are very welcome Ali. It’s great you’ve created this network for helping so many others that are in careers that they despise and feel trapped! You’re awesome 👍🏻🤗
Ok@@collinbillingsley9798
The toxicity, 😢
I agree 100%
Yes the toxicity and bullying is rampant, 10years into medicine it never ends. Glad you made it out early!
Yes agreed...and thank you!
Do you believe that the medical field is toxic and bullying in general or, do you think this is something more so geared towards bullying women?
@@333angeleyes I don't know what @MizVoodooDoll thinks, but from my experience the toxicity and bullying is widespread. Of course as a reflection of society as a whole, women and minority groups often experience more obstacles than their more privileged counterparts, but in my experience it's mainly the "top down" approach of seniors crapping on juniors that makes it so toxic, which everyone is a victim to. Even the seniors who have people more senior than them are affected lol. Sadly I feel like it's just the "vibe" of medicine.
@hana.s.ali93 From your experience, what do you think would happen if someone stood up for themselves? For example, in the story you told in the video about the senior tearing into the junior for a mistake, what would have happened if the junior stood up to that bullying senior?
@@333angeleyes Honestly, I haven't seen it happen enough to be able to comment on it. But I do know that in some environments, it certainly wouldn't go down well...
It’s an absolute travesty that a person’s career becomes their identity. Thank you for posting about your choice. This must not have been easy. I applaud you.
@karlaplascencia7998 thank you so much for your support. And you're right, it is a travesty! But many doctors have a self-identity that's very closely tied to being a medic, which is why so many struggle to leave even when they're deeply struggling. 😔
@@hana.s.ali93 I think u could have gone into research ryt after studying like a masters in biomedical science or something like that. Good thing with research is that u dont have deal with people if thats your annoyance
@@nuskyahmad6375 for some people research may be an option, but I wasn't really interested in that either. I'm really happy with the path I chose and wouldn't go back to change anything. 🙂
I did the exact same thing ! Totally agree on the thinking of "just another year..." of just delaying happiness but with no guarantee that anything will come of it. Not worth it!
I felt the same way too…
I am a french doctor and this video resonate so hard. For my residency I tried a new experience and chose to do psychiatry in switzerland. It is not better and after 10 months I hate it, feel anxiety most of time, and just spend my days dreaming the day I Will end. At least until last week, when i had a bike accident, almost dying, woking up in intensive cares, with a tube in my mouth. The first thought I had when I woke up was « why am I not dead, it would be over ». The second thought was, despite broken teeths and unbelievable pain « thank god i dont need to go to work for few weeks ». The third was « I have to stop ».
They said I had an epilepsy crisis on my bike after a night at hospital, the reason according to them is « lack of sleep ».
Deep down, i just now I am exhausted, tired, stressed, and miserable.
Today I chose to quit for good and i found your video. It resonate so hard it is almost suspicious to me 😅
I just dont know what the hell I am gonna do, and how i Will announce it to my familiy.
I feel scared, I know I dont want to quit medicine without a solid plan.
But I also know that if I continue I Will Die, for good this time.
Thank you so much for your video, you gave me hope.
Jonathan
Hey Jonathan. Good for you that you know your limitations and prioritize your well being and happiness over your goals. Don't say all that shit about dying, you'll figure something out surely. Keep going, mate. You got this. 💐🫂
@@itssimple-gb4vm i hope i will... thanks man for your answer, really.
Sending you love❤ you'll deff figure it out.
@@jonathanlemagicien anytime. 💗
How about looking into homeopathy?
It covers the organism in its entirety! It treats according to particular symptoms & focuses on the mental & emotional symptoms!
Perhaps start by finding a homeopath to see for yourself & how you are feeling.
Please be aware that a naturopath is VERY different to a homeopath
Doctor From India.
I was bullied and harassed. I quit obgyn residency..and I reflected.
I reflected that we have the power to build the life we want. So for starter, build your boundary! Shift off is shift off. No compromise. Just like other hospital workers do.
No bowing under fear. No enduring unjust treatment for the sake of hierarchy. Be the black sheep. And have the spine straight.
This place will be toxic. But I love medicine. I cannot imagine not being a doctor. Not serving. So, I have decided not to let bullies win..not to succumb and to have the spine straight af! No buckling under pressure. We can always quit. Am a doctor! I'll get employment anywhere. But we will fight this culture.. this toxicity. And pledge to be better seniors, and THIS CYCLE ENDS WITH US!
And what I regret? Not replying. Not giving those bullies a piece of my mind. So I swear. I'll never be silent. I'll always take action against them. I'll see the end of it. Am not letting egoistic, mean folks win this. Karma is a bitch and I pray all our bullies will meet it!
And yes, WE END THE CYCLE.
Genuine doubt. What is shift off? They just dismiss it off with “ Residency is a 24*7 job”
@@Samrat_137
The factor is FEAR.
If residency is 24*7 job, then the full time asst.prof, Associates and HOD, should also work 9-5, like they are supposed to and not come as visiting for couple of hours and act like apne aap dekhlo. The problem starts from there. If they are so interested in their private nursing homes , they should quit this professor tag.
Residency isn't slavery. And vicarious liability. So, anyway, the HOD and unit head will be responsible. There are laws. We need to apply it for our own good. Twist it and use it.
@@DocWanderer75 that’s true. But the fact that professors have the power to fail us, rob us of chances, punish us with menial jobs and humiliate us more during presentations makes me unable to stand upto them.
i am a neet aspirant in india, currently in 12th grade, who dreams about being a surgeon, and reading your comment made gives me hope that the toxic culture against doctors, that I've seen a lot of online and heard about, can be changed. Extreme ragging cases and the "you must respect your seniors" culture really scares me, and i could just try to get into coding or business, but i feel like nothing could make me satisfied as being a surgeon. I really want to give this field a good try because it is genuinely fascinating to me
Final MB student from India...thanks for your message.Being too soft and silent to the bullies gets us nothing..Speaking up for oneself is the only solution.
I'm leaving too. Going to become a certified nurse assistant. Less money, and status, more happiness and mental stability. Simple things in life are the best.
Wow, best of luck on the new journey!! Would actually really love to hear how it goes for you. When do you start your new role?
You’re leaving what exactly? A CNA is a simple certificate of which I held at the age of 18 prior to going to nursing school. It is a miserable job that offers very little pay. I don’t understand this decision whatsoever.
@@michaelscott33 same tbh
Wow have you actually talked to CNA’s about what their jobs and pay are like? Honestly curious
@@michaelscott33literally makes no sense. Romanticizing struggle life. I get if you want to leave medicine but this is glossing over struggles of CNAs, they don’t have good either. OP should try talking to one
You should be so proud of yourself. My daughter will be starting her medicine journey in September and I know that if she is ever in this position I will be telling her her health and happiness are whey more important than becoming a doctor. Congratulations for finding happiness and contentment
@Spikeswift thank you so much for your kind words, it really means a lot! I'm so happy to hear that you're going to support your daughter in prioritising her health and happiness, I truly wish her the best of luck and hope she succeeds tremendously. 🙏🏽
The kind of mother everyone wishes to have
You shouldn't tell your daughter to throw away her expensive education to become an entrepreneur, because that's not a real job. She won't have health and happiness when her fraud startup runs out of money and they keep her last 30 paychecks.
My fk parents never understand
😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
OMG I also left medicine as well. I got my MD, completed my USMLE, and was applying for the US match. I ended up working for a medical startup that paid me around $200,000/year. After 2 years of work, I left and opened up multiple businesses, made over 7 figure. I felt the same way you did. The culture in medicine is toxic and grueling, yet the money didn't make any sense. When I switched out of medicine and into business, I witness excitement along with a lucrative salary. It often makes me wonder if the education and the cultural system of medicine needs to change or not. With that type of stress, shouldn't doctors be making 7 figures?? Why are they not hitting that mark with this stressful culture and work environment??
WOW what an incredible journey!! And yes, I 100000% agree with you. Often, those who should be earning the most in society, don't. Footballers, entertainers, business owners - they all earn more than doctors, firemen, nurses, supermarket employees - all people who are crucial and keep society running! Instead, many those members of society can find themselves with huge amounts of debt that only adds to the immense pressure of their jobs. I really do think the system needs to start valuing doctors (and every other crucial member of society) more!
We call it the scientist’s delusion.
@cutelilmd What kind of business did you open up ?
this sounds good. but it is a different salary for someone with a medical degree than with someone with a business degree. this means, your studies DID pay off. besides, you have the incredible ability to learn and think quickly and logically. and you probably get more respect from employers from the get go. this enables you to achieve anything in life!
I've yet to see an article or video that informs everyone about the alternative career paths outside of anything related to medicine. It's always the same...consulting, management, insurance, research, etc., etc. I'd love to see a series interviewing physicians who left that path and became elementary school teachers, construction workers, coaches, film, the arts, and so on. Physicians have unfortunately been programmed to believe the options are very limited, and that one cannot live comfortably and be happy outside of medicine, when in fact, it's nothing more than gaslighting by the industry as a whole.
@rodneyfarmer6712 Funny you should say that because I totally agree with you and have already started making content on this very notion! I've previously made a video that talks about alternative careers for medics and discusses this very topic (you can watch it here if you're interested: ruclips.net/video/tGusMUD6H7c/видео.html). The idea of the series is also very interesting. I've met many ex-doctors over the years that have done a plethora of things outside of the generic lists we see. I'll try to get a few of them on the channel for an interview one day!
@@hana.s.ali93 ❤Fantastic. Looking forward to it.
Same, I just graduated and ever since I was 14 I’ve always had this creative side I love fashion and design just arts in general but got into medicine because at the time thought it was the sensible thing to do due to parents wanting me to and from the first year I’ve had thoughts of switching but kept on pushing the thought till I graduated and now I want to switch but I’ve never seen a physician completely switch it’s always them going to the alternative careers you just mentioned like physicians always have to be stuck in those options that are science based like we’re complete robots so I just shut my thoughts of the “what ifs” and move on like I don’t completely hate the position I’m in
@@noraaa8479 I'm so sorry that you feel that way. That's the reason I made that video I linked in the comment below, because I don't want any medics to feel trapped by this generic list of alternative careers. It made me feel so hopeless when I saw it because I also actually wanted to do fashion from a young age (that then switched to design). I encourage you to watch my other video (not for my personal gain of course, but because I really think it'll make you feel that you don't need to be limited to just medical alternative careers). I went from medic to working in a health tech startup doing lots of different roles, to UX design, to Entrepreneurship, to content creation. And my medical degree helped me in all of those careers. You are not limited believe me!!
As a doctor in the US, I have massive student loans and there’s not many non-doctor career choices I can go into that will help pay off those loans. Even though I went to a state school, the tuition was still quite steep, so I feel trapped in medicine.
I feel this 100%. Even I am not friends with anyone in my medical school. Medical school literally attracts the worst people ever.
I’ve met some really lovely doctors, but there are some not so great ones too unfortunately…
Doctors are the worst
Nasty selfish cunts ever met
I go to a DO school in the USA and everyone is so chill, no real gunners everyone just wants FM or EM for the most part 😂
@smithhbea That is just a ridiculous comment and generalization to make. I’ve gone through medical school and the vast majority are really good people who are going into medicine for all the right reasons.
@@TylerG7777 I disagree with you. the original post is post is spot on. This profession attracts a-holes like no other line of work.
I am so deeply thankful that you got the courage to speak up about this. I've started struggling with mental health issues as well during med school mostly due to the toxic work environment and culture around making mistakes, and I've felt so alone in my experience for a long time. It is so difficult to admit to yourself that you're struggling, let alone speak up about it to colleagues. I've had senior doctors, nurses and even fellow med students tell me I should quit medicine just for mentioning that I wanted to achieve some kind of work life balance later on. I've had people tell me to not talk back to the nurses when they were actively bullying me because I "wasn't doing myself any favors" and it would be best to keep quiet and to just suck it up like everyone else does. Healthcare somehow leaves little air to breathe and be yourself because of the intense stress and responsibility, and I do believe that this leads to a natural selection of less sensitive people and people who sacrifice parts of themselves, therefore perpetuating the cycle. I don't know much about the UK (I study in Germany) but I reckon it's similar from what I've heard.
I agree with you there - the natural selection process and "hardening" environment does end up leaving us with many less sensitive colleagues (even if they were sensitive to begin with). The bullying is also terrible, and far too widespread in the medical field. I'm really sorry that you're still going through this all right now, and I'm even more sorry that you can't find someone around you to speak to about it. 😞 All I can say is that I'm very sure that more people feel this way than we realise, and that you're definitely not alone. 💙
Omg thank you so much ,you don’t understand how much I needed this video in my current state ,I am a third year med student and I suffer from anxiety due to med school and I have been thinking about dropping out a lot however I keep on telling myself just wait until you graduate and so finding someone to relate to was exactly what I needed,I hope I am brave enough in the future to actually graduate and leave med school to study music which is the carrier path and the dream I have always wanted to achieve
I'm so glad this resonated with you!! If you have the willpower, please try to see it through to the end...I know it's hard, I was in exactly the same position but it has helped me A LOT in life to just have that medical degree. Just make sure you take care of yourself
bro pls dont take a drop you came so far you did a lot of hard work just back at your past the struggle you those sleepless nights its just a some way far be brave go for not everyone can do but you did it you need a backup plan something you secure your future pls dont quit pls just do it you can do it just beleive iny ourself dont listen others just take a break talk your parents but dont step back just walk in the front direction ik it takes a lot but just do it people take like 4-5 drops for getting into a med school you made it till 3rd year just one more year and over, rather quit internship and go for studying music you wont regreet for real dont listen to this women what worked out for her is not gonna work out for you possibly you dont what your future is , ik it must be hard but you are brave enough idk why im trying to just give an advice and interfere in your life but just wanted to let you know that it is worth and you are capable of doing cuz u never what god has decided for you his plans unpredictable maybe he is just seeing you could bear this pain ok then best of luck for whatever you do better dont quit cuz you made this far and you can do it just trust god and yourself he planned something really great for you
@@gargideshmukh4379 thank you so much for your comment ,I have actually come through a long way the past two months since I made this comment and I have stopped thinking about dropping out and I truly believe in god and that things are meant to be and that this is the carrier path I am meant to take.
Thank u so much for encouraging me.
Wish you all the best in your life.
Thank goodness someone shed a light on the toxic training culture and the constant bullying. I myself have left residency in ENT and I aM thinking to pursue a career in medical teaching
It's an important topic that's not often talked about publicly sadly, but each voice raising the issue is important, no matter what level of training they've reached. Medical teaching sounds like a wonderful route, I genuinely hope you find more peace in it. 🙏💜
Same
It's 1.07 am now in Malaysia, and i am crying tears of relief after hearing your story. I have this immense sense of relief because i resonated deeply with every word u said. 6 days ago, i officially took the long overdue decision to quit clinical medicine entirely after only been in housemanship for 2 weeks. Never a day i dont feel dreadful and anxious about going to work. it's literally the worst depression and anxiety i have in life. youre very right about not being able to fathom the thought of just another year and another year for basically the rest of my life. Thank you so much for appearing on my recommendation. u have no idea the confidence i have in my decision now :))))
btw hana, what was your position/ role in the health startup?
@erickolb5412 I am sooooo so sorry that you're currently going through this right now but I am SO happy that this video has helped you in some way!! It means so much to me that sharing my journey is able to help you. When I was making the decision there was no one around me who had done the same, so I know how helpful it can be to have your experience validated. I'm SO proud of you for having the strength to make such a difficult decision. There is so much beauty and joy waiting for you!! Don't lose hope and just follows what feels exciting and right to you. You got this!!! 🙏🏽❤️
@erickolb5412 I started off as a medical intern, but because I was the only one in the tech startup with an actual medical degree, I worked my way up quickly and built out their medical department to become the "Head of Medical Quality". The titles don't end up meaning much, it's more so the value I was able to bring to the startup as a medic. Are you thinking of heading into the health startup route? :)
@@hana.s.ali93 hi Hana. it is an interesting path to explore but as of now, i am still looking for other options. Something that ignites my soul and gives me the drive to work for it.
@@erickolb5412 I think that's a brilliant thing to look for. I truly hope you're able to find it soon. :)
Loved it. I'm an anesthesiology resident going through the same stuff. I can't stand the fact that I have to endure this bullying and toxic culture for my whole life. I don't want to spend the rest of my life doing 36-hour-long duties and night shifts instead of spending my prime time with my family. I hope I find a way to exit this profession.
You are an anesthesiologist.... cant you dictate your hours? Especially if it is based on scheduled procedures vs trauma?
@@vincentkingsdale8334 they are probably in india, looking at their channel
@@vincentkingsdale8334 If doctors just decide not to continue this cycle of pointless bullying and toxicity when they become seniors, it'll improve the sector immensely
How is it even possible to work 36 hours long and not be hallucinating. How do you not kill patients by mistake? I genuinely dont understand how it is possible
@@alisonmercer5946 when i work 36 hour shifts, i usually forget about the patients and fall asleep with them.....but, in all honesty, a 12 hour shift is long enough....i am hoping the OP is being facetious
Hana, you're amazing for sharing this. I also felt like it wasn't for me during the training. I am working in medicine, dreaming of the day when I can start my own non-healthcare related business. You are not alone. You were brave to do what you did!!! Your story is giving me courage. Tank you!
Super happy to hear this resonated with you! And I really hope one day you'll get to experience trying out your own non-healthcare related business...if you do, let me know how it goes! 😁
I exactly felt the same way for the past two months after graduating in Osteopathy in Italy and starting to work in my private office. I felt almost depressed and always anxious about my job and the results of my treatments to the patient, even though i've always been pretty confident about my knowledge and kills as an oteopath. Right now i'm leaving my career in the world of medicine, trying to get my way in finance and sales. Can't wait to start a new journey in my life. Thanks a lot for the video, it motivated me and inspired me!
Really happy to hear the video helped! Would love to hear how your new journey goes...keep me posted! 😊
Dear Hana! Thank you so much for this video! I'm a veterinary doctor with 12 years of experience and I'm so (like you said) so miserable right now. I have been feeling pretty low these past 2 years and have been trying to figure out what to do next. It's not easy to untie this feeling of identity with a career that became your everything. I thought of myself to be a veterinarian before anything else, and this liberation feels like a very bad divorce. Thank you so much for sharing!!! See you on the other side!
@maryopop83 I'm truly so sorry to hear that you're currently in this position. It's honestly so much more difficult than many people think it is, I totally feel your pain. 😞 It definitely does feel like a divorce, like you're leaving behind a huge part of yourself. But please don't lose hope. There is happiness to be found out there. As cheesy as it may sound - the end of one journey, no matter how big, is always the beginning of another. Loss and grief are emotions that many of us are not well equipped for, so it can feel extremely difficult to go through, but there's usually always something beautiful waiting for us on the other side. Sending you a lot of love ❤🙏🏽
@@hana.s.ali93 Thank you so much for responding ❤
I’m a PA in the US, it’s the same with us in terms of those who teach us. During our clinical year you see so many people being rude to one another, not making anything a safe learning environment. I now work for a doctor in the US and it’s the same thing. Always hard on you. Always making you feel like you aren’t good enough. Medicine is the more corrupt field. If you are just a good person who wants to help people it is VERY hard to stay nice and feel happy. I have stayed nice but many nights I’ve went home in tears over the way an attending or lead doctor spoke to me. The culture is wrong. Thank you for speaking truthfully. This whole arena needs to change. It’s not right.
I am from Uganda. I quit clinical practice immediately after finishing my internship. It's been 1.8 years now. Since I am lincensed to practice, I still keep my knowledge up-to-date. I am happier out of medicine, but the career space out here isn't very wide for me (I work as a medical writer/editor).... For now, I am enjoying the moment as it lasts since it is possible that I will go back to clinical practice in the medium future (I hope I don't have to, but artificial intelligence is eventually going to kill off medical writing/editing as a career).
Have you ever thought of trying to expand outside of medical writing and trying something else? Perhaps in the health-tech space? Maybe even something related to AI so it doesn't take our jobs! Haha
You are describing well the experience of almost every single medical student/resident/fellow/lower in the food chain MD in the US. Bullying is a cultural default in medicine, and aforementioned are the worst victims. It reached such gruesome levels that they have to deal with bullying by even nurses, admins, and other ancillary services.
It is ridiculous that if you're not part of the system, the nurses, consultants, and sub-specialty bullies are the ones getting all the credit for "saving lives" etc when in reality, they make so many mistakes and harm so many people, including very good students/residents/fellows/MDs that have little choice but take all the crap, smile, and move on or quit.
The very few decent people who reach medicine feel very alone and strange from as early as medical school and it only gets worse.
So crazy to hear how similar the experiences in the US are to the UK. I always thought they would be different somehow...
Agreed
US is crazy I was in peds residency and it’s very…
Good for you Hana!! I think I felt for my entire medical career the same way that you felt but I stuck with it for 18 years. Until about 2012 or 2013 there wasn’t a lot of Internet access where you could see that others were feeling the same way that I was and that there were other options. Luckily in 2017 I went to part-time and now I’m down to working 4 to 5 days a month as an interventional pain doctor. I never wake up excited to go do that work but I only need six more months and then I’m retired. Luckily since I’ve been part-time, I taught myself how to daytrade And I love it! It took me five years to become profitable, but now I am. I don’t actually need the money but I love doing it anyways which is such a great feeling.
Pain doctors have the highest burnout rate in all of medicine. Things have also changed a lot in the last 5 to 10 years. Regenerative medicine, I see is the answer For most orthopedic conditions yet it’s not covered by insurance. That eats away your soul to see a patient that you know you could technically help but financially they can’t afford the treatment despite having normal health insurance. I’ve got a brother who is urologist, a brother who is a plastic surgeon, a brother-in-law, who is an anesthesiologist, my sister is occupational medicine, my father is Family practice and occupational medicine, my uncle is a dermatologist, sister-in-law a dermatologist, cousin dermatologist, her husband is an orthopedic surgeon. I have a lot of people in my family and medicine. However, nobody feels as awful about medicine as I do. I’ve helped out a lot of people so in that way I feel very good about what I did. But I never really loved it (I could put my head down at night, knowing that I always listened to my patients and really gave it my best effort) Nonetheless, I’m glad you went with your heart and now you found something that you love. I liked your video.
It’s amazing to hear your story, thank you for sharing this with me and the rest of the community. Although it seems like it was a struggle at points, I am glad you were able to find a way to make it work by going part-time. Leaving entirely is not necessarily the best choice for everyone who’s discontent in medicine, and I also encourage looking at other options like going part-time instead - I know it can work well for some people!
I also know how you feel regarding being the only one in the family who dislikes it so much, I also have a lot of doctors in my family and they definitely didn’t feel as adversely about it as I did. In any case, it’s good to know we have options, both within medicine and outside of it. Really happy to hear you’re almost retiring - congratulations and I hope your hard work and sacrifice really pays off 😁❤️
Also my sister is an ex-nurse who got into day trading, I’m sure she’ll be happy to hear how well it’s going for you!
Some doctors are nice others are not..Just like every other profession.. . But it all boils down to your passion.. I personally would die of depression or worse if someone told I can't be a doctor.....
People following their passion is everything...
Wishing you all the best 🎉
I'm glad there are doctors out there who are passionate about the profession, otherwise we wouldn't have anyone left! Best of luck to you too :)
Unfortunately there are far more boring jobs out there than exciting ones. Therefore everyone cannot follow their passion or their dream. You might dream of becoming a professional footballer in which case the next question is, are you good enough? There aren't many jobs at that level.
Exactly.
Hana, your story is seriously so inspiring. I am in a similar situation, but this time, I’m a freshman in college (tertiary university) on the pre- med track, soon to enter my second year after the summer. I just recently had a deep longing and sense that I am meant to do just more than being a doctor or dentist or whatever. I feel like my role here on earth is so much more bigger than that. I am currently really stuck, debating if I should leave this field, and study something else. My whole life I have been taught, growing up in a brown family similar to you, I had been taught that medical school was the way, and that is what I have known since I was a child. I think that’s why it’s been so hard now, as all I’ve known my whole life is medical studies, and I feel like I don’t even know what I like anymore, almost like an identity crisis. My parents support me, but my dad has a little biasness. The thing is I know I’ll be successful and make just as much money as a doctor would, in fact more, in any field I pursue, simply because I have the passion and drive. I honestly just don’t know what to study though or what else I would like. If I did switch majors, it would be either psychology or an entrepreneurial major similar to what you are practicing now. I find myself liking science and what I’m studying, because it’s a challenge and very rewarding. But I honestly just don’t want to go to med school. My main goal is to help people, I just don’t know in what way, and where to start. Sorry for the long comment, but if you have any advice for me that would mean the world.
Hey Armin! Thank you for sharing your story, I know how difficult it can be to feel unsure about which direction to take, it’s really tough. Usually once people start a medical degree, I often try and tell them to continue until they have the degree because it has helped me so much in my career to just have the degree, even if I chose not to practice. It’s not always the best advice for everyone as everyone’s circumstances are different, but usually, it’s best to try and secure the degree cos it’s so hard to just get into med school in the first place. However…. Sounds like you’re premed so you haven’t actually started your medical degree right? Which may be a good time to really think about if you want to do it or not. If it’s just about money…you can definitely make good money on different paths. There are also lots of ways to help people, medicine isn’t the only way. I would maybe try to think about what you’d want your future to look like. How much would you regret it if you didn’t give med school a try, for example? Sometimes it requires us to do something first before we know how we feel about it. I had to be immersed in medicine before I realised I didn’t want to be in it. Before that, no one could convince me I wouldn’t want to be a doctor. So I’m not sure how useful all of that is, but at the end of the day you’re really the best person to make a decision and you need to trust yourself that you’ll make the right one. ❤️
I will suggest to work as a volunteer in a hospital and with a doctor, you find you if you enjoy it or not. Don't worry many people like you and me are still struggling to find there path. I am a doctor myself.I took a long career break because of the bullying and stress I suffered at the start of my career. Now I am trying to come back but it's not easy.
It felt like someone was describing my exact journey and thought process. Leaving medicine was absolutely the most difficult decision I have ever made, and it also comes with a lot of uncertainty. This made me feel that I'm not alone in this situation, and thank you for that. :)
This was my main intention with the video, to remind you you're definitely not alone. :)
How are you now? I just made the same decision
@@Joyjoyjoy4 Doing a lot better, thankfully. It took some time to be where I am right now, and it's still a work in progress. :) I hope you too are able to power through and be happy with whatever you choose to do :)
An eye-opening video that nobody wants to talk about but everyone kind of knows about. I hope your experience and advice dispel the glorification of medical school and the profession in general. Bullying and toxic environments breed poor healthcare, which worries me if I ever get sick. The medical field is as age old as how antiquated the education system is. Breed mental health issues for so many. Thanks for your video!
hey sis. So proud you're being honest with yourself! better to take care of your mental, physical, and spiritual journey over money and status. Letting go a certain identity is so freeing!
@CC Yes I completely agree, it’s so freeing!! Thank you for your support 🙏🏽💕💕
I am in 4th year of MBBS. My parents honestly forced me into this but i don’t completely hate it. That’s why I went on. But lately my mental health is going down. I just think engineering is more of a better fit for me. (I used to love physics and maths) Idk whether to continue or just quit. 😩 People say just go on 1 more yr and get that degree. But god i feel suffocated rn. 😂
@squidward1578 I know this pain!! I was in such a similar place. I didn't feel forced to do medicine (I'm super sorry about that by the way), but I remember being in my 4th year and feeling so suffocated and like I really wanted to leave badly. My sister convinced me to stay to get the degree, and honestly speaking, I am so glad I got the degree. It really helps so much and is worth a lot more than you think, even outside of medicine. If I may give some unsolicited advice, I would say try your absolute best to stick it out one more year, just for the degree. Then if you decide to leave, you will have gained a really powerful professional asset to take forward with you. I actually made a video on this topic which you can watch here: ruclips.net/video/uC88CGq_j2M/видео.html
But no matter what you decide to do, trust me, things will be ok. :) You are an intelligent, hardworking person (you have to be in order to make it to 4th year), so that alone will be of great help to you professionally, no matter what you end up doing. Stay strong, I'm rooting for you!!!
@@hana.s.ali93 Thank you so much 💕 I also wanna at least get a degree by the end of it all. It’s nice to see that even if I don’t pursue a medical career hopefully I could make some use of the degree. Your words mean a lot and I would definitely watch the video!
Ps. I am from Pakistan and economic conditions are so shit so honestly speaking the only career rn that offers some future stability is medicine. 😂 I just hate that something we actually do want to do-doesn’t always coincide with what is practical.
@@luluu96 honestly we don’t much choices and opportunities to pursue our dreams when our birth country is literally dying economically. Living in Pakistan, inflation is so so high and job opportunities are so few. I don’t hate studying medicine. Honestly love pathology, psychiatry so gonna try those out! But if it doesn’t work out I will def shift to engineering. May be get a second bachelors even. I am not hopeless though. We all get one life, there is so much to achieve. Medicine has one biggest advantage for me and it’s that it gives me the best pathway to leave this country. I hope you and your brother find peace and meaning in the work you do and achieve great things for the community. Thanks for the reply, appreciate it! 💕
i am in a different professional course and somewhat i was also feeling the same to switch to engineering but then eventually i realised that
1 my interest was drawn towards things towards which i had a positive mindset either thr appreciation or degree or achievements
2 the bubble which is being created around engineering is harming other professions
cause these people are boasting abt there 1 mil salry and so on where as the actual truth may be hidden
3 sometimes we get confused after hearing someoe boast about tehre passion and purpose where as we actually do not know there true meaning
4and truelly speaking after a lot of thinking identifying analysing
i have finally came down to a conclusion that you should be at the top 1% of your field
be the best doctor use tech at the max applications add value to you clients earn money and then if eligible enough financially mentally basically after achieving comfort then try to switch completely
i hope that this helps you
love from india and hope that your country overcomes the current situations
@@sanket______ Thanks for the insight. Appreciate it. Ig as the saying goes: the grass is always greener on the other side! I think the best thing to do is either either to try to love what you do and if not then become secure enough to leave. That’s the main reason I want to get my medical degree now rather than finishing half way and letting time and money go to waste. Meanwhile also research the good and bad sides of other professions to have a thorough understanding. But obviously before switching to any career, one should have the finances, safety net and pros cons calculated before hand!
I am an NP in private practice and ready for a complete career switch. The lateral violence is NO joke. The culture for nurses is the same.
@sneyhart868 I would've assumed that it would at least be better in private practice, it's a real shame to hear that the culture is the same even then. I'm sorry. 😞 My sister was also a nurse and she left the career a few years back too.
@@hana.s.ali93 it is just toxic patients. My practice is cash based and people always have something to complain about. Don’t get me wrong, I love working for myself as a Nurse Practitioner. In my state we don’t need a collaborator. But, I am just ready for something new.
@@Holistichart868 I see. I hope you're able to find something new that you enjoy and that has more upsides than downsides. 🤞
@@hana.s.ali93 amen and thank you! 🫶🏽 p.s. do you give any career transition tips on your channel or know of anyone that does?
@@Holistichart868 I'm actually planning to make more videos on career transitions! Hopefully I'll be able to upload them soon, but I also recommend Helena Bridge's channel @HelenaBridge. She's an ex-doc turned life coach and makes videos about leaving the medical field. Might be worth checking her channel out also. 😊
This is so powerful and hits so close to home for most doctors.
I have just discovered your channel
Thank you for openly sharing your story
Thank you for being here! Glad to hear it resonated 😊
I'm in the last year of my surgery residency in india, And will end my medicine journey after this, I had the same instinct after my medical graduation but was too belittle to discontinue. Thank you.
"This people hate their own life" was the most apt line of the video. 😂
🙈 some of them really do. Let me know how it goes and what you do once you leave! Would really love to know
General surgery and India is not a good combination at all
Me from India...What you doing now....
Well done, move on to better and bigger things because in the end we all have to look after our own needs and selves in life.
Thank you so much for your support, it truly means a lot 🙏❤
Thank you so much Hana.Your story is really a part of therapy for me now.A week ago I left the intership and I am home now trying to find a transition to move on but it's not easy..keep it up dear,you have really contributed to my mental health setup ❤
It really means a lot to me to hear that. It really isn't easy, but I really think you will find a way. Stay hopeful and if there's any specific info you think I can provide please let me know 🙏🏽
Thank you very much for posting this! I'm figuring out what I want to do but this is exactly how I'm feeling.
You're very welcome Aaron! Take your time and I'm sure you'll find the right path for you, but I hope in the meantime you don't suffer too much ❤️
I am so glad I found you. I have just done the same as you and have decided to defer f1 for a year due to poor mental health throughout medical school (really bad anxiety and depression that came with it),and being unsure of Medicine since the beginning of uni. My sister also pushed me through each year to try and graduate. I relate to much of what you mentioned especially how others react. In the end only we know what's best for us and how hard the mental struggles were
@saraiqbal2307 I'm so proud of you for making such a difficult decision for your mental health!! It's so much harder than it looks to choose to take a break, but the space can really help give us clarity. I'm proud of you for sticking till the end and getting the degree and thankful you had a sister just like mine that pushed you to get the degree because she probably knew how powerful it would be. But yes you're completely right, we're the ones that know what's best for us, so trust yourself! I hope this break helps, please keep me updated on how it goes. 🙏🙏
@@hana.s.ali93Thank you for responding! For sure, it is such a difficult decision to make even though I know it is the right decision for me, it was still a difficult choice to make and go through with it. It's been a really really tough 6 years and it still has not sunk in that I've managed to get through it, it definitely pushed me to the brink. Did you find that therapy or anything else helped your anxiety? I know in a years time it will be difficult to come back and do F1, but hoping that this year out will help me feel a lot better, and manage anxieties better, and that I'll feel excited for a change about medicine (I've never been passionate about it, it was something that i just Did cause I had the grades and didn't know what to do, which in hindsight I think added to the difficulties and feeling of trapped I had throughout med school). Having the time to explore other options is something I hope will benefit me in the long run ❤
😊@@hana.s.ali93
Thank you for sharing your story, I wish you all the best in your career as a social entrepreneur!
Thank you 🙏🏽
This is the most refreshing video on medicine. So many RUclipsrs completely glamorise Medicine students with their ignorance to the really hard gruel side which isn’t down to medicine itself; but the toxic culture and stressful work environments. I think many see this as part of being the heroic champion they set out to be, but it’s exhausting and demoralising on self.
I work across many wards and every night I lay awake dreading interacting with fellow staff because they are so rude, and you don’t know who to trust or turn to for support.
I also hate it when people say “oh I’ve never been bullied so I don’t think it occurs often” or “oh I found it fine so it’s fine for everyone” - that’s how the toxic cycles continue!
Brains to get into medical school and the guts to drop out. U will go far in life girl
Wow I am lost I’m in year 13 and my interviews are gonna be in the next 3 months, I don’t mind medicine currently but what you’re saying makes a lot of sense 🤷♂️ its just I don’t really know what other paths there are for me and I want to make my parents proud while I still can
I'm in the same situation as you😢
I'm thinking of nursing school but I have bad feelings about it. Don't know what to do
You know yourself best. Sometimes other people fail to understand how different people’s thresholds/tolerances/boundaries can be. No one in the world can make you do anything that you in your heart are genuinely not happy with and I am so glad at the outcome. You are happier and thriving. Perseverance and resilience should also arise from a genuinely desired goal imo, why would you persevere for something that you don’t actually want in the long-term? It is an uplifting story because comparison can be the thief of joy. Lots of people will have lots to say in your life, but at the end of the day, you are living for you and it closely aligns with your goals. Wish you nothing but the best.
Thank you for such a lovely and thoughtful comment. 💙
This video feels like it's straight out of my own diary. Thank you for sharing your experiences, as I'm about to apply to a new program after four years of my medical degree. I finally worked up the courage and now am just looking for some support as I take these scary first steps. Your video is exactly what I needed to hear!
Wow best of luck Kayla!! It’s so hard to find the courage to do something like that… I hope you’re able to find that support from those around you, but if not, I’m always here to provide as much support as I can! Would love to hear how you get on and which program you chose to switch to! ❤️
I studied to become a doctor too and luckily decided before my practical year to finally drop it. Now I’m a stay at home mum of two wonderful little girls and I couldn’t be happier. I’m so glad I left the medical field. It consumes everything and brings nothing but misery for the person stuck in it.
I'm happy to hear you're doing well with your two daughters. 😊💙
I went to dental school during the late 1970s. I ‘ve had a 45 years dental career starting in Public Health , ending my career with 23 years in academia.I went to school where women students were in the minority. I had to struggle against all odds to make it through to have a career, feel like a human being in mostly toxic environments. I retired to take time to take care of my mother . She passed in 2023. I went back to work in my field to work remotely. I love it. Thank you so much for sharing your story.
I'm a NHS ICU nurse, it's summer and we're always full, no beds, huge problems with staff retention amongst us and the doctors. We've created a new band 8 nurse role because we can't recruit registrars, can't recruit Band 5's and I've heard of multiple suicides amongst doctors in neighbouring hospitals. I can't see how it's going to improve.
I think you've made the right call.
My heart breaks for you and everyone you work with Laurence. The pressure you must be feeling is unfathomable to me, since I can see it has only gotten much worse over the past 6 years. I would thank you for your work and sacrifice, but I just know that it's not enough to make up for the pressure you must be facing. It's a real shame that this is how it's all playing out, and deeply distressing that people are losing their lives over it. My sister also left her NHS nursing post a few years back, so I know how deeply this affects nurses too.
Hope you have enough support around you, if not, please feel free to reach out to me for anything I may be able to help with. 💙
@@hana.s.ali93 Thank you. Luckily my family is lovely so I'm well supported. We're relatively protected here really, it's the medical wards I worry about - they were always under resourced x
Why can't you recruit registrars or band 5 nurses?
I am sorry you had the experience you did in the medical field. As I read in the comments I feel like you are not alone. Me however had an exactly opposite experience. I did my MBBS from India went thru foundation training in the UK and moved to the US and did my Internal medicine residency. I practiced for 12 years in Acute Care while teaching medical students and residents. I had some wonderful mentors throughout my way. There some very kind teachers and students from whom I learnt a lot from. After 12 years of teaching/practicing I was motivated to train further and currently I am Pershing a fellowship in critical care medicine. I am looking forward yet another fulfilling chapter in my professional life as I am finishing my fellowship. I did have tough times, but most I remember in the last 20 years since I finished med school are some wonderful people and how I went from strength to strength. And with this experience I have so many options ahead not just for me to grow but to give back to the society. I am truly grateful to all my mentors and teachers from India to UK to USA.
Wow, I am SUPER happy to hear you had such a positive and wonderful experience. I truly hope/wish all doctors have the same experience!
Thanks for the courage to share what many medical students feel who chose the path before being real to themselves.
❤
I also studied medicine in the UK and graduated as a doctor. I left the profession like you before the junior doctor level. I felt deep down the whole thing wasn't for me. I did it moslty to please overbearing and ever judging African parents. I also did not like the culture within medicine. Tons of egotism, narrow mindedness, competion was insane. And tons of people with low self esteem that are in the profession just to feed their egos. But thatbwhole sha bang wasn't for me. Also as a multi-passionate person I could imagine soending my ENTIRE life focusing on one thing. Kudos to any former Medic for walking their own path against all the pressure. Now im a Naturopathic doctor, holistic heaker. Writer. Poet, herbalist, artist, abd ive just started my RUclips channel. 😊
Since 4 months I was thinking about it , leaving medical college and change my college …
I hate medicine , I wanted to be an astronomer
I hope someday I will be what I want
This is how I feel about my family - aunts, uncles and cousins. I always felt anxious and depressed around them. When I walked away, my life completely transformed for the better.
Really happy to hear that your life improved, although I really do understand how painful a decision like that can be. Hope you have support from others around you at least ❤️
What courage !!! God bless you for being true to yourself. You have only one life to live and it's not worth it if you live a miserable life just because your family or society expects you to conform to their wishes. Do what you makes you happy Hanna, and remember that the only thing you should be sorry about is missing out on life. Life is too damn short to waste on bullsh!t
I totally agree Richard ❤️ Thank you!
I graduated recently along with doing the foundation training and started a specialization in ortho and trauma… this video just hit home . The toxic environment is INSANE, you get worked to the grave whilst taking constant banter from nurses, superiors, senior doctors … it just never STOPS. Hell, i thought i’d have some sort of work life balance at this point but this is ridiculous. Shit pay, with over 200 hours a month and the mere mention of balance is followed by something along the lines of lmao what were you thinking XD Im also an anatomy assistant and i do find joy in that quite a bit and i keep telling my students to quit unless they want to spend every ounce of their soul into the job. Cuz if not thats not for you. I was a way more joyful and happy before i graduated. I had a girlfriend for 7 years and i could go out 2 times a week or have shits n giggles with my friends. Now im miserable, alone and i have to schedule my friends 2 weeks in advance to even see them for 30 minutes. I barely sleep and gained weight even while keeping my calories low. And for what ? I get to tell people im a doctor… whooptiedoo. This profession can go f itself if you ask me… if i had the wisdom i have right now 6 years ago, id go and become a programmer and be done with this shit. Thanks for the good video tho, feels nice in a way to relate to someone.
So many doctors are now considering tech roles...programming is definitely a powerful skill to learn these days!
I understand you completely. I was a nursing student with a perfect grade point average throughout nursing school. I relate to what you are saying. 💔😞
Hey there, I can't believe I found SOMEONE with similar experiences as mine everything u did including Germany part I did 😂 , I did Graduate as doctor in 2020 but didn't do my Internship and my family keeps pushing just another year but it didn't align with my authentic self thus I started my journey of healing and I realized that breaking generational cycles is the most important work a human being can do. True success isn't about my external achievements. It's about how I feel about myself, within my relationships, and in the greater world. I make choices that are best for me and my family regardless of pushback.
there is these books by dr.gabor mate called the myth of normal also dr. Nicole lepra How to do the work are amazing
one last thing keep going girl 😎
Wow!! How amazing to find someone who went on such a similar journey! I'm so happy that it worked out for you also! 😄 I totally agree with you, and your comment "true success isn't about external achievements" is very very true and real. Thank you so much for sharing this with me and for the book recommendations, I'll definitely check them out and this comment has totally made my day. ❤ :)
I regret doing mbbs in India being an American citizen of Indian origin. I listened to my parents when they painted a picture saying how i could go to med school directly after high school by studying abroad. It was the most toxic work environment ever in India. The profs/ consultants always bullying, yelling at the medical students, residents, nurses, hospital staff, etc. Threatening to fail med students and ruin someone's career even before it started. It was a pure mental torture doing mbbs in India. I finished it for the sake of getting a degree since i was already half way through that horrible ordeal. After coming back home to the U.S, i no longer had the interest or hope of being a doctor that I once dreamed of eince childhood in spite of having a medical degree. Did not pursue USMLE for residency. I applied for a competitive job at a well known medical device company and went through series of interviews, did well and got hired. I probably don't make as much, if i had worked as a doctor. But i still make a good six figure salary and good work life balance. Looking back i wish i had known about other career paths like Anesthesia assistant or something who make money as much as doctors.
I also don't talk to any of my "friends" from med school!
I really do wish we knew about more paths when we were younger! I always felt my only "real" options when I was in school was medicine!
@@hana.s.ali93 very true! And we are also made to feel that even considering alternate paths within medical industry is somehow less or not prestigious when compared to becoming a doctor!
I can imagine the hell you went through as NRI.....Very toxic in India...We can connect
Hey I’m also an img who just returned home. Im thinking of alternative paths I can take but I have none so far. I don’t mind a lower paying salary, did you have to go back to college?
Can you please elaborate about more such options or if how to connect to you? Thankyou
I recently started with my clinical years, currently in 3rd year now. I really can't keep up with the theory and clinicals, not to talk about the work environment. My grades are going down the hill and I'm really trying my best to keep a positive attitude but my mental health is also at its lowest. I've experienced the work environment and I've been questioning if I wanna live the rest of my life like that. I've been thinking of taking a different career path, but I'm really scared of starting over and also I'm scared of disappointing my family. I don't wanna regret in the future for staying in medicine, but at the same time I also feel like I'm making a mistake if I quit.
Hey! It's honestly such a difficult decision, and I was pretty much exactly where you were. It took me a long time to make the decision of leaving, and I know that leaving is not necessarily the best choice for everyone. I felt the exact same as you in third year, but I'm really glad I pushed through and at least got the medical degree first which has helped me so much in my career, even outside of clinical medicine. The degree itself is quite powerful so I would really try my best to push through to get it, and then you will be a better position to make the decision of what you want to do. I hope that helps a bit, but I really feel for you, this journey is so so difficult. 💙
Ex-med school student here! The heartbreak of having to face the truth that you just don't fit in with the actual life in the medical field is real! And so is questioning yourself from time with all the "What ifs...". But the happiness and joy of living your life while looking forward to your next day of work is incomparable!
P.S. I'm in arts and education now 😂
Ah I love that for you! Thank you so much for sharing! :)
Thank you for taking the time to make this, you should be so proud of how far you have come and the decisions you’ve made so early in your career.
It’s taken me far longer to reach the point where I feel almost ready to leaving medicine. At 40 I still feel infantilised, tired and demoralised. I’m about 80% there but still feel a lot of guilt about leaving a stretched NHS.
Thank you for your support! I really hope some point soon you'll start putting your needs above the needs of organisations like the NHS...unfortunately it's a system that is unlikely to care for you in the same way you care for it.
I wish you all the best in whichever choice you decide to make!
All my son wants to do is be a doctor. After watching this i am worried for him as he is a caring person & sensitive soul.
Oh my goodness. I had the EXACT same experience! I dropped out in my 4th year last year. If I was still there, I'd be dead by now.
I'm glad you found the courage to leave something behind that was harming you! I hope you're in a better place now ❤️
@@hana.s.ali93 This has been a year of self rediscovery. I am continuing my other passion for the arts and have started my own screenprinting business. Looking forward to more videos from you. You're doing great!🌻
@@josephnoro8086 that's absolutely amazing, I wish you the best of luck with it 😁
I wish I had your courage
I have SUCH a similar story! But with my environmental engineering PhD program. I left 3 years into the program. I "mastered out." I felt the same as you that everyday, i wanted to quit, but a voice would always tell me it was for a purpose and i needed to stay. Until the day that i felt i had done enough and left. I did not work in or miss engineering AT ALL for FIVE AND A HALF YEARS. i threw away all of my engineering stuff. i didn't regret it. I thought the same that i would never go back. And i felt the same as you that i needed something that my career path was not providing me. But now i stand exactly six years from the moment i left my PhD program, and i am in the process of receiving an offer for a job as an environmental engineer doing exactly what i learned and focused on in school and in my research. It would be my first job in my field. So never say never. Sometimes you just need time to develop other aspects of yourself, need a break from our career path. Also we need identities outside of our career, and some of us have not fostered that yet, so we have to take the time to do so.No way u would do all that work for nothing! It is very possible you may come back around to it in some years. God doesn't put you in situations for nothing.
Also maybe private practice would serve you well, so u can avoid the bullying. U still loved being a doctor, you just have to find a way to avoid all the creeps. Its possible.
I can sooo relate to every word of yours! I kept pushing myself to accept the "toxicity" that is so normalised here in medical school in India. Some people said that it's far better abroad and advised me to move out of my country. I can't believe that your story is so similar to mine even as you belong to the UK. Just finished medical school, stayed away from home for 6 years, but still can't leave it for another career- coz the govt. here requires graduates to serve for 2 years under a 'bond'. Feel stifled. Have been trying to accept and accept and accept. Your story really resonates with me.
I'm glad this video has resonated, I hope you're doing ok!! 💙
It’s so sad that bullying and putting others down happens at every workplace.
I was bullied by one of my managers at my first job where I was working as a waitress.
Why can’t people just get along and be nice to each other and not make other peoples lives difficult.
It really is so sad that it's so widespread. I guess as a society we just allow people to do it far too often and because they get away with it, it can be found everywhere.
Exactly same here.Entered med school with ambition and dreams but later learned that it s a nvr ending race.Cudnt be wise like u but i choose ophthalmology as my speciality.Currently im doing well
I am so happy for you! Always prioritize yourself and your needs and don't let others dictate who you are and will be.
When I was a teenager, I wanted to be a doctor, so I did my A levels in chemistry, biology and physics and got two voluntary jobs in the N-H-S. Well those jobs totally put me off pursuing medicine as a career. Both hospitals I worked in were riddled with bullying and hierarchy. Those working as porters, other support staff and new nurses were ignored, spoken to like imbeciles and were put in a corner of their own during breaks and at lunch. It was horrendous. The doctors never spoke to support staff at all. They were treated as untouchables and I saw trainee nurses and trainee radiographers often crying in corners after being humiliated by other more senior staff. I decided at the end of my A levels to do a degree in molecular biology and then do a PhD. This served me well because I ended up in a career that I loved and spent 27 happy years in. I'm glad the voluntary work served as such a good guide. Two friends of mine became doctors and both were struck off because they were dropped right in it and given no support. It is a horrendous profession and I have no idea how people stomach it and stick with it. If you want to truly help people, I'd do nutrition and fitness. Proper nutrition these days is rare and is causing people all manner of long term, serious health issues. This is where progress can truly be made
Thank you for sharing this video. It's been two years since I graduated and I always thought I was crazy for feeling this way or that something was wrong with me
Absolutely nothing wrong with choosing a different path. The same thing happened to me but with teaching. I wanted to be a teacher since I was a child and my last semester, my internship, was terrible. I loved the students but the politics within the school and my interning teacher left me in tears every day that semester. After I graduated I applied for a job in child welfare, where I’ve been for the past 16 years and love it. Thank you for sharing your story!
Thank you for sharing this experience. Just another year, just another year.. and it will be better. It does not get better in medicine, just worse. I left midway in my residency as a radiologist, and I hope never to go back.
@Neuronalchannel That was exactly what I feared would happen. Thank you for sharing this and I'm glad you were able to find your way out of a bad situation. 🙏
What are you doing right now?
@@noraaa8479 Medical/Science communication
@@Neuronalchannel best of luck to you. I was asking just because I’m a new medical graduate and I don’t really want to continue residency and trying to see if there’s any other options for me
@@noraaa8479 Thanks. Good luck to you too.
Thankyou for this video. Such a relief knowing that i’m not alone who is thinking about this. Recently i also had a reality check and realized that i no longer enjoy dentistry and want to quit for the good.
i’m still trying to find a career path completely out of medical field but still no luck.
Mark my words kid ”you will thank yourself later in life” best wishes ❤
2:50 - “the people and the culture made it hard” - I can’t agree more, Hana. Bullying is being so normalised that mental health issues are soaring in this field. Being a HSP, I’m not even sure of completing my internship on time. I could relate to you in many ways - loving this field, wanting to help people but having this urge to quit due to toxicity prevalent in Medicine. And I’m glad you found your niche. Wishing you all the best!
Thank you Karishma! I hate when people deny the bullying because it is so real and prevalent
facts thank you for sharing I never want to go back, that was the worst anxiety i've ever experienced
@shannonh2164 Right? The anxiety was the worst 🤕
I myself have experienced it the amount of anxiety and depression medical school gave me is immense
I’m a retired psychology professor from a teaching college with very heavy teaching loads and so proud for you and that you are sharing this. I can relate to what you went through especially on the emotional struggles and decision-making conflicts. Now I’ve changed my career to researcher with a University, which is where my passion has always been and I wished I would have done this sooner.
Thank you for your support Collin and I am SO happy you ended up choosing a path that was better suited for you!! Love to hear that it’s in research too, such a great field. 😁
@@hana.s.ali93 ❤️
Your story has given me hope, at the age of 34, that I can change. Thanks to you, I know I can regain what was lost, and regrow my foreskin. Thank you 🙏🏼
I'm really happy to hear that this has given you hope 🙏🏽 34 is definitely not too late to change!
I had a similar experience in healthcare. I wasn’t really taught how to do my job well and I was alone to figure stuff out. My boss and I didn’t get along, and she would verbally abuse me without really explaining why what I did was wrong. I began to dread going to work daily, and I was not happy. I had no idea what I was doing a lot of times and had no confidence in myself. I ultimately left healthcare and am now doing engineering. It was a good decision for me because I like math, physics, and equations alot.
I'm so sorry to hear that you had such a bad experience. It's really quite heartbreaking how many of us are driven out of healthcare due to the poor behaviour of other team members and / or the toxic environment. I'm really glad you managed to find a sector that suits you better. I hope your engineering career is far more positive. 🥰
@@hana.s.ali93 I honestly should have been in a math-based career from the start. I grew up as a gifted math student and loved it. I had to go back to school to become an engineer. On the bright side, I have a group of people paying for my education after the way I was treated in healthcare. I’m more confident about engineering because I can use math to check and make sure things are adding up. When the math adds up, the project will work. I’ve been praying to God a lot, and I think He answered my prayers by allowing me the chance to get a bachelors degree in electrical engineering and a bachelors degree in mechanical engineering for free.
@@caseyhazlewood2138 that’s really great. I’m so glad you’re able to study for free, that gets in the way of so many people wanting to switch careers. Hoping that you have a wonderful and successful future🙏🏽
@@hana.s.ali93 I’m just glad I’m not the only one who had issues in healthcare. I was wondering if I was just too stupid for it, or if people were just that mean in healthcare. Glad to know I’m not crazy and that someone else had the same experience
@@caseyhazlewood2138 you are absolutely not the only one!! And if you’re enjoying engineering then you are CERTAINLY not too stupid for healthcare. Sounds like quite the opposite, high intelligence is definitely required for an understanding of physics and maths. I know soooo many people who feel the same way as us. It’s just a broken system in many parts of the world.
I did the same as a Nurse. I worked 3 years at the OUH, I can find myself a lot in your words. I changed career in IT and being doing great ever since. I am over 5 years now in the IT sector field :)
@robertocosciaofficial Congratulations Roberto! I'm really happy to hear you're doing well in IT. 😁💙
@@hana.s.ali93 I was exausted as a nurse even though I was helping patients and doing well, I was not taking care of myself. And the NHS acts to be patient oriented, but not staff oriented! I am doing well now and even much better than I was in nursing. It means it was not my call the medical sector
60% of nurses here in the states leave in 2 years which should tell you something right? I am so happy you found your joy, I’m lucky in that way too 😊
Heya I’m thinking of going into software engineering have you got any tips
I am a nurse however I am considering a switch . Please which IT field did you transition into and what are the training you did.
Thank you to much in advance
it must have been so difficult.. thanks for sharing.. (I hated mondays when i was in the wrong specialty too)
@drcissyatwine I'm really glad you found a speciality that no longer makes you feel that way 🙏🏽
I'm close to 40 and still in training to become a specialist. I left medical school at 25 but moved to another country. The emotional trauma and endurance is too prolonged but I hope to preserve. After that, I'm going into management. Medical life is never easy with all the expectations and regulations.
Thanks for your vid!! I was actually thinking of switching INTO medicine but after watching your video and reading all these comments…
I’ve had this video in my watch later for months and I should’ve watched it much sooner. I’ve come to this conclusion now and I will not be going to medical school but I still work in the medical field and it’s so toxic and mean.
Well done ! You have achieved so much in your life . A qualified doctor . I am a doctor and can identify with you completely , now retired . I know doctors who felt like you , myself included . One colleague left medicine and became a commercial pilot which he adores . Doctors are very intolerant of stressed colleagues and perhaps most have unresolved issues themselves . Anyway best of luck in the future knowing that you made the right decision .
Hi Hana,
I salute you in taking such a decision. It’s not easy and our community has this toxic mindset of worshipping doctors. I’m appalled at how many are narcissistic. It’s sad how they look down upon those who are “inferior “ to them in terms on profession. Glad you broke away and found your peace.
Thank you so much for your support 🙏🏽
Precisely! She stood up for what she believed in. Imagine, having to suffer in silence. Not good at all. One must do what they enjoy etc.
20 years as registered nurse .... toxic environment ...... i hate almost every second too .... want to get out of healthcare completely
I'm sorry 😔 it really really sucks sometimes. I often feel that it's even worse for nurses than it is for doctors...
Toxic environment everywhere
You are a great person just ph being a nurse i have 5 sisters all of them they are nurses and i can see how much they gave all the good things will comebacks to you
bullying and toxicity can be in any profession and at any place. some people take it and some don't. if its draining you mentally leave it but if u r strong enough to bear it, just stay and continue what u r doing
Simply, you are so brave. You have done the right thing for your psychological and mental health.
Thank you for the support! 💙
best decision ever.... especially when you look at the way doctors are being treated in the last decade...
@zurzakne-etra7069 I can't even imagine what it would be like if I were in it now, after the pandemic and Brexit. It's such a tough environment to thrive in and I have so much respect for all the doctors who are still pushing through
I left the nursing profession because of severe bullying. I'm proud of my education, but I'm glad I changed careers.
What have you changed into if you don’t mind? I have a nursing degree I am considering changing careers
I worked in ER for 20 years and specialised only after i was 40! I quit finally when financial freedom came by 47. Recently i setup practise again and find the same set of obnoxious people and impossibly stupid hostile system.You did the right thing though others may not have options or out of altruist feelings continue to suffer as docs. I understand you so well.Goodluck.
Good for you in finding your joy! I teach our students to do the same even if it means leaving the profession. I have launched 2 cash practices and a consulting practice, entrepreneurship has made me happy ❤ Happy to be a resource of you need anything ❤
Ah wonderful to hear this, thank you!
Went to Med school in India, trained in US and worked in ER till my retirement 2 years ago. Looking back I would have chosen a different career. Proud of you.
In a situation where lawsuits are in the millions, life and death are present, the environment is intense and the stress is high, its not for everybody, you have to be a special type of human to exceed in such a realm
Good for you young lady, do what makes you happy, put yourself first and never mind what others think. Being a doctor demands far to much espicially from young people and honestly,as harsh as this sounds,peoples health issues are usually down to their own life choices and usually burden the NHS far to much with their issues. Doctors and Nurses are not charity workers, they do a job that deserves high pay, they also dont have to care or to be emotinally blackmailed by people who think its their right to demand healthcare whenever they want it. Doctors cant live on morality or compassion, they need to pay their bills and to be mentally healthy so they have every right to demand the best for themselves and if they cant get it in healthcare, then its best for them to move on and to make themselves happier.
You're absolutely right in saying that we cannot live on morality or compassion, we need to be able to survive within our personal lives in order to be able to help others effectively. Unfortunately in the UK there is a lot that stands in the way of doctors and nurses and other healthcare professionals being able to do that currently.
It def gets better IMO, as a few years qualified consultant. However the dread and anxiety never really goes away due to the risk and responsibility and you just learn to manage it. I would look for another career for financial recompense and quality of life.
Good point! At which point did you start to feel it getting better?
@@hana.s.ali93 I would say as a higher registrar. Then it became difficult again as a new Consultant for about 6 months then better again. I guess pattern recognition, experience of situations and role delegation help as you go higher up.
Very inspirational and incredible journey! Good for you! Subscribed
Happy to have you here Roland! Thank you for the support it truly means the world 🙏🏽❤️
Congrats! Best decision you've ever made in your life. It's even more difficult in the US in both stress level and years of study; where you have to do a 4 year bachelor's degree before your 4 years of med school, then 4 years of residency and yet another 4 years of specialty fellowship. For a specialty surgeon it is even longer. The stress increases even more depending on your specialty and work environment. As a consequence, the brightest students are now spurning medicine for a 4 year IT degree where some can even work from home and gets paid more than doctors.
Amazing to see ur courage in this matter. I had the same thoughts. I recently became a doctor ( internship for 1 year still to do). Focusing on a new path . Glad to hear someone felt the same as i had. It makes me feel understandable to feel courageous to change
Happy to hear this video made you feel understood! Which path are you focusing on now if you don't mind me asking? :)
I actually feel this way in nursing school right now! Thank you for sharing this . The whole medical field is broken, and people lack insight on to why they should be there in the first place . We should be helping patients and uplifting each other ! Instead, nursing school seems like this egotistical clique of high school girls . Im sure its way worse in medical school. .
Hey, my name is karoline and im from poland and i am supposed to study right now for anatomy tomorrow, this is my 2 week of medicine and i am already thinking about dropping out. Last year i decided to study chemiatry because i really wanted to be a teacher, but it turned out that i love to teach but i hate this major, so i didnt finish that year. This year i wanted to be responsoble so i decided to purse medicine, although i didnt feel it at all. Most of my life i was an artistic soul u love to sing performance, but nest moments of life are always connected with singing and performances. I like to stidy and to have a learning rutine, i love people here, i like that everyone is so smart but i since the begging i was feeling that it is the wrong decision i will try to finish this year but i miss so much this feeling of excitement and joy of what i do every single cell of my body.. i feel also guilty all the time, because my parents put a lot of money for my studies ( it is not a proboem for them because they are doctors, even though they did not forced me to choose this major i just felt i need to be responsible, i need to an adult not a naive child, everyone want medicine so maybe i should go? ) i feel like an idiot if i change my major for the second time.. but i dont see me happy as a doctor, before i started i thought i would have more time for my passions but this amout of material is so extreme that i want to cry… i want to be mature but at the same time i have such a huge fomo for other people who are singers, teachers, idk doing social-media full time… i know my message is a mess but i am in mess inside.. thanks for this video
I m jeleaaus of my friends who are so passionate about this major, life would be so much easier if i dreamed of being doctor, because i have it in my hand, but unfortunately i dont:/
Hi Caroline, you are not alone, I know that feeling. I am here to listen:)
Karolina, I know this feeling of pressure to choose "an adult path". I'm a creative soul at heart so I know how messy this can feel, but I never felt a passion for medicine as I did for SO many things outside of it. I loved so many different paths: health-tech, social entrepreneurship, normal entrepreneurship, activism, UX design, content creation etc. I felt so much passion for these roles and they really energised me. I never felt that same passion and energy in medicine.
If you have the ability to do so, try to follow that energy and passion where it leads you...medicine is not something that's easy to force on ourselves, it's not an easy path.
I hope you're able to make the best choice for yourself, and if it helps I totally relate and I don't think any of your passions are child-like. I think your soul is a creative one, and craves a creative life (just like mine!).
@@hana.s.ali93 beautifully said!
Karolina, I would like to add, I changed my career from medicine to IT and Business. One of the best decisions and I am far happier. Know that if you're young , it is still doable to make a new career change.
Wow! Really happy for you! You made a fantastic decision, many people would not have had the courage and stayed dreadful and miserable. The medical environment is particularly toxic and you got out at the right time!
Thanks so much for your support, I appreciate it! :)