More physicians are regretting choosing to pursue medicine, according to a 2023 survey from the Physicians Foundation.
Roneet Lev, MD, emergency physician at Scripps Mercy Hospital in San Diego, joined Becker's to discuss what needs to change for physicians to recommend a career in medicine.
Editor's note: This response was edited lightly for clarity and length.
Question: Only 40% of physicians would recommend a career in medicine, according to a 2023 survey. What reforms are needed to abate this?
Physicians should 'choose a different profession' if they're in it for the money: Viewpoint
Dr. Roneet Lev: Pride in medicine. I am very proud to be a physician of 35 years raising two daughters who also chose to become physicians. There is nothing else I would rather do. There is no other profession where every day you make an important difference in someone’s life. If we focus on what inspired us to become doctors, it helps manage the many business and bureaucratic frustrations of healthcare. As executive director of the Independent Emergency Physicians Consortium, we discuss unfair regulations and difficulties in reimbursement on a regular basis. If you are in it just for the money, you should choose a different profession. The problems are not in being a doctor, they are external.