Despite my best efforts, it appears as though this residency of mine will not be regarded with a feeling of yearning whenever I would look back on it (assuming that I actually FINISH residency in the first place, but that's a story for another time). It WILL NOT be up there along with my MedTech or Medschool experiences. I guess it will be remebered as a part of my life that I had to slog through in order to advance to the next level.. To all the aspiring docs out there, let me tell you the ugly truth before you go any further.. Residency sucks, and depending on the program, it will suck even more as you go further.
My father told me that now he understood why some doctors charge a lot for their services.. It's because those consultants have already sacrificed SO MUCH and gained so little during their time in training, so its a scramble to get established and earn a living so as not to be a burden any longer.. A resident's pay is laughable, especially in the private institutions. In the public hospitals, the pay is indeed higher, but the incresae in workload is not commensurate to the monetary compensation one receives.
A part of me looks back with regret at the fact that I did not choose to train abroad, where the training is definitely better, the working conditions a bit more acceptable, and the pay is more than enough for a person to survive on from day to day..
I understand that we're just in training, but we're also professionals for crying out loud! We put in more hours and get so much less in return. Now I understand why my cousin is always laughing at the local programs.. There's really no justice at all.. I'm lucky to have the support of my family, because gad they not been there, I would have given up being a doctor altogether.. From a practical point of view, it just isn't worth it.. :(
It just isn't worth it...
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