So long as it's sterilizable and fluid resistant. It'll have to withstand constant cleaning with alcohol and other compounds.
Although for what a hospital stay costs, an iPad could almost be disposable.
I imagine many different styles of cases with many different purposes will be announced over the next few months.
A sanitary skin would be essential for hospital use, and seems like an easy make. Something akin to a ziplock bag that's form fitting around the device, and zips closed at the bottom. Would be great for keeping it clean day to day, since it could be removed and washed.
While a number of these applications never come to fruition based on past experience (still surprised more people don't use Apple TV's for digital signage), the iPad is largely a known-beast. I've heard some pretty cool ideas for applications that don't really work on the smaller screen.
Can you please explain what you mean about using Apple TV for digital signage? I just purchased a club/lounge/restaurant, and I like the idea of connecting an external monitor to my iMac to show daily specials and upcoming concert listings.
My last primary care physician, who retired at the age of 55, drove a Ferrari. That was his summer vehicle. I know he also had a $50K-$60K Infiniti SUV, among others. He lived in the most expensive suburb of our city. My friends brother-in-law is a doctor. He trades his cars in like I change clothes and is constantly buying toy after toy after toy. He spends money like a drunken sailor. Neither of these guys are brain surgeons. My co-workers wife just became an anesthesiologist, rather late in life I might add. Loans? The first thing they did was buy a million dollar home and a Lexus because that's what her "colleagues" drove.
When I visit the hospitals that I work with, and peek into the HEATED GARAGE that only physicians can use, sure, I see some average vehicles, but those are the minority.
And really, I could care less, but when I hear about the constant whining from clinicians who claim the system is breaking them, it makes me ill.
The point is, for people under such financial pressure, a lot of you sure have large amounts of disposable income. And again, more power to you, but please stop bitching about your problems. We all have them.
This is exactly the attitude I was talking about. The "co-worker's wife" who is an anesthesiologist? Yes, anesthesiologists get paid well. They are not primary care. They are specialists. They get paid well because they take you to the edge of death and bring you back safely during surgery. I think their salary is worth it.
In fact, most hospital docs get paid well. Why? Because most of them are specialists (i.e. NOT primary care).
For doctors who own their own office, i.e. your local pediatrician, it is getting VERY difficult to run a practice and pay your bills.
To make matters worse, this fact is driving the brightest medical students AWAY from primary care fields at a time when we need them the most.
I understand that there are exceptions, and that some Family Docs (like yours) do quite well. They are the exception not the rule. Just because you go to a hospital garage and see a bunch of specialists BMW's does not mean that all doctors make bank.
I would also like to add that people don't go into medicine because it's fun. We all want to help people, but it is a LONG and DIFFICULT road. Becoming a doctor requires sacrificing most, if not all, of your personal relationships, at least during training. Your marriage will be on the rocks, you miss your kids' birthdays, you'll miss funerals, weddings, and graduations.
If doctors are overworked and feel underpaid, I promise that you will see the quality of physicians declining drastically as the "best and brightest" are attracted to other fields (business, engineering, whatever). What's left will be underpaid, overworked, mediocre doctors holding your life (and maybe an iPad) in their hands.
I agree. Most of the family docs I know (the good ones, anyway) are working virtually 24/7 jobs. I would not trade with them even if they were getting rich, which few of them are. The biggest problems most of us experience with primary care doctors are that most of them are incredibly overloaded, especially in the parts of the country where the shortage is the most acute. The sad fact is, if we want better healthcare, we need to pay primary care doctors more, not less.
This is exactly the attitude I was talking about. The "co-worker's wife" who is an anesthesiologist? Yes, anesthesiologists get paid well. They are not primary care. They are specialists. They get paid well because they take you to the edge of death and bring you back safely during surgery. I think their salary is worth it.
In fact, most hospital docs get paid well. Why? Because most of them are specialists (i.e. NOT primary care).
For doctors who own their own office, i.e. your local pediatrician, it is getting VERY difficult to run a practice and pay your bills.
To make matters worse, this fact is driving the brightest medical students AWAY from primary care fields at a time when we need them the most.
I understand that there are exceptions, and that some Family Docs (like yours) do quite well. They are the exception not the rule. Just because you go to a hospital garage and see a bunch of specialists BMW's does not mean that all doctors make bank.
I would also like to add that people don't go into medicine because it's fun. We all want to help people, but it is a LONG and DIFFICULT road. Becoming a doctor requires sacrificing most, if not all, of your personal relationships, at least during training. Your marriage will be on the rocks, you miss your kids' birthdays, you'll miss funerals, weddings, and graduations.
If doctors are overworked and feel underpaid, I promise that you will see the quality of physicians declining drastically as the "best and brightest" are attracted to other fields (business, engineering, whatever). What's left will be underpaid, overworked, mediocre doctors holding your life (and maybe an iPad) in their hands.
Sound good?
Holly smoke! Are you actually an MD, or are you perhaps a med student (or pre-med, maybe?) who only imagines they know something? Here's why I ask:
I know a lot of clinicians, including MD's, PA's, RN's, and none of them harp up the 'my life was ruined by my career' attitude - not one. I have never heard even a single one of these people suggest that their career is a terrible burden that required them to sacrifice their personal relationships, give up all rights to pleasure, sign away their joy and hope, and enter into a terrifying journey of sadness and grief. Come on - let's be serious here. Some people may be persuaded by that nonsense, but those of us who know something about medical care in this country know better than what you are suggesting. Listen: I mean this as no slight, but you just sound foolish.
Of all of the MD's, PA's, and RN's I know, all do very very well. Not one is barely skirting along, not one is just treading water, and not one is anywhere even near the median in terms of income - most are way way above it. Yes, it requires a lot of effort and a lot of money and a lot of time to make it through med school, but no more than going to college for a post-grad degree. You make it sound like you are sacrificing yourself for the greater good - like you are signing up for a life bereft of all things good. Give that a rest, ok - it just makes you sound like a kid.
I agree. Most of the family docs I know (the good ones, anyway) are working virtually 24/7 jobs. I would not trade with them even if they were getting rich, which few of them are. The biggest problems most of us experience with primary care doctors are that most of them are incredibly overloaded, especially in the parts of the country where the shortage is the most acute. The sad fact is, if we want better healthcare, we need to pay primary care doctors more, not less.
When I read this, my immediate thought is: How many do you actually know?
Can you please explain what you mean about using Apple TV for digital signage? I just purchased a club/lounge/restaurant, and I like the idea of connecting an external monitor to my iMac to show daily specials and upcoming concert listings.
Some folks have hacked their ATVs to do some digital signage. It's still kinda a hack but it typically works by looping video.
If you already have an iMac you might consider this:
Otherwise google for AppleTV and Digital Signage and see what folks have been doing. I think the easiest thing is to build a set of slides in Keynote, export as .mov and then loop the resulting video.
There's actually quite a few companies that support the A/V needs of churches. Some of those have mighty impressive video capabilities so you might look into them for digital signage software for the mac.
I could make a crap load more working in industry.
I'm not sure where all this negativity comes from, but for those complaining that we make too much, anyone with average intelligence and the desire can be a physician. Simply go to college for 4 years, medical school for another 4 years, complete your residency (3-9 years) and you to can share in the 'wealth'. You can also be in a profession that is about helping people instead of making some company or billionaire richer.
I could make a crap load more working in industry.
I'm not sure where all this negativity comes from, but for those complaining that we make too much, anyone with average intelligence and the desire can be a physician. Simply go to college for 4 years, medical school for another 4 years, complete your residency (3-9 years) and you to can share in the 'wealth'. You can also be in a profession that is about helping people instead of making some company or billionaire richer.
I think you misunderstood - nobody here was complaining that doctors make too much. The issue was with someone claiming that the life of the typical MD is a hard hard life, full of loss and sacrifice. Your sentiments actually prove the point I was trying to make. You like your job, you work hard, and you don't feel like your career has robbed you of anything.
One minor point: Are you certain you would make more in industry? Most of the clinicians I know make greatly more than the nerds like me working in 'industry.'
Holly smoke! Are you actually an MD, or are you perhaps a med student (or pre-med, maybe?) who only imagines they know something? Here's why I ask:
I know a lot of clinicians, including MD's, PA's, RN's, and none of them harp up the 'my life was ruined by my career' attitude - not one. I have never heard even a single one of these people suggest that their career is a terrible burden that required them to sacrifice their personal relationships, give up all rights to pleasure, sign away their joy and hope, and enter into a terrifying journey of sadness and grief. Come on - let's be serious here. Some people may be persuaded by that nonsense, but those of us who know something about medical care in this country know better than what you are suggesting. Listen: I mean this as no slight, but you just sound foolish.
Of all of the MD's, PA's, and RN's I know, all do very very well. Not one is barely skirting along, not one is just treading water, and not one is anywhere even near the median in terms of income - most are way way above it. Yes, it requires a lot of effort and a lot of money and a lot of time to make it through med school, but no more than going to college for a post-grad degree. You make it sound like you are sacrificing yourself for the greater good - like you are signing up for a life bereft of all things good. Give that a rest, ok - it just makes you sound like a kid.
He may be exaggerating a bit but he's right for the most part. Maybe you just know well heeled MDs in Orange county. Remember that the rest of the USA isn't the OC.
Primary care is a ghetto job and only getting worse. Even the MDs that do it admit it. Especially those in rural area or area with > 50% Medicare/Medicaid coverage. Most that are finishing med school and go into primary care will be employees of hospitals or HMOs. They'll have a somewhat comfortable life but they are likely to have about 150k in student loan debt so they won't be getting rich. Frankly most of them will have a middle class lifestyle and live not much better than GM or Ford workers did in their heyday.
Nice to see the overwhelmingly positive response that I've (personally) seen.
I'm so sick of the same "it doesn't have a camera... What was Apple thinking??" responses everywhere.
iPad makes perfect sense in any professional environment where the user needs to sync the device to a computer and needs these more specialized (and imho), more powerful apps.
Ask any pharma dealer (late '80s-early '90s) what they carried in their bag: it was Newton.
Ask any attorney what phone he's carrying into the courthouse these days: iPhone.
Ask any doctor what they're carrying between the office and the hospital next year: it'll be an iPad.
It is. You've got no god damn idea what the hell you're talking about.
YES, yes I do. But I give up - arguing this point is a huge waste of my time.
Listen, if any one of you is an actual doctor who seriously believes that their life is so so hard because of your career, you need to seriously consider switching to something else. And here is something else you ought to consider: all of the people in this country that are less fortunate than you. The people that struggle just to pay rent. The people who could not afford an iPad (the actual subject of this wayward message thread), the people who couldn't afford college, who had the misfortune to get born without the smarts to have a profession, those that are homeless, out of work, and all of the like. Hearing the bilk about how sad and awful the life of the average MD is - man it really just makes me sick. I'm not trying to belittle your feelings, but I feel the strongest urge just to say "please, get some perspective." Be thankful. Recognize your blessings. There are so many people in so much worse straights than an MD who chose not to specialize and winds up making less money than they think they should. This is all about perspective.
YES, yes I do. But I give up - arguing this point is a huge waste of my time.
Listen, if any one of you is an actual doctor who seriously believes that their life is so so hard because of your career, you need to seriously consider switching to something else. And here is something else you ought to consider: all of the people in this country that are less fortunate than you. The people that struggle just to pay rent. The people who could not afford an iPad (the actual subject of this wayward message thread), the people who couldn't afford college, who had the misfortune to get born without the smarts to have a profession, those are homeless, out of work, and all of the like. Hearing the bilk about how sad and awful the life of the average MD is - man it really just makes me sick. I'm not trying to belittle your feelings, but I feel the strongest urge just to say "please, get some perspective." Be thankful. Recognize your blessings.
Look, just because its hard doesn't mean that it isn't rewarding. It can and often is.
But it isn't easy. Not even a little bit. And I don't go around telling cops, firefighters and members of the 101st Airborne that they've got cushy jobs and to quit whining.
When I read this, my immediate thought is: How many do you actually know?
What was your thought after that?
The answer is, several currently, and more going back over the years naturally. I live in a small city I've been in a long time, and I know a lot of people here (including, strangely enough, doctors).
Holly smoke! Are you actually an MD, or are you perhaps a med student (or pre-med, maybe?) who only imagines they know something? Here's why I ask:
I know a lot of clinicians, including MD's, PA's, RN's, and none of them harp up the 'my life was ruined by my career' attitude - not one. I have never heard even a single one of these people suggest that their career is a terrible burden that required them to sacrifice their personal relationships, give up all rights to pleasure, sign away their joy and hope, and enter into a terrifying journey of sadness and grief. Come on - let's be serious here. Some people may be persuaded by that nonsense, but those of us who know something about medical care in this country know better than what you are suggesting. Listen: I mean this as no slight, but you just sound foolish.
Of all of the MD's, PA's, and RN's I know, all do very very well. Not one is barely skirting along, not one is just treading water, and not one is anywhere even near the median in terms of income - most are way way above it. Yes, it requires a lot of effort and a lot of money and a lot of time to make it through med school, but no more than going to college for a post-grad degree. You make it sound like you are sacrificing yourself for the greater good - like you are signing up for a life bereft of all things good. Give that a rest, ok - it just makes you sound like a kid.
I have no idea what clinicians you know or their circumstances. I do know that I read the poster's comments repeatedly attempting to understand how you came to interpret his post as "harping", "my life is ruined by my career", "career is a terrible burden", and the remaining emboldened comments of yours. I came up empty until re-reading the rest of your posts which appear to contain undue bias which end up making your statements sound, well, not "like a kid", but certainly less than flattering. In doing so, I think you missed his point in order to make yours.
Anecdotal Comment: I live in a relatively affluent area and have many physician friends, mostly above the age of 45, and am acquainted with many more through charitable work. Most of their net worths/lifestyle, except for that of some widely-recognized surgeons (plastic & cardio) and anesthesiologists (though their liability premiums are astronomical), have been developed over years of investments of their and their staffs' retirement funds, not from unreasonable salary income. For physicians who live in other parts of our county and one to the south, I am generally underwhelmed at their incomes. I am quite surprised at the familiar refrain of needing a second source of income to accommodate their mortgages, kids college funds, and retirement ... as it is for so many others.
Lastly, I usually find that my post-grad cost and time required to accomplish it pales in comparison.
Look, just because its hard doesn't mean that it isn't rewarding. It can and often is.
But it isn't easy. Not even a little bit. And I don't go around telling cops, firefighters and members of the 101st Airborne that they've got cushy jobs and to quit whining.
I'm smarter than that.
I'll ignore the backhanded insult.
Here are some facts:
Median salary for Physician Generalists in the US is ~$160,000 per year, and less than 10% make less than $110,000 per year.
Median salary for Family Practice Physicians in the US is ~$170,000 per year, and less than 10% make under $129,000 per year.
To put that in perspective, the minimum salary - the one below which less than 10% of practitioners make, is more than twice the median household income in the united states. The actual median salaries are more than 3 times median household incomes.
Again, I am not saying MD's make too much money, and I certainly am not saying you don't have a right to complain. But man oh man, the whining about how horrid your lives are seems absurd if placed in context - look around, ok? There are people in our country who are actually suffering. My point to you is this: The perception that one is not making as much as one should, and suffering the feeling of being under-appreciated... is not real suffering.
I honestly cannot believe I got drawn into this as much as I have - certainly against my better judgment. Please believe me when I tell you I honestly have no intent to slight you, or even deprive you of your angst if that is what you wish to bear. But can I just encourage you to maybe examine the assertion that you are making? If the assertion is that most MD's live difficult, hard lives... then I have to say, I think that's just wildly off base, and I am truly sorry if that offends you.
I have no idea what clinicians you know or their circumstances. I do know that I read the poster's comments repeatedly attempting to understand how you came to interpret his post as "harping", "my life is ruined by my career", "career is a terrible burden", and the remaining emboldened comments of yours. I came up empty until re-reading the rest of your posts which appear to contain undue bias which end up making your statements sound, well, not "like a kid", but certainly less than flattering. In doing so, I think you missed his point in order to make yours.
Anecdotal Comment: I live in a relatively affluent area and have many physician friends, mostly above the age of 45, and am acquainted with many more through charitable work. Most of their net worths/lifestyle, except for that of some widely-recognized surgeons (plastic & cardio) and anesthesiologists (though their liability premiums are astronomical), have been developed over years of investments of their and their staffs' retirement funds, not from unreasonable salary income. For physicians who live in other parts of our county and one to the south, I am generally underwhelmed at their incomes. I am quite surprised at the familiar refrain of needing a second source of income to accommodate their mortgages, kids college funds, and retirement ... as it is for so many others.
Lastly, I usually find that my post-grad cost and time required to accomplish it pales in comparison.
You missed a lot of what I said, and what I was responding to. That's ok - we are arguing personal perspective here, and I now realize it is quite a waste of time to do so.
Comments
So long as it's sterilizable and fluid resistant. It'll have to withstand constant cleaning with alcohol and other compounds.
Although for what a hospital stay costs, an iPad could almost be disposable.
I imagine many different styles of cases with many different purposes will be announced over the next few months.
A sanitary skin would be essential for hospital use, and seems like an easy make. Something akin to a ziplock bag that's form fitting around the device, and zips closed at the bottom. Would be great for keeping it clean day to day, since it could be removed and washed.
While a number of these applications never come to fruition based on past experience (still surprised more people don't use Apple TV's for digital signage), the iPad is largely a known-beast. I've heard some pretty cool ideas for applications that don't really work on the smaller screen.
Can you please explain what you mean about using Apple TV for digital signage? I just purchased a club/lounge/restaurant, and I like the idea of connecting an external monitor to my iMac to show daily specials and upcoming concert listings.
Oh my God you are killing me.
My last primary care physician, who retired at the age of 55, drove a Ferrari. That was his summer vehicle. I know he also had a $50K-$60K Infiniti SUV, among others. He lived in the most expensive suburb of our city. My friends brother-in-law is a doctor. He trades his cars in like I change clothes and is constantly buying toy after toy after toy. He spends money like a drunken sailor. Neither of these guys are brain surgeons. My co-workers wife just became an anesthesiologist, rather late in life I might add. Loans? The first thing they did was buy a million dollar home and a Lexus because that's what her "colleagues" drove.
When I visit the hospitals that I work with, and peek into the HEATED GARAGE that only physicians can use, sure, I see some average vehicles, but those are the minority.
And really, I could care less, but when I hear about the constant whining from clinicians who claim the system is breaking them, it makes me ill.
The point is, for people under such financial pressure, a lot of you sure have large amounts of disposable income. And again, more power to you, but please stop bitching about your problems. We all have them.
This is exactly the attitude I was talking about. The "co-worker's wife" who is an anesthesiologist? Yes, anesthesiologists get paid well. They are not primary care. They are specialists. They get paid well because they take you to the edge of death and bring you back safely during surgery. I think their salary is worth it.
In fact, most hospital docs get paid well. Why? Because most of them are specialists (i.e. NOT primary care).
For doctors who own their own office, i.e. your local pediatrician, it is getting VERY difficult to run a practice and pay your bills.
To make matters worse, this fact is driving the brightest medical students AWAY from primary care fields at a time when we need them the most.
I understand that there are exceptions, and that some Family Docs (like yours) do quite well. They are the exception not the rule. Just because you go to a hospital garage and see a bunch of specialists BMW's does not mean that all doctors make bank.
I would also like to add that people don't go into medicine because it's fun. We all want to help people, but it is a LONG and DIFFICULT road. Becoming a doctor requires sacrificing most, if not all, of your personal relationships, at least during training. Your marriage will be on the rocks, you miss your kids' birthdays, you'll miss funerals, weddings, and graduations.
If doctors are overworked and feel underpaid, I promise that you will see the quality of physicians declining drastically as the "best and brightest" are attracted to other fields (business, engineering, whatever). What's left will be underpaid, overworked, mediocre doctors holding your life (and maybe an iPad) in their hands.
Sound good?
No offense, but I had to install Citrix for a real estate client who bought a Mac only to realize her IE based software wouldn't work.
I really don't recommend it and it most likely won't work on the iPad/A4 processors anyway without a major rewrite.
I would have installed parallels instead.
It's a shame that darwine isn't a little easier to manage but winebottler seems to be moving that bar forward. ie4osx is under that now.
http://winebottler.kronenberg.org/
This is exactly the attitude I was talking about. The "co-worker's wife" who is an anesthesiologist? Yes, anesthesiologists get paid well. They are not primary care. They are specialists. They get paid well because they take you to the edge of death and bring you back safely during surgery. I think their salary is worth it.
In fact, most hospital docs get paid well. Why? Because most of them are specialists (i.e. NOT primary care).
For doctors who own their own office, i.e. your local pediatrician, it is getting VERY difficult to run a practice and pay your bills.
To make matters worse, this fact is driving the brightest medical students AWAY from primary care fields at a time when we need them the most.
I understand that there are exceptions, and that some Family Docs (like yours) do quite well. They are the exception not the rule. Just because you go to a hospital garage and see a bunch of specialists BMW's does not mean that all doctors make bank.
I would also like to add that people don't go into medicine because it's fun. We all want to help people, but it is a LONG and DIFFICULT road. Becoming a doctor requires sacrificing most, if not all, of your personal relationships, at least during training. Your marriage will be on the rocks, you miss your kids' birthdays, you'll miss funerals, weddings, and graduations.
If doctors are overworked and feel underpaid, I promise that you will see the quality of physicians declining drastically as the "best and brightest" are attracted to other fields (business, engineering, whatever). What's left will be underpaid, overworked, mediocre doctors holding your life (and maybe an iPad) in their hands.
Sound good?
Holly smoke! Are you actually an MD, or are you perhaps a med student (or pre-med, maybe?) who only imagines they know something? Here's why I ask:
I know a lot of clinicians, including MD's, PA's, RN's, and none of them harp up the 'my life was ruined by my career' attitude - not one. I have never heard even a single one of these people suggest that their career is a terrible burden that required them to sacrifice their personal relationships, give up all rights to pleasure, sign away their joy and hope, and enter into a terrifying journey of sadness and grief. Come on - let's be serious here. Some people may be persuaded by that nonsense, but those of us who know something about medical care in this country know better than what you are suggesting. Listen: I mean this as no slight, but you just sound foolish.
Of all of the MD's, PA's, and RN's I know, all do very very well. Not one is barely skirting along, not one is just treading water, and not one is anywhere even near the median in terms of income - most are way way above it. Yes, it requires a lot of effort and a lot of money and a lot of time to make it through med school, but no more than going to college for a post-grad degree. You make it sound like you are sacrificing yourself for the greater good - like you are signing up for a life bereft of all things good. Give that a rest, ok - it just makes you sound like a kid.
I agree. Most of the family docs I know (the good ones, anyway) are working virtually 24/7 jobs. I would not trade with them even if they were getting rich, which few of them are. The biggest problems most of us experience with primary care doctors are that most of them are incredibly overloaded, especially in the parts of the country where the shortage is the most acute. The sad fact is, if we want better healthcare, we need to pay primary care doctors more, not less.
When I read this, my immediate thought is: How many do you actually know?
Can you please explain what you mean about using Apple TV for digital signage? I just purchased a club/lounge/restaurant, and I like the idea of connecting an external monitor to my iMac to show daily specials and upcoming concert listings.
Some folks have hacked their ATVs to do some digital signage. It's still kinda a hack but it typically works by looping video.
If you already have an iMac you might consider this:
http://nexgen-ds.com/Demo.html
Otherwise google for AppleTV and Digital Signage and see what folks have been doing. I think the easiest thing is to build a set of slides in Keynote, export as .mov and then loop the resulting video.
There's actually quite a few companies that support the A/V needs of churches. Some of those have mighty impressive video capabilities so you might look into them for digital signage software for the mac.
Here's one example:
http://www.renewedvision.com/pp3.php
I do well.
I work hard and I enjoy it.
I don't drive a Ferrari.
I could make a crap load more working in industry.
I'm not sure where all this negativity comes from, but for those complaining that we make too much, anyone with average intelligence and the desire can be a physician. Simply go to college for 4 years, medical school for another 4 years, complete your residency (3-9 years) and you to can share in the 'wealth'. You can also be in a profession that is about helping people instead of making some company or billionaire richer.
http://www.nanonation.net/
(they do digital signage so google brought them up)
I'm a primary care physician.
I do well.
I work hard and I enjoy it.
I don't drive a Ferrari.
I could make a crap load more working in industry.
I'm not sure where all this negativity comes from, but for those complaining that we make too much, anyone with average intelligence and the desire can be a physician. Simply go to college for 4 years, medical school for another 4 years, complete your residency (3-9 years) and you to can share in the 'wealth'. You can also be in a profession that is about helping people instead of making some company or billionaire richer.
I think you misunderstood - nobody here was complaining that doctors make too much. The issue was with someone claiming that the life of the typical MD is a hard hard life, full of loss and sacrifice. Your sentiments actually prove the point I was trying to make. You like your job, you work hard, and you don't feel like your career has robbed you of anything.
One minor point: Are you certain you would make more in industry? Most of the clinicians I know make greatly more than the nerds like me working in 'industry.'
Holly smoke! Are you actually an MD, or are you perhaps a med student (or pre-med, maybe?) who only imagines they know something? Here's why I ask:
I know a lot of clinicians, including MD's, PA's, RN's, and none of them harp up the 'my life was ruined by my career' attitude - not one. I have never heard even a single one of these people suggest that their career is a terrible burden that required them to sacrifice their personal relationships, give up all rights to pleasure, sign away their joy and hope, and enter into a terrifying journey of sadness and grief. Come on - let's be serious here. Some people may be persuaded by that nonsense, but those of us who know something about medical care in this country know better than what you are suggesting. Listen: I mean this as no slight, but you just sound foolish.
Of all of the MD's, PA's, and RN's I know, all do very very well. Not one is barely skirting along, not one is just treading water, and not one is anywhere even near the median in terms of income - most are way way above it. Yes, it requires a lot of effort and a lot of money and a lot of time to make it through med school, but no more than going to college for a post-grad degree. You make it sound like you are sacrificing yourself for the greater good - like you are signing up for a life bereft of all things good. Give that a rest, ok - it just makes you sound like a kid.
He may be exaggerating a bit but he's right for the most part. Maybe you just know well heeled MDs in Orange county. Remember that the rest of the USA isn't the OC.
Primary care is a ghetto job and only getting worse. Even the MDs that do it admit it. Especially those in rural area or area with > 50% Medicare/Medicaid coverage. Most that are finishing med school and go into primary care will be employees of hospitals or HMOs. They'll have a somewhat comfortable life but they are likely to have about 150k in student loan debt so they won't be getting rich. Frankly most of them will have a middle class lifestyle and live not much better than GM or Ford workers did in their heyday.
The issue was with someone claiming that the life of the typical MD is a hard hard life, full of loss and sacrifice. '
It is. You've got no god damn idea what the hell you're talking about.
I'm so sick of the same "it doesn't have a camera... What was Apple thinking??" responses everywhere.
iPad makes perfect sense in any professional environment where the user needs to sync the device to a computer and needs these more specialized (and imho), more powerful apps.
Ask any pharma dealer (late '80s-early '90s) what they carried in their bag: it was Newton.
Ask any attorney what phone he's carrying into the courthouse these days: iPhone.
Ask any doctor what they're carrying between the office and the hospital next year: it'll be an iPad.
It is. You've got no god damn idea what the hell you're talking about.
YES, yes I do. But I give up - arguing this point is a huge waste of my time.
Listen, if any one of you is an actual doctor who seriously believes that their life is so so hard because of your career, you need to seriously consider switching to something else. And here is something else you ought to consider: all of the people in this country that are less fortunate than you. The people that struggle just to pay rent. The people who could not afford an iPad (the actual subject of this wayward message thread), the people who couldn't afford college, who had the misfortune to get born without the smarts to have a profession, those that are homeless, out of work, and all of the like. Hearing the bilk about how sad and awful the life of the average MD is - man it really just makes me sick. I'm not trying to belittle your feelings, but I feel the strongest urge just to say "please, get some perspective." Be thankful. Recognize your blessings. There are so many people in so much worse straights than an MD who chose not to specialize and winds up making less money than they think they should. This is all about perspective.
YES, yes I do. But I give up - arguing this point is a huge waste of my time.
Listen, if any one of you is an actual doctor who seriously believes that their life is so so hard because of your career, you need to seriously consider switching to something else. And here is something else you ought to consider: all of the people in this country that are less fortunate than you. The people that struggle just to pay rent. The people who could not afford an iPad (the actual subject of this wayward message thread), the people who couldn't afford college, who had the misfortune to get born without the smarts to have a profession, those are homeless, out of work, and all of the like. Hearing the bilk about how sad and awful the life of the average MD is - man it really just makes me sick. I'm not trying to belittle your feelings, but I feel the strongest urge just to say "please, get some perspective." Be thankful. Recognize your blessings.
Look, just because its hard doesn't mean that it isn't rewarding. It can and often is.
But it isn't easy. Not even a little bit. And I don't go around telling cops, firefighters and members of the 101st Airborne that they've got cushy jobs and to quit whining.
I'm smarter than that.
When I read this, my immediate thought is: How many do you actually know?
What was your thought after that?
The answer is, several currently, and more going back over the years naturally. I live in a small city I've been in a long time, and I know a lot of people here (including, strangely enough, doctors).
Holly smoke! Are you actually an MD, or are you perhaps a med student (or pre-med, maybe?) who only imagines they know something? Here's why I ask:
I know a lot of clinicians, including MD's, PA's, RN's, and none of them harp up the 'my life was ruined by my career' attitude - not one. I have never heard even a single one of these people suggest that their career is a terrible burden that required them to sacrifice their personal relationships, give up all rights to pleasure, sign away their joy and hope, and enter into a terrifying journey of sadness and grief. Come on - let's be serious here. Some people may be persuaded by that nonsense, but those of us who know something about medical care in this country know better than what you are suggesting. Listen: I mean this as no slight, but you just sound foolish.
Of all of the MD's, PA's, and RN's I know, all do very very well. Not one is barely skirting along, not one is just treading water, and not one is anywhere even near the median in terms of income - most are way way above it. Yes, it requires a lot of effort and a lot of money and a lot of time to make it through med school, but no more than going to college for a post-grad degree. You make it sound like you are sacrificing yourself for the greater good - like you are signing up for a life bereft of all things good. Give that a rest, ok - it just makes you sound like a kid.
I have no idea what clinicians you know or their circumstances. I do know that I read the poster's comments repeatedly attempting to understand how you came to interpret his post as "harping", "my life is ruined by my career", "career is a terrible burden", and the remaining emboldened comments of yours. I came up empty until re-reading the rest of your posts which appear to contain undue bias which end up making your statements sound, well, not "like a kid", but certainly less than flattering. In doing so, I think you missed his point in order to make yours.
Anecdotal Comment: I live in a relatively affluent area and have many physician friends, mostly above the age of 45, and am acquainted with many more through charitable work. Most of their net worths/lifestyle, except for that of some widely-recognized surgeons (plastic & cardio) and anesthesiologists (though their liability premiums are astronomical), have been developed over years of investments of their and their staffs' retirement funds, not from unreasonable salary income. For physicians who live in other parts of our county and one to the south, I am generally underwhelmed at their incomes. I am quite surprised at the familiar refrain of needing a second source of income to accommodate their mortgages, kids college funds, and retirement ... as it is for so many others.
Lastly, I usually find that my post-grad cost and time required to accomplish it pales in comparison.
Look, just because its hard doesn't mean that it isn't rewarding. It can and often is.
But it isn't easy. Not even a little bit. And I don't go around telling cops, firefighters and members of the 101st Airborne that they've got cushy jobs and to quit whining.
I'm smarter than that.
I'll ignore the backhanded insult.
Here are some facts:
Median salary for Physician Generalists in the US is ~$160,000 per year, and less than 10% make less than $110,000 per year.
Median salary for Family Practice Physicians in the US is ~$170,000 per year, and less than 10% make under $129,000 per year.
To put that in perspective, the minimum salary - the one below which less than 10% of practitioners make, is more than twice the median household income in the united states. The actual median salaries are more than 3 times median household incomes.
Again, I am not saying MD's make too much money, and I certainly am not saying you don't have a right to complain. But man oh man, the whining about how horrid your lives are seems absurd if placed in context - look around, ok? There are people in our country who are actually suffering. My point to you is this: The perception that one is not making as much as one should, and suffering the feeling of being under-appreciated... is not real suffering.
I honestly cannot believe I got drawn into this as much as I have - certainly against my better judgment. Please believe me when I tell you I honestly have no intent to slight you, or even deprive you of your angst if that is what you wish to bear. But can I just encourage you to maybe examine the assertion that you are making? If the assertion is that most MD's live difficult, hard lives... then I have to say, I think that's just wildly off base, and I am truly sorry if that offends you.
I have no idea what clinicians you know or their circumstances. I do know that I read the poster's comments repeatedly attempting to understand how you came to interpret his post as "harping", "my life is ruined by my career", "career is a terrible burden", and the remaining emboldened comments of yours. I came up empty until re-reading the rest of your posts which appear to contain undue bias which end up making your statements sound, well, not "like a kid", but certainly less than flattering. In doing so, I think you missed his point in order to make yours.
Anecdotal Comment: I live in a relatively affluent area and have many physician friends, mostly above the age of 45, and am acquainted with many more through charitable work. Most of their net worths/lifestyle, except for that of some widely-recognized surgeons (plastic & cardio) and anesthesiologists (though their liability premiums are astronomical), have been developed over years of investments of their and their staffs' retirement funds, not from unreasonable salary income. For physicians who live in other parts of our county and one to the south, I am generally underwhelmed at their incomes. I am quite surprised at the familiar refrain of needing a second source of income to accommodate their mortgages, kids college funds, and retirement ... as it is for so many others.
Lastly, I usually find that my post-grad cost and time required to accomplish it pales in comparison.
You missed a lot of what I said, and what I was responding to. That's ok - we are arguing personal perspective here, and I now realize it is quite a waste of time to do so.