Medical school is often romanticized as a noble path to a prestigious career. But the recent statistics paint a disturbing picture – over 1,270 students dropping out and another 122 dying by suicide over the last five years. What forces drive so many young aspiring physicians to the brink?
As a medical student myself, I have witnessed the immense pressures first-hand. Parental expectations and societal prestige propel many students into medicine for the wrong reasons. Once in the grueling program, the harsh realities of medical culture take a severe toll on mental health. We must honestly confront the dark side of medicine that is breaking so many students.
Like many of my peers, I chose this path because I succumbed to parental pressure, mainly for fulfilling dreams that were not mine. As a high school student, I was told that my dreams and passions (computer science/ biotech) had no scope in this country and that I would never be able to fulfill my purpose or earn enough money to move out. My parents encouraged me to pursue medicine, seeing it as a respectable, lucrative career. Like an idiot, I believed everything my parents told me. I decided to pursue Medicine and worked tirelessly to get into medical school to make them proud. Of course, they meant only the best for me. I don’t blame them.
However, once enrolled, the heavy workload, competitive culture, and lack of work-life balance quickly led to burnout and disillusionment. I realized I had sacrificed my youth to tedious studying and toxic environments to satisfy external pressures, not internal motivations.
A recent study in Medical Education (Griffin and Hu, 2019) found that students who feel their parents expect them to pursue a prestigious medical career often develop more negative attitudes after starting medical school. By the final year, they have higher rates of burnout. Clearly, the weight of parental pressures takes a psychological toll on many students today. This is seen more in the Asian countries, especially India.
These pressures persist because society confers so much status on medical careers. Medicine is seen as the pinnacle of success in many communities. Parents actively push their children towards it for the sake of family pride and respectability. Becoming a doctor is reduced to a status symbol rather than a noble calling.
But this prestigious image contrasts jarringly with the daily realities of medical education and career. While glamorous on the surface, being a doctor often means being subject to tremendous abuse and struggle. As I have mentioned in the article regarding intrinsic vs. extrinsic reasons for pursuing medicine, the outcomes of those who chased the prestige or glamor of being a doctor suffered the most.
Medical students have depression rates of over 30%. Up to 15% of physicians develop drug or alcohol addiction, which is double the general population’s rate. This makes sense, considering the immense stress, sleep deprivation, and mental strain we endure. Physician Health Programs in the US help with the management of this silent epidemic, which again is absent in countries like India.
Worsening this scenario is the verbal and physical assault the doctors face at work, especially in India. According to an ongoing study by the Indian Medical Association (IMA), 75% of doctors in India have experienced violence in their workplace. Emergency and ICU rooms are the most violent settings. Another survey in Kerala pointed out that about 65.6% of doctors have experienced violence, primarily verbal abuse (89.9%) and intimidation by gestures (32.7%). Most incidents occur during the day (84.7%), with 32% occurring after duty hours.
Dr. Aviral Mathur, the President of FORDA (Federation of Resident Doctors Association), said, “Exaggerated duty time (stretching without breaks up to 36 hours on certain days), inadequate rest, hostile work environments created by some toxic seniors and a lack of time-off for PG students are significant factors contributing to burnout and mental health challenges.”
If you think Dr. Mathur’s words are mere exaggerations, I can tell you they are quite the contrary. I have longed for a 36-hour shift in certain weeks because somehow, due to roster adjustments or combined duties, I have worked 48 to 72-hour shifts without breaks. Sleeping on desks and rotating the common duty room among the residents were the norm, wherein a 36-hour shift was considered a blessing.
All this headache and medical drama for a monthly remuneration of a measly Rs 13,500 (approx $200 per month, back in 2015)! To make a year-on-year comparison, my friends working as civil engineers had a starting salary of Rs 35,000 (about 3 times more), and software developers had even better prospects (3 to 4 times).
Imagine coming out of this 72-hour breakless shift… only to attend your well-settled and high-earning engineering friend’s phone call, complaining about how “work life is seeping into their personal life” and going late to bed every day is affecting their mental health.
Yet despite the sacrifices, many doctors end up disillusioned and financially unstable. With medical school debt exceeding $200,000 in the US (and almost similar figures in India) on average and salaries dropping, the return often fails to match the investment. Countless doctors regret the youth they wasted pining for prestige and a stable income that never materialized.
This toxic environment naturally breeds addiction, depression, and suicidal ideation. But few dare speak openly about it due to stigma and fear of professional consequences. Suffering in silence becomes the norm.
We urgently need to reform medical education and culture to address this crisis. Curriculums should focus more on developing compassionate, humane healers rather than brilliant technicians. Students need protected time for self-care and mental health. Robust counseling and crisis services must exist.
Schools should foster collaborative, nurturing environments rather than hypercompetitive cultures that isolate students. And we need more open conversations about the realities of medical careers to break down stigmas. I have written an article focusing on Medicine and following your career choices.
But ultimately, lasting change starts at home – parents must reflect on how their expectations influence children’s motivations. Pushing kids into medical careers for self-serving reasons can have disastrous consequences. Unless your child shows a genuine interest, do not pressure or even encourage this path. Internal motivations, not external pressures, must guide a demanding yet vital career.
As a society, we must also rethink how we value healthcare professionals. Prestige should not be the primary motivator for entering medicine. This career requires altruism and grit to bear the many challenges. Appreciate all caring professions equally crucial to community health, not just Medicine.
With wisdom and cultural change, we can prevent many brilliant minds from being broken by an educational journey that should be inspiring. But we must act soon – lives depend on it.