Surgeon reacts to Dr. Ali Abdaal QUITTING medicine
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- čas přidán 9. 01. 2022
- I took a raw look at Dr. Abdaal's video.
It is clear he is making the best personal choice for him. That said, I took issue with the way he criticized the impact of medicine and the role that individual doctors play. This is my genuine reaction. Probably a bit stronger than I expected. He is obviously a great inspiration to many people. Despite that I did take issue with some of the things he said about being a doctor. Clearly this is his experience and it won't apply to everyone.
Check out his video for full context.
• Why I Left Medicine......
Dr. Abdaal, is an incredible success and helps many people through his youtube channel, he is a great person. Despite me taking issue with a number of his points and characterization of the medical profession, I am quite sure he will make an even bigger impact through youtube and his other ventures than he would have as a Doctor.
Ultimately, medicine is a demanding profession that requires your whole heart in it, but if you are partway through your training, let me encourage you to stick with it. Good luck - Zábava
I think we need to respect people's reasons for leaving anything. One of the problems in the US is that the high cost of education often locks people into careers they do not want. It's very costly to make a mistake or to later change your mind.
This is the problem of admitting people who are only good test takers to medicine rather than those who also have genuine passion for healthcare.
Hi Dr. Hilsden,
Thank you for your reaction video. I'm a second year medical student who is also looking into trauma surg, and the grind is real. Our dean says that at the end of every action, every deed, there's a patient. If you are able to provide even 5 seconds of comfort to a life, then you have made an impact. And that doesn't always mean saving a life.
I also agree with you on our role. Our role on the healthcare team is not to be the star but rather the mediator. We bring different sides together to see what the best options are for the patient, who is the true star of the show.
You got another subscriber!
Can you do a video on OR hazing rituals? And also on the amount of bullying that’s allowed to go on? I’m a 15 year scrub who currently works the deep night shift doing trauma surgery. I remember driving home crying so many times that first year because a surgeon had cursed me out, thrown instruments, I was even slapped hard on the back of my hand when I attempted to pass an instrument that THE SURGEON ASKED FOR but I was hit and berated for not reading his mind and “Giving him what he needs, not what he asked for”...... I eventually learned to stand up for myself, take zero shit, give zero fucks. But that takes awhile to develop. I just think we lose so many great circulating and scrub nurses over this kind of treatment and I wish OR people were nicer and more of a mentor to noobs rather than a tormentor. It’s sad. I’ve seen seasoned scrubs bet with each other on who can make the noob cry first. That’s not cool at all and causes undue stress when surgery is stressful enough as it is.
I think it just comes down to ego. He doesn't have the humility to do a job where someone could just as well replace him and do it well. He wants to be unique because his ego is too massive.
Thank you for your reaction. I'm in med school and I really think Dr. Ali Abdaal lacks the motivation for medicine, or he's lost it on the way. I don't say it's a bad thing, I actually admire his consciousness and that he decides to quit. I have met many doctors on my way that did not care at all or had no drive for medicine, and the results with the healthcare I received were so underwhelming that I am now still trying to resolve medical issues that came up 4 years ago. (I'm from Europe between).
But what I really want to say it that even when it's hard and I feel like an imposter, like I'm not smart enough, because others already had medical experience before starting med school, I still wouldn't give up, because I can only find myself doing this, where even though I have to study a lot, what I study and do is genuinely interesting to me.
I am general surgery resident in Dubai , I just discovered your channel.It’s interesting and I liked your way of explaining sutures for non-medical practitioners.
Thank you. Hope to create much more content going forward
Thank you so much. I wish more doctors would accept that they’re part of a system of treatment and diagnosis, and that system includes nurses and patients as well as other doctors.
I know it doesn’t mean much to my GP or cardiologist, but my neurologist says that it’s important to pay attention to what sets off my pain and what makes it better. Because they gives him and his colleagues valuable knowledge about what’s happening inside my body, even though it doesn’t show up on scans or tests in a traditional sense. So I keep a little notebook for him to read every year, in case this is the year we figure it out together.
I appreciate your balanced, thought out take on this. Thanks!
As a 5th year med student in South Africa, I needed this
I love your take. Also, I think your take as a Canadian surgeon is quite refreshing and different than that of an American one... or let alone as a doctor. The system in Canada can fundamentally embrace being a network, a team... not one special person or place that is key, but everyone... due to America's medical industry and insurance companies, this is almost inverted from a rewards or economic standpoint. Everything in American culture is about "rugged individualism" or exceptional blah blah... resource scarceness sparking cost and value...and we treat patient care under that capitalist lens alone sadly.
Well, I saw Ali's video when he published it. Was not surprised at his decision , as he has mentioned in his other videos that he went into Medicine just with the flow, typical for a academically sound son of an immigrant doctor parent. It becomes a easy decision to leave something you are not passionate about for something which seems much more interesting and financially much more rewarding.
What would you say are the "optimal" points in a doctor's career which are the best to reflect if one should continue their medical career? Naturally before med school, but after that? End of first year of Med School? After first year of work? Before starting to specialize?
In other words, how long should one "hang in there until X" in specific points of their careers?
Most objective and balanced view from a senior doctor. Ali quitting medicine is better for him and in general because he is more of an entrepreneur than a doctor. And he is very good at running his business. I love his channel too, a very big inspiration. But as an intern, no much point to continue and not loving what you do and there is a way more lucrative career ready for you. No brainer. But being a doctor is still a career we think is better for most people.
It is better for him. Clearly a good choice in his case. But I do want to encourage people to stick with medicine
I don’t think that at all. My daughter always said she wanted to be an OB/GYN but I would always discourage that because it’s a hard life and you don’t get much of any time for family and fun. Always on call, never sleeping, etc... Anyway, I set it up with an OB friend of mine to let my daughter shadow her through spring break and that’s all it took for her to realize that was not the life she wanted for herself. She’s now, a High School Agriculture/Rodeo teacher and loves every second of it. People need to understand the work load involved in most specialties before they dedicate tons of student loan debt and many years of their life toward becoming something only to find out that they hate it. I’m glad this doc realized that early on!
@@RichHilsdenAbsolutely.. Medicine is an amazing profession for those who are disciplined enough to push through it…
I quit med school too for too many reasons, honestly there are alot of arab, indian and asian parents pressure their kids to be doctors and I was one of them lol.
Gracias Doctor pienso lo mismo que UD estoy en proceso de ser especialista y me encuentro en formación y se me ha pasado por la cabeza si estoy haciendo lo correcto ya que en ocasiones siento que no soy lo suficientemente bueno pero prefiero terminar y luego tomar la decisión ya que me da miedo haber tomado una decisión sin conocer la cima, creo que ese consejo les daría yo a los que piensa renunciar, culminen y después decidan.
Un saludo
Hello. I found the same problems with the video. Great for him for finding out medicine is not for him…. BUT he is misunderstanding what Medicine really is and I’m afraid of the conclusions medical students/residents/junior doctors take away from this. Sad to hear a doctor thinking he has no impact on lives. You not only have an impact on your patients, but also on their families (even from an economic perspective).
Totally. A lot of the impact we have we simple cant measure. Deep down inside though the patients appreciate the work. If you have ever been a patient yourself it can be a great reminder of this.
I found your channel because of a reaction video you did to one of dr glauckomfleckens videoes. So, so happy I found this channel, you inspire me to be a better doctor 😊
I’m curious how you as a trauma surgeon feel about physician assisted suicide?? I’m personally all for it but I know most docs are fully against it. I wonder if that’s because they see it as dollars flying out the window, personal feelings of lost opportunities, or if it just goes against that Hippocratic oath? And if it’s the latter, is that really doing no harm to aggressively treat a person against their will?? Because I am a huge believer in palliative care and I think in the US system at least, there’s too much of a financial incentive to treat in order to bill that insurance when the patient would rather just go out peacefully. Idk, I’m just curious on your feelings on that
I do try to stay away from politics on this channel. That being said. I am Canadian. The term we use if Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD). Last I checked about 2% of Canadians choose this route. And MOST Canadian doctors are supportive (not all of course). Probably won't say much more than that here.
@@RichHilsden
So, you’re saying that it’s legal in Canada?? That’s interesting. There are only a couple of states in the US who allow it. Thanks for your reply
@@Kimboscrub Yes. Legal federally. It is a great good in our society. Hardly controversial at all. Maybe in edge cases. But for the most part, people now have the ability to die with dignity, the way they want to. Provided some restrictions to ensure consent is not coerced and they are mentally fit to provide consent
@@RichHilsden
That’s fantastic! I hope the US realizes this soon. It’s just plain the right thing to do in some cases.
@@Kimboscrub Abortion rights were just overturned. I seriously doubt that America would be able to handle even the debate about it. X
Correct me if i'm wrong but at first you mentioned that you didn't save many lives, and then you said you save way more lives than 7 or 23?
If you’re not in the profession you might not understand.. He said that without him operating, those patients would have died.. But nowhere did he claim that he was saving lives alone.. A good doctor is someone who is effective as part of a team..
Unfortunate how much you seemed to intentionally misunderstand his words to make your own points.
Are you a medical student or doctor?
I think you arent really interpreting Ali's points correctly, leading you to say you disagree when meanwhile your arguments points out you agree with him. Ali is not making the point of "im not special as a doc" as to say "I quit because I wasnt special or wasnt saving lives", he is making the point from the perspective of the general public. He got some flack for taking a break during the pandemic from his viewers because they said he could be out there saving lives. The reason he says "im not special" is because he wants to argue for the fact that its the team that helps people, just like you say from your own experience. And yes, like you said, being Dr. House is unattainable in real life. But also unfortunately, its not something everyone can anticipate when they enter med school, unless their parents are docs and have shown their kids what its really like. Many people feel kind of catfished by medicine for that specific reason.