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Healing

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It has been my experience that, when choosing a profession in today's society, the level of compensation a person receives, while a key factor, is generally not the most important factor. For example, I am a Pre-Law student and I took my time in choosing this career. When it came down to the decision point, I chose to pursue a career in law for certain reasons, one of which I must admit was the potential income. When I looked at careers, though, having worked jobs that were well payed but not fulfilling, the factors that mattered most to me were: 1) Was it a monotonous job or was it a changing industry, 2) Was it a job that I could perform in a variety of locations, and 3) was it a job in which I could make a difference in somebody's life. With these items considered, and the availability of educational opportunities to me, my decision fell between medical and law. In the end I chose law because of the opportunities for education in my area and a few other minor factors.

I also have a few friends that are pursuing careers in the field of medicine in a variety of forms from physical therapy to nursing. If you asked any one of these individuals to rank the reasons they chose that career I am very confident that you will find compensation near the end of the list. While health care is a lucrative field, it is also a very rewarding field.

For further exemplification, as I mentioned, I am an undergraduate student and, as such, I am uninsured. Since beginning college, I have been treated by physicians three times. The first time was for a minor condition that only required a minor prescription for treatment. For this visit, my doctor performed one test in order to diagnose me. Knowing that I was uninsured and, therefore, unable to pay the same rate as someone else might be able to, the doctor did the best he could to keep the price of the visit to a minimum and in the end I walked away treated with a total bill of less than $100. The second time I was treated, I had to have a tonsillectomy to help treat sinus problems. Throughout the course of this treatment, the doctor and surgeons worked with me to minimize the cost and find aid. In the end my total bill was around $3,000 as opposed to the potential $6,000 or $7,000 bill. The third time I was treated was treated, and am still being treated, for some minor neck problems. So far, my total bill is approximately $800 as opposed to the possible $1,800 bill.

Perhaps this is due to my location, the high plains, or perhaps it is possible that I am lucky and happened to deal with the few good doctors left, but I don't believe that this is the case. When we look at the world, it is not uncommon for us to look at certain things from a financial perspective due to our focus on budget and income and the overall "American dream." I would like to know, though, how many times you have gone to the emergency room and been turned away because you didn't have insurance or because you had poor credit with the hospital. I am confident that your answer is probably never, even though this is the case with many other industries that bill for services rather than working on a cash basis. With my experience, and that of my family, I simply do not see that physicians are greedy or that they only treat the ill because of the pay. If you don't believe this, just consider all of the free clinics and other free and low cost medical programs that are available, in which the doctors treating you receive little or no compensation. Would they do this if all they cared about was their next paycheck?

Learn more about this author, Matthew Waters.
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