When a hospitalist quits medicine I am never surprised.
* The job is boring
* The pay is average for a smart person
* The doctor spends a ton of time interacting with people that have sub-average critical thinking ability
These three things are something that one cannot admit in writing, but are all true. Some people just don't have personalities that can survive being a hospitalist. One way to cope is to have hobbies outside of work. Children are a particularly popular route. The author doesn't seem to be going down that path, so I think the startup world is a great way to escape a dead end job.
Your contention that hospitalists actually hate their jobs and lie on surveys is implausible.
Medicine is lots of things, but it's never boring, especially in hospitals which are mad, mad places. Sure hospital work is not for everyone, but that isn't because it 'sucks'.
A hospitalist deals with more difficult cases than an internist in a office based practice.
"The pay is average for a smart person"
Are you factoring in job security? And since when does "smart" equate to pay? There are tons of well educated "smart" people (who trained to be lawyers) who are unemployed or working menial jobs.
"The doctor spends a ton of time interacting with people that have sub-average critical thinking ability"
Are you referring to patients, nurses or? What do you think the entrepreneur running the local business interacts with? At least Physicians have other physicians as co-workers. Try running your own typical small business and see who you end up interacting with.
"One way to cope is to have hobbies outside of work. Children are a particularly popular route. "
Cope with what? Did it occur to you that there are people that like this job? (This is not a comment on what my wife feels by the way I'll leave that out of this discussion..)
There are tons of reasons the job is rewarding, and many people who love it. People quit Google or Goldman Sachs for good reasons as well, just not the reasons I listed above.
You attacked his motives for quitting, and I think you were right, but there are also motives for quitting that can't be written publicly (unless you are willing to go Greg Smith).
A doctor can't write "I am dealing with a fatty with an asshole family and mismanaged diabetes thus now has renal failure and I have to deal with this shit" in a blog. It is a reason to quit being a hospitalist, but not something a person can blog. You can also quit Goldman because your co-workers call clients muppets. Some people love it, some people hate it. I am just not surprised.
"A doctor can't write "I am dealing with a fatty with an asshole family and mismanaged diabetes thus now has renal failure and I have to deal with this shit" in a blog."
Total upvote for that one! Yes that is true.
"AMA" patients are quite common and frustrating. I've heard the same or similar. And of course mentally ill patients as well. I'm actually amazed at the stories I hear about families and how they treat doctors (especially woman and minorities as opposed to tall white male physicians).
I can fully understand how frustrations with the job can cause discontent. But I think that viewing the success of others (as has been pointed out by a few others here) definitely magnifies that discontent.
It takes many many years of study to become a doctor. It seems strange to me that (given they run into the "fatty patient" in other phases and should certainly know of that prior to completing training, residency etc. or even going into medicine) you wouldn't think that would be a reason for them to bail. Although yes it is possible.
* The job is boring
* The pay is average for a smart person
* The doctor spends a ton of time interacting with people that have sub-average critical thinking ability
These three things are something that one cannot admit in writing, but are all true. Some people just don't have personalities that can survive being a hospitalist. One way to cope is to have hobbies outside of work. Children are a particularly popular route. The author doesn't seem to be going down that path, so I think the startup world is a great way to escape a dead end job.