The physicians that I know talk about this a lot. From what I gather, part of the problem is that medical school is really expensive, so they take these really massive loans to get through school, which is generally on top of their debt from their bachelors and masters. Then, many of them discover that they're not in love with the field as much as they originally thought. The problem is that it's very difficult to back out at this point; they're hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt and dropping out leaves many of them with a degree that will not allow them to pay this debt down. As such, they power through. Then, they enter a profession were the hours are truly and utterly terrible. People don't get sick on a 9-5 schedule and unless you're working in something like dermatology, you're going to work nights and you're probably going to work shifts that range from 14-24 hours even as an attending. Yes, this depends on specialty, but hospitalists, emergency medicine, any surgical specialty, and most people doing procedures will end up with long night shifts at least a few times a month. And, this must be done for several years even after residency in order to clear the debt even if you just want to quit the profession entirely. Every physician I know of talks about an exit plan as soon as they enter the profession, which is generally not a good sign. Though, probably a smart one.
Now, does this differ from any other profession where we take on debt to get a degree in a profession that we don't like just to work that profession to pay off the loan? For the most part, no. I think the distinguishing feature for physicians is the debt is higher and it takes more years to get into a position to pay off that debt, so the exit point is farther away. I do think physician hours suck far more than most professions. I also think the profession is far more abusive than most white collar professions, but that's debatable.
Now, does this differ from any other profession where we take on debt to get a degree in a profession that we don't like just to work that profession to pay off the loan? For the most part, no. I think the distinguishing feature for physicians is the debt is higher and it takes more years to get into a position to pay off that debt, so the exit point is farther away. I do think physician hours suck far more than most professions. I also think the profession is far more abusive than most white collar professions, but that's debatable.