Do I Want All Doctors to Leave Medicine?

Ever since I released my book, Residency Drop Out, I’ve gotten some really incredible responses. Most of the responses are of people relating to my story and thanking me for taking the time to put it into words.

And I’ve also gotten some other responses too. Some concerns, really.

One I particularly want to address is the concept of “all doctors leaving medicine.”

This is something I’ve actually heard from many different sources.

I’ve heard it from acquaintances when I told them about the book I was writing. (“How noble of you to try and convince all the doctors to leave medicine”)

I’ve heard it from concerned friends and family members who want to make sure that they still have healthcare. (“But we need some doctors, right?”)

I’ve heard it from friends at my coworking space who are kind of just joking, but not really. (“If you hang out with Chelsea too long, she’ll convince you to quit your job and travel the world.”)

The concern is this:

“But if everyone followed your advice to quit medicine, there would be do doctors left.”

I would love to take some time right now to clear this up.

As a side note, I am honored that you think I have the potential to influence that massive of a change. That I could single handedly “convince” (cringing at this word convince) every single doctor to leave their career in medicine.

That is pretty epic.

But, more seriously, if you are having this thought or this concern about my work there are some things we need to talk about.

First, lets get clear on what my message REALLY is.

Do I want all doctors to leave medicine?

Do I want all doctors to leave medicine? Well, I’m glad you asked.

Here is the honest truth. I do not care.

I am uninterested in the number of doctors who leave medicine vs the number of doctors who stay medicine.

I don’t care if ZERO doctors leave medicine. I don’t care if 100% of doctors leave medicine. Either way is fine by me.

What I want is for people to feel empowered to do whatever they want to career wise.

If people want to leave medicine, I want them to leave.

If people want to stay in medicine, I want them to stay.

But what I really want is for them to make that choice from a place of empowerment. Meaning, I don’t want people to stay because they feel trapped. I don’t want them to stay because they feel like they have no other options.

I don’t want them to stay because they feel stuck, or because they feel a sense of guilt or obligation. Mostly because that is a really sucky way to live and you deserve more than that.

My goal. My message. My mission…. Is to wake people up to their full potential.

To show people that if they are unhappy, they get to make some changes! No one has to stay stuck forever in a career where they are unhappy. (Maybe you choose to remain in a job you don’t love temporarily to “pay your bills” while you work towards something more fulfilling. That’s different).

Do I try to convince people to do things?

Not really.

I do try convince people to believe in themselves and their own potential. Sometimes that’s a really difficult task. Some of us are very hell bent on arguing for our limitations.

But, I would never try to “convince” someone to leave medicine or make any other big decision. I never tell anyone what they should or shouldn’t do.

If someone came to me and they were unhappy in their career (be it medicine or any other career), I would first ask them questions to understand what they want.

After helping them get clear on what they want, then I would show them how it is 100% possible for them to have exactly what they want.

If what they want is to leave medicine and pursue a different career, we would find a way to make that happen. We would release all the beliefs around why they “can’t” do that, or why that isn’t possible for them and start moving in the direction of what they desire.

If what they truly want is to stay in medicine, we would find a way to create a practice setting where they can thrive.

Either way is fine by me!

My only real job is to show my clients a path to their own authentic happiness, whatever that looks like for them.

But what if all the doctors do leave medicine?

I see that you are still not letting this go, so let’s talk about.

If I somehow found a way to reach and influence every single physician in the world.

And if I helped each of those physicians get in touch with what they really want. (not what society expects of them, not what they think they should do, but with their true, heart’s desires.)

And if after getting in touch with what they really want.

Every. Single. Physician. Decides to leave medicine.

(Again- trying to emphasize how absurd this sounds and how unlikely that is)

What would happen? What would that mean?

It would mean that the healthcare system, as we know it, would have completely broken down and would have to undergo some serious changes.

But I don’t even think that would necessarily be a bad thing. Hear me out.

I’m not advocating for this to happen, but I want you to confront your fear of change.

Instead of asking the fear based question “what if all the doctors leave medicine?” Which leads to a weird, hypothetical,  doomsday scenario.

Why not ask a better question. Instead ask yourself this.

Are you happy with the healthcare system as it is right now?

Whether you are participating in the healthcare system as a doctor, a patient or both, are you happy with your experiences?

If you are a patient, do you leave your medical encounters feeling supported, cared for, listened to and empowered to be healthier? If you are a physician, do you leave each work day feeling like you were able to provide the best possible care to your patients? Or are you frustrated by barriers within the system that make it harder to actually do the work of being a doctor?

If you are not 100% happy and satisfied with the healthcare system, then why are you so hellbent on protecting a broken system? Why do you want doctors (or ANYONE) remaining in a system that is making them miserable and not serving it’s purpose in the best possible way.

Maybe it would be a good thing if there was a mass exodus of doctors out of healthcare. Maybe it would expedite some of the systemic changes that desperately need to occur? Maybe it would break down the current healthcare system so we could build it up for the better.

So, instead of freaking out that all the doctors are going to leave medicine, I would recommend using your energy in a more constructive way.

I recommend asking yourself some higher quality questions.

Try some of these:

• “WHY do all of these doctors want to leave medicine?”
• “What improvements can we make to the healthcare system to create better satisfaction and retention of medical professionals?”
• “How can we optimize the delivery of healthcare to improve the experience and outcomes of our patients?”

So, what is my end goal here?

Let’s recap.

Do I want all doctors to leave medicine?

That is an irrelevant question and concept because I do not care.

I do not care who stays or who leaves any profession.

If people do choose to leave medicine based on an authentic desire from their heart- I believe it would be for the best and something better would come out of it.

If people choose to stay in medicine (again, based on an authentic desire from their heart)- that’s great too.

What I want is so much bigger than any of this nonsense concerning the number of people who stay in any given profession.

What I want is for everyone to feel empowered to prioritize their own happiness.

I want everyone to do work they enjoy.

I want everyone to feel good about the way their life is going.

I want everyone to feel like they are doing meaningful work. That they are making an impact! That they are contributing to the world in a positive way.

I want everyone to feel FREE to make whatever decisions are right for them. I want everyone to live a life they are proud of.

Because I believe the world is a better place when we are all doing work we enjoy and operating from a place of empowerment.

And even if this causes some radical changes. Even if it causes some old systems to collapse. I welcome all of those changes because I believe they would ultimately be for the better. I believe it would be for the highest good of everyone on the planet.

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Does this seem crazy or radical to you? I’d love to hear your input on this topic!

Do you think everyone should be empowered to do work they enjoy? If so, why?? How do you think that would benefit the world?

If not, why not? Where is that coming from? What are you worried is going to happen?

Comment below and share your reflections!