Individuality matters to doctors.

In the past, being a doctor brought with it an image. A selfless individual revered by his community and compensated well but fairly. The community had high expectations of him, and he could deliver because there wasn’t much to know. In those days, being a doctor was an entire lifestyle, and it drew extremely talented individuals to fill the ranks. Today, the landscape of medicine has changed.

I would not recommend medicine as a career. And I’m not the only one. It would seem that medicine has changed. Except that in reality, the world has changed around medicine while medicine attempts to stand immobile as a profession. Born in ages past with a stoic culture of ignorant wisdom, the doctor was once a revered member of society and well compensated to boot. Science, technology, and culture have evolved tremendously since then.

Doctors are no longer able or expected to know everything. Atul Gawande has (rightfully) expressed how the medical culture must shift away from a culture of lone rangers to a pit crew model to limit costs and improve outcomes. With strong data in favor of this model, the heroism once associated with being a physician is dissipating. It suggests that we need technicians, not thinkers.

Meanwhile, the financial compensation is too eventual and encumbered by loans and interest to be worthwhile. Some calculations have shown that doctors make about as much as teachers — a notoriously underpaid career path for the value they add to the world. Other careers offer years of paychecks and investment potential in the place of interest accruing debt.

Despite this, the hierarchical structure of training in medicine is the toughest part of being a physician. Performance is often gauged subjectively which encourages uniformity of thought. As a result, the atmosphere is oppressive to any actual diversity. What makes medicine so resistant to change is the idea that unchecked opinions about trainees determines success. And deviation from the norms is punished. The banishing of individuality is promoted under the banner of professionalism. And so the culture is propagated generation after generation.

Unfortunately, this mentality is to the detriment of medicine as a field. With diminishing compensation and reduced opportunities for innovation, medicine offers talented individuals nothing for their intrinsic skill sets. If money was the objective, there’s more offered elsewhere. If they seek the thrill of advancing the field into the future, it’s easier to approach this through different means like start-ups. Worse yet, by ostracizing individuals who attempt to fulfill their needs for self-actualization outside of work, we antagonize the final refuge of creativity allowed for healthcare providers. Without proper incentives, intelligent individuals will no longer choose medicine and our profession will lose its perceived excellence. Less talented doctors would be bad for everyone.

To preserve our profession, we must progress with the times by encouraging individuality and self-expression. By changing to a culture of strong individuals where ideas, merit and diversity are valued and rewarded, we open the door for a culture of leadership and representation. We strengthen the entire profession by, not only allowing, but encouraging individuals to use their strengths towards personal developments that will often synergize with medicine (because we are ultimately still doctors). With this, we can create a pervasive presence and promote innovation and advancement. More importantly, we create a professional atmosphere where talented individuals feel welcome, nurtured and fulfilled.

Additionally, by embracing individuality, we allow ourselves to retain our humanity. We are then better able to empathize with our patients because we better reflect the diversity of our patients. Not ethnically, but as artists, athletes, parents, entrepreneurs — as people, we can understand their values. That enhanced understanding allows us to better treat our patients. Because better people make better doctors.

The most compelling reason for embracing individuality is to make doctors happier. Medicine can be an incredibly rewarding profession. However, when it is at the cost of all other aspects of life, it becomes much less desirable. Because of the untold costs, we have fostered a generation of disillusioned physicians. With this plea, I hope that one day I can honestly tell future generations that medicine is a career still worth pursuing today. To this end, I cannot emphasize this enough:

Individuality matters a lot.

Adnan Khera is an anesthesiology resident and can be reached at DoctorsBeDancing.

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