A recent article noting that "unhappy doctors are a worldwide phenomenon" imputes this to ongoing changes in relationships with patients and society.1 Despite this phenomenon, many young people, for a variety of reasons, still wish to study medicine. The reasons include:
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- St Vincent's Hospital, Darlinghurst, NSW.
Correspondence: kwilhelm@stvincents.com.au
- 1. Edwards N, Kornacki MJ, Silversin J. Unhappy doctors: what are the causes and what can be done? BMJ 2002; 324: 835-838.
- 2. Lawson K, Armstrong RA, Van Der Weyden MB. A sea change in Australian medical education. Med J Aust 1998; 169: 653-658. <eMJA Full text>
- 3. Hicks L, Lin Y, Robertson DW, et al. Understanding the clinical dilemmas that shape medical students' ethical development: questionnaire survey and focus group study. BMJ 2001; 322: 709-710.
- 4. Clark N, Gong M. Management of chronic disease by practitioners and patients: are we teaching the wrong things? BMJ 2000; 320: 572-575.
- 5. Payne R, Firth-Cozens J. Stress in health professionals. Chichester: John Wiley and Sons, 1987.
- 6. Macdonald R. Career advice for doctors with a chronic illness. BMJ 2001; 322: 1136-1137.
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- 8. Freeman A, Adams K. Time for a more imaginative approach for doctors with a chronic illness. BMJ 2002; 324: S115.
- 9. Yamey G, Wilkes M. Promoting well being among doctors. BMJ 2001; 322: 252-253.
- 10. Elliston P. Mindfulness in medicine and everyday life [Career focus]. BMJ 2001; 323: S2-7322 (17 November): 2-3.
- 11. Houghton A. Take a new look at your life [Career focus]. BMJ 2002; 324: S172 (1 June).
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