Thanks for writing this. (I admit to skimming parts.)
Two things that I think are also worth mentioning:
Having an MD provides substantial job security, at least in the US. If a doctor takes a year off to pursue a risky project, they can return to medicine if it doesn’t work out. I think in most other fields, a random one-year gap could make it hard to return to the workforce at a similar level.
It’s relatively easy to scale (most types of) medical practice up and down. Some PCPs only have two clinic days a week; some surgeons only operate once. You can make a decent living practicing medicine part-time, which can free up time to work on other projects, even without pay.
Thanks for writing this. (I admit to skimming parts.)
Two things that I think are also worth mentioning:
Having an MD provides substantial job security, at least in the US. If a doctor takes a year off to pursue a risky project, they can return to medicine if it doesn’t work out. I think in most other fields, a random one-year gap could make it hard to return to the workforce at a similar level.
It’s relatively easy to scale (most types of) medical practice up and down. Some PCPs only have two clinic days a week; some surgeons only operate once. You can make a decent living practicing medicine part-time, which can free up time to work on other projects, even without pay.