I’m new to EA, but after reading 80,000 Hours and Doing Good Better, I’m eager to incorporate these ideas into my life. I find it amusing that I discovered EA shortly after getting accepted into medical school, since doctors have often come up as the prototypical example for being counter-intuitively ineffective. I don’t think this is unrelated to the lack of fulfillment and jadedness that many doctors eventually come to experience, and I’ve since been consumed by the desire to find a promising way to avoid this trap. I think EA offers a compelling perspective, one which gives me inspiring and explicit suggestions for directing my time and resources.
At my school, we’re required to conduct an independent research project on any medically-related topic of our choosing by the time we graduate. I’ve decided to use this as an opportunity to delve deeper into EA as it relates to my future career as a physician, and ideally, to form connections with individuals who can help me towards my altruistic goals in the future. Some topics I’ve considered include examining the ways that physicians make a difference other than earning to give, identifying the different metrics by which to measure a physician’s impact, and interviewing specific physicians who accomplish impactful goals. As you’ve probably already noticed, these topics are extremely broad, and I was hoping that members here might offer suggestions for specific research questions that I could investigate—ideally something that is as of yet under or unexplored. While I’ve read many great suggestions on how to navigate careers, I’m interested in learning more about how this applies to the practicing physician. I would also be interested to hear from/about doctors who have chartered their own unique path towards making a difference, challenging the typical template for what a medical doctor looks like. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!
Hi everyone!
I’m new to EA, but after reading 80,000 Hours and Doing Good Better, I’m eager to incorporate these ideas into my life. I find it amusing that I discovered EA shortly after getting accepted into medical school, since doctors have often come up as the prototypical example for being counter-intuitively ineffective. I don’t think this is unrelated to the lack of fulfillment and jadedness that many doctors eventually come to experience, and I’ve since been consumed by the desire to find a promising way to avoid this trap. I think EA offers a compelling perspective, one which gives me inspiring and explicit suggestions for directing my time and resources.
At my school, we’re required to conduct an independent research project on any medically-related topic of our choosing by the time we graduate. I’ve decided to use this as an opportunity to delve deeper into EA as it relates to my future career as a physician, and ideally, to form connections with individuals who can help me towards my altruistic goals in the future. Some topics I’ve considered include examining the ways that physicians make a difference other than earning to give, identifying the different metrics by which to measure a physician’s impact, and interviewing specific physicians who accomplish impactful goals. As you’ve probably already noticed, these topics are extremely broad, and I was hoping that members here might offer suggestions for specific research questions that I could investigate—ideally something that is as of yet under or unexplored. While I’ve read many great suggestions on how to navigate careers, I’m interested in learning more about how this applies to the practicing physician. I would also be interested to hear from/about doctors who have chartered their own unique path towards making a difference, challenging the typical template for what a medical doctor looks like. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks,
Michael