I need to vent.

There is not a single other field that functions in this exploitative way, wasting applicants time and money, dangling their futures in the air in front of them for what could be more than a year. And you know what, it's our freaking fault. Honestly most of the posts on reddit, here, etc, just immediately read to me like some 19 year old who wakes up everyday only concerned about the validation they'll get from their parents for 'becoming doktur'. People who don't give a crap about the exploitation, about the legitimate issues with this entire field. The entire application process is basically designed around how disingenuous you can be to finally get picked. Every one is scared to exist or be a person basically throughout their entire twenties out of fear it could 'impact their application'. After that, it's the same shut up and don't complain or stand up or advocate for yourself BS again to not 'impact my residency applications'. After that, its the same getting treated like a sht stain in residency. Then we have the audacity to sit here and complain about the process, the financial exploitation, etc. We're all too freaking afraid to stand up for ourselves or do something about it because omg! then we might get rejected by the admissions committee members who aren't even doctors and most likely just have a masters in education and prioritize applicants who can write the most flowery and deep language! (don't even get me started on that problem).

The whole process, the entire training model, is designed so you can never realize your own power and authority and effectively be someone's b****. A cog in the machine. This isn't about helping people, or critically thinking, or even making your own calls as a physician to make a difference in people's lives. Let's put you hundreds of thousands in debt actually, so you have no choice but to suck up the administrative boot on your neck. That way, you won't realize the societal impact your MD degree can make if we make you feel like cattle! That way, we can silently pass legislation to remove all of your autonomy and add a million bureaucratic hoops to undermine your knowledge! Silly, you thought doctors can own hospitals? There's a reason that's illegal! It's far too risky! They might prioritize profit over health! That's why its far better for private equity and corporate mega companies to run them! They obviously will prioritize health!

We also can't forget about making sure the future doctors know that they can't stand up for themselves or make the change they think they can! We have to make sure we also teach them to never question anything, because the 'standard of care' is most important! Lets also make sure to create a culture of calling anything that isn't pharmaceutical pseudoscience as well! Rockefeller's philanthropy cannot go to waste! We can't have patients being healed or cured, it's imperative that they're dependent on us so we make the guys in suits money! Oh, silly you. You think doctors should be healthy???? We can't let them get a full nights sleep LOL! Just make sure to tell the patient to get that full nights sleep, but don't forget to prescribe trazadone tho (don't ask about their caffeine / stimulant habits or if they have proper wind down routines etc, it's probably just better to prescribe tbh cuz u only have 5 mins with them before ur next patient who ur also only gonna have 5 mins to see)

Anyways. I could genuinely write a thesis on this but I'm exhausted. I just want to make a difference in the world. I want to actually help people, I want to heal people. We have to jump through 234872934798237498274927 hoops just to even get the freaking chance. It seems like so many are on waitlists, almost everyone I know to be honest. It's all just so inefficient. I wish we'd stand up for ourselves. It should be illegal to collect primary fees, send secondaries to everyone, even people you wouldn't even consider, waste their time and money to have them spend hours on secondaries only to reject them when you knew you were going to do that in the first place. Then if you get an interview after october your odds of acceptance are basically 2%. Get ready to be on a wait list until fricken june because there are no application limits and people with money are sending applications to the entire country even though they would never consider actually going to the midwest for example.

I wish we could do something to bring awareness to the way this system is, and how it selects for people who are afraid to stand up to the system, even if standing up to the system would be beneficial for the masses, and for future patients. I really just needed to let this out somewhere and maybe some of you will relate to the feeling. I don't know. IM TIRED OF THIS GRANDPA