Some doctors may not earn as much as those in IT or banking. Illustration photo by Pexels
I have to frequently work overtime and take night shifts yet my income is significantly lower than those in banking or IT.
I graduated from a medical and pharmacy school and began my career as a resident doctor. I have been working for 10 years, and my work week, including overtime, now totals 80 hours, with 32 of those hours being night shifts. I earn VND30 million (US$1,200) per month.
My parents gave me VND500 million to buy a VND2.5 billion apartment, but after years of payments, I still have VND1 billion in debt. My partner is hesitant to marry me because I have too much debt.
I only wish for a life like a friend of mine who works at a bank, 40 hours a week with weekends off, earning VND40 million, or like another friend in the IT field who works 60 hours a month and earns VND120 million. I started at a slightly higher level than these friends.
If you visit major public hospitals nowadays, you will notice that few experienced doctors remain, especially in fields like intensive care, emergency medicine, neurology, and infectious diseases. These fields rarely offer extra work opportunities, and income mainly depends on the salary and bonuses from the hospital.
Many say that doctors do extra work to earn more, but no one wants to work non-stop after a 50-hour week just to make ends meet.
The healthcare sector is always well compensated in most developed economies in the world. I believe the better off doctors are, the better the public’s health will be.
What do you think about this topic?
*This opinion was translated into English with the assistance of AI. Readers’ views are personal and do not necessarily match Read’ viewpoints.
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