Millennials in Medicine: Doctors of the Future | Daniel Wozniczka | TEDxNorthwesternU

"Surgeons are being told 'Hey buddy, you gotta hurry up those operations; squeeze in a few more cases." I am a 61 year old surgeon in California, and this is completely true. I have been yelled at by administrators for taking too long to perform life saving surgery. Thank god the millennials are fighting the system. I sit here with tears in my eyes so happy that change is coming with the next generation. Doctors and nurses devote their lives to caring for the sick, not to making profits for greedy pharmaceutical and insurance companies.

4th year Medical student who doesn’t have a single failed subject but planned to quit medical school but after listening to him, I’m not quitting anymore, will stay and fight till the end

"Don't let anyone dissuade you from your dream of becoming doctor" spoke right to me. Thank you so much for the insightful talk and people like this guy is what the world needs

I've been a nurse for 20 years, and have worked with this speaker in our hospital. I am so proud of the entire upcoming generation of doctors. I got goosebumps when he said "we'll fight the system". People complain a lot about millennials (i agree they can be a pain in the butt) but this makes me hopeful for our future!

Premed student here about to start my second year in college this coming August. Glad I ran into this video because it gave me even more reasons to continue striving for my future career as a Doctor. Thank you Dr. Dan

Sometimes I feel like I won't be able to make it in medicine. Yesterday, I was at a used car dealership/auto shop talking to the man who owns the place. He told me he was a straight A student in high school, majored in pre-med (with an outstanding GPA), and did very well on his MCAT. This man did not get a call back from any medical school he applied to. He was able to get one interview and the doctor interviewing him said he should just be a used car salesman. He actually ended up doing that is the funny thing and is now running his successful business. Listening to him tell me that story scared me. I often have doubts if I'm fit for medicine, even though in my heart I know I am. This speech opened my eyes. Being a doctor is more than just being a good student and scoring well on tests. It's being the individual that is going to fight for reform and fix the broken healthcare system in the United States. When he said millennials are going to changet the system, that motivated me like no other. Thank you Dr. Dan!

I nearly cried when he mentioned physician suicide. In the book breath becomes air the author mentions how he was not able to save a fellow physicians life when that physician ended up jumping off of a roof top EDIT: Thank you for the likes and looking back I should have capitalized the name of the book.

As a Med student, it makes me happy to see that our new generation is adhering to medicine’s devotion to the patient rather than succumbing to the pressures of capitalism. It’s a hard battle but one that needs to be fought.

This actually re-kindle my purpose. I still remember my first day in med school. I was both scared and excited because of all these horrors I heard about med school. Funny thing is I got perfect scores on my first two Biochemistry class because of that very fear. I remember studying day and night with the fear of failing. But as I continued along, it was almost inevitable to not flunk an exam even though you feel like you gave it your all. I got depressed and questioned myself if med school was really for me. I know in my heart that I badly want to become a doctor, but my exam results didn't reflect it. The consultant would say to us "if I were a patient, I don't want to be treated by a doctor who always scores 40/100". There were days when I just break down and cry because I felt like a huge disappointment both to my dreams and to my parents who are actually supporting me. But you know what, I started thinking again of why I really want to become a doctor. That gave me enough courage to continue. Of course it's hard. It will always be hard so you gotta be harder than that to make a difference. That is why every time I see doctors and consultants, I can't help but think that these people have been through so much and look at them now in that white coat. We all have struggles and stories, but it is to make us tougher and be the best version of ourselves today. Someday I, too, can smile at a medical student and say "I've been there, trust me you can make it."

I talked to a physician a couple years ago how was heavily involved with his hospital administration and his state healthcare leaders. He spent so much time working on administration duties and comparatively less time with patients. He said something that impacted me. He stated to the effect of "the healthcare system is the way it is because we as doctors let it become this way." Doctors have 4 tenets that they strive to follow: autonomy, justice, beneficence, and non-maleficence. I believe that becoming involved in hospital administration or in state legislature is fulfilling beneficence. I do believe that it is partly my responsibility to help change the current healthcare system, in fact, I think that all physicians now have a shared responsibility to fix this system. Its not that we need 1000 doctors doing big acts to change this system. We need 100,000 doing small acts which will lead to big changes. The thought of "I don't need to act because another will" is going against beneficence. We all need to act in order to bring about change.

I'm an 18 years old first year medical school student who is thinking that I walked the wrong path, this is not a doctor I've been dreaming about for years, time has changed. but I know now despite how pitiful it is to become a doctor here, I know its a great and wonderful work, wherever it is. thankyou dr. dan.

I'm in college studying for the MCAT now, and this speech is my motivation to keep going. It'll take me years to finish med school and residency, but i'll definitely be fighting the system right by this guy's side

Chilling talk. Very heartfelt and inspirational. Thank you for inspiring us future millennial doctors, Daniel.

Dr. Dan is a great example of working through the diversity and stigma that some generations must face. It was often when I was an undergrad that I heard the phrase, “Oh he must be a millennial,” for having beliefs that maybe the older generations do not understand. But in all reality, I believe that each generation goes through their own stigma. As a medical student and millennial myself, I certainly agree that the reward for the years of dedication, stress, and rigor is definitely worth it. However, there are certainly many aspects of medicine that do not always seem to be as fulfilling. Fighting insurance companies to pay for tests that patients need, which they cannot afford is one. Burnout is another topic that causes a young physician to sometimes question why they got into the field in the first place. Many years of sacrifice, away from family and friends. Not everyone talks about the challenges of the journey toward medicine. Once accepted, there is much joy, but also much fear and anxiety as well as the feeling of imposter syndrome. This is where you realize that everybody around you is extremely smart, and you begin to think that they must’ve accepted you by mistake. The daily expectations one has to meet in order to survive each semester, the daily grind to stay caught up with lectures, and schedule time for yourself to relax. It is not hard to understand what Dr. Dan means when he talks about his 24-hour shifts and the rates of depression/suicide that happens to those who were once inspired of wearing that white coat. Medicine teaches you a lot about yourself, it is where the rubber hits the road, and tests your passion and commitment on a daily basis. I still have two more years of medical school and several more years of residency, but what I can tell you is that those moments of patient interaction where you make a big difference in a person’s world; that makes it all worth it. These are moments that nobody can take away from you, moments of meeting people where they are most vulnerable and building trust, listening, and being there. I would like to hear Dr. Dan talk more about his journey of getting to his dream career. What he sacrificed and what he gained as a person. Great Tedtalk.

My father had been saying the same thing as Dr. Dan for years. He was an oncologist who loved treating patients, but saw the healthcare system hurt not only him, but also his patients. Happy to hear that the younger generation is finally fighting back. Keep it up millennials!

I'm almost 30. I can't imagine being a doctor at my age and dealing with the Corona virus right now in the US.

What a wonderful video.

I'm currently in my 2nd year in pre-med. I'm glad I found this video.

At 29, this bright physician is incredibly intelligent across multiple disciplines. His overall knowledge matches that of someone at least twice his age!!

This somewhat gives me motivation to love what I am just doing right now studing medicine and I am a freshman. Sometimes I get negative stuffs running through my mind but It won't bother me. It's a long way to go but I will not stop until I get there. To become an asian millenial doctor. Thanks alot