Career Voices: What Physicians Say About Their Work
A collection of individual perspectives from physicians, medical residents, and medical students, curated from public articles, surveys, news reports, and forums. These are unedited voices — some love the work, some are drowning in it, most feel both. Read quickly and form your own impression.
Sources are linked for each quote. Most are from Canadian physicians; a few US perspectives are included where Canadian equivalents don’t exist. The experience is broadly similar though pay scales and systems differ.
“I Love This Work”
“I felt I had more to offer and I enjoyed the patient interactions and getting to know them — making diagnoses and providing that continuity and ongoing care.” — Dr. Jamil Sawaya, family physician, Saskatoon
Source: CBC — “Family doctor says he’s overworked and overregulated, and $400K in debt”
“I love going to work every day. I love the deep relationships I have with my patients and their families. I love the relationships I have with my staff.” — Dr. Justin Smith, pediatrician
Source: Checkup Newsroom — “I’m a Doctor and I Love My Job”
“The good far outweighs the bad. I walk into and out of work feeling energized and excited about the challenges rather than exhausted.” — Dr. Justin Smith, pediatrician
“I love being a doctor because I get the chance every working day to be with a wonderful group of dedicated, talented, smart, honest, dependable, and altruistic people.” — Physician, Quora
Source: Quora — “Why do you love being a doctor?”
“I wasn’t sure exactly where I would end up, but it has been a thoroughly fulfilling experience and I wouldn’t change anything.” — Dr. Pautler, reflecting on a 30-year career in medicine, University of Waterloo
“The Pay Looks Good On Paper”
“Scary to admit but over $400,000 [in debt].” — Dr. Jamil Sawaya, family physician, Saskatoon
“A haircut cost me $40.” — Dr. Sohail Gandhi, family physician, Stayner, Ontario (former OMA president), comparing a haircut to the $37.95 OHIP pays for a standard patient visit
Source: CBC — “OHIP pays your family doctor $38 for typical visit”
“The reality is the current contract that we have is modelled on the economics of 2001 and not on 2024.” — Dr. Sohail Gandhi
“The workload has gone up, the need for extra staff has gone up and the gross billings that we get haven’t been able to keep up.” — Dr. Sohail Gandhi
“Our revenue is completely stagnant and all our costs continue to go up. Most businesses would go bankrupt.” — Dr. Ramsey Hijazi, family physician, Ottawa; founder, Ontario Union of Family Physicians
“What we’re hearing from family doctors across this province is that they’re actually struggling to keep up with the rising costs of running a clinic.” — Dr. Mekalai Kumanan, President, Ontario College of Family Physicians
“Family doctors are drowning in rising overhead costs at rates that surpass even the high inflation rates.” — Dr. Adam Stewart, family physician, rural Ontario
Source: Stewart Medicine — “Family Doctors are Suffocating in Overhead Costs”
“The Invisible Work”
“Without sick or vacation days, we only get paid based on our patient interactions.” — Dr. Laura Sang, family physician, greater Montreal
Source: CBC — “As a family doctor, so much of my work is invisible to patients”
“All this administrative work — invisible to most — is unpaid.” — Dr. Laura Sang
“I spend the next two hours trying to finish charting those interactions.” — Dr. Laura Sang
“By the time the weekend rolls around…I stumble into bed and sleep for about 12 hours.” — Dr. Laura Sang
“The next time you feel frustrated that your family doctor is running late, remember we are probably helping someone through a crisis.” — Dr. Laura Sang
“The paperwork just seems to never sleep. Like, every morning you wake up, there’s dozens of things in your inbox.” — Dr. Natasha Aziz, family physician, Durham Region, Ontario
Source: CBC — “Canadian doctors say they’re losing 20 million hours a year to unnecessary paperwork”
“Even when you’re with the patient, the task of looking after the patient gets sidelined because you have to do some kind of documentation task.” — Dr. Natasha Aziz
“Every day we have patients that bring forms that they don’t want done, we don’t want done, but their employer wants done.” — Dr. Natasha Aziz
“Burnout Is Real”
“The ongoing distress among my colleagues across the country is deeply troubling, but we are on the right path to better support the profession.” — Dr. Margot Burnell, CMA President
Source: CMA/Newswire — 2025 NPHS Press Release
“As I meet with CMA members across the country, they are telling me that they still feel the heavy burden of an overstretched health care system.” — Dr. Margot Burnell, CMA President
“It’s a burden. It’s taking a toll on physicians, and it is really red tape disease.” — Dr. Margot Burnell, CMA President, on administrative burden
Source: CBC — “Canadian doctors losing 20 million hours to paperwork”
“46% of physicians report high levels of burnout. 42% screen positive for depression. 21% report moderate to severe anxiety.” — CMA 2025 National Physician Health Survey (n=3,310)
“25% of doctors are considering early retirement or quitting due to administrative burden.” — CMA data
“The System Is Broken”
“Three years since starting his family practice, Dr. Christopher Applewhaite says he regularly considers quitting.” — CBC, on a Salt Spring Island, BC family doctor
“We are only paid for visits, which is really, you know, probably only half of our work that we do.” — Dr. Christopher Applewhaite, family physician, Salt Spring Island, BC
“Practices are closing across B.C. at an alarming rate. I don’t know where the doctors are going, but they’re disappearing.” — Dr. Christopher Applewhaite
“Almost the majority of people don’t have a family physician on the island now.” — Dr. Christopher Applewhaite, on Salt Spring Island’s 50% unattached patient population
“It’s clear, students are not choosing family medicine because of the compensation structure and administrative burden.” — Maxim Matyashin, OMA Section of Medical Students Chair
Source: OMA — “CaRMS results are in”
“We need people that are interested in that type of practice…we’re just putting band-aids on this problem.” — Maxim Matyashin
“The Debt Is Staggering”
“Scary to admit but over $400,000.” — Dr. Jamil Sawaya, on his total debt
“We’re really remunerated for more so on quantity of care rather than quality of care. So spending extra time with your patients to provide education or reassurance comforting them — we’re not paid for that.” — Dr. Jamil Sawaya
“I do have quite a bit of anxiety about it, to be honest, and recently took a little bit of a leave in order to get caught up on the administrative tasks that I was behind on.” — Dr. Jamil Sawaya
“Of course, to take that time off means more time unpaid because I’m only paid while I’m seeing patients.” — Dr. Jamil Sawaya
“Absolutely none. I was not aware of this at all.” — Dr. Jamil Sawaya, when asked whether medical school prepared him for the business side of running a practice
“Debt has become the stressor in medical school.” — Dr. Danielle Martin, as cited in MNP/medical school debt research
Source: MNP — “Everything you need to know about the rising debt among young medical students”
“Residency Is Brutal”
“69.4% of residents experienced burnout. 61.6% demonstrated high emotional exhaustion, 47.8% high depersonalization.” — Canadian multispecialty resident survey (n=490)
Source: PubMed — “Resident physician burnout: insights from a Canadian multispecialty survey”
“53.5% of residents experienced intimidation or harassment.” — Canadian multispecialty resident survey
“58% of medical residents and fellows screened positive for depression.” — CMA 2025 NPHS (compared to 42% for practising physicians)
“Solutions to burnout included improved teaching, improved call/working hours, more wellness days and a change in medicine culture.” — Summary of resident suggestions, Canadian burnout research
“No One Wants Family Medicine Anymore”
“Only 27.9% of Canadian medical graduates selected Family Medicine as their first choice in 2025, down from 31.4% in 2024.” — CaRMS 2025 match data
“96 unfilled family medicine residencies in Ontario from the first round.” — OMA analysis of 2025 CaRMS results
“The core issue is they aren’t choosing family medicine because it’s not well-compensated and it has all these systemic issues attached to it.” — Maxim Matyashin, OMA Section of Medical Students Chair
“Canada is experiencing a shortage of family physicians, driven in part by overbearing expectations, limited support, antiquated physician compensation, and high clinic operating costs.” — PMC research summary
Source: PMC — “Biopsy of Canada’s family physician shortage”
“Running a Practice Is Running a Business”
“I’m still figuring out the business side of medicine we have to manage.” — Dr. Laura Sang, family physician, Montreal
“Absolutely none [business training]. I was not aware of this at all.” — Dr. Jamil Sawaya, on medical school preparation for practice management
“Overhead costs up 20.3% in the last 2 years alone, while OHIP revenue fell 1.8% despite government-awarded 1% raises.” — Dr. Adam Stewart, family physician, rural Ontario
“Sometimes it’s one step forward, two steps back. You have to click a dozen boxes and then the patient’s history won’t populate because it has a dash, which is not an allowed character.” — Dr. Natasha Aziz, on EMR software problems
“Any time a third party wants a form done by a physician, the third party should be paying for the form.” — Dr. Natasha Aziz
“There Are Solutions Emerging”
“So by decreasing the admin burden, everybody wins. The physician wins, the patients win, and the health-care system wins.” — Dr. Margot Burnell, CMA President
“It really has revolutionized what I’m able to do with patients. Patients have been over the moon about it.” — Dr. Ajantha Jayabarathan, family physician, Halifax, on a new centralized administrative system
“59% of physicians using AI report it decreased time spent on administrative tasks.” — CMA 2025 NPHS
“65% of physicians accessed at least one wellness support, up from 54% in 2021.” — CMA 2025 NPHS (help-seeking is increasing)
BC has added 160 family doctors since rollout of a new longitudinal payment model that replaces fee-for-service with salary-like compensation.
Source: CBC — “B.C. has added 160 family doctors since rollout of new payment model”
“The Paradox: Burned Out AND Satisfied”
“60% of physicians report satisfaction with work-life integration — up from 49% in 2021.” — CMA 2025 NPHS (despite 46% reporting high burnout)
“72% of psychiatrists are satisfied with their professional lives.” — CMA data / Medscape survey
Source: Dr.Bill — Happiest Doctor Specialties
“76% of pathologists are satisfied with their professional lives.” — CMA data / Medscape survey
“63% of physicians stated they would accept a pay cut for better work-life balance.” — Physician satisfaction research
“An average of 76% of physicians across specialties believed happiness and balance were possible.” — Medscape physician satisfaction data
Source: Healthgrades — Happiest Doctors by Specialty 2025
“I feel a growing weight on my shoulders — a sense of responsibility to compensate for a system that has failed her.” — Dr. Laura Sang, describing the tension between caring deeply and being overwhelmed by the system
“What I Wish I’d Known”
“Absolutely none [business training]. I was not aware of this at all.” — Dr. Jamil Sawaya, on the gap between medical school and the reality of running a practice
“Doctors sacrifice the majority of their 20’s and early 30’s trying to pass rigorous exams throughout their undergrad, medical education, and residency.” — Medical career analysis
Source: Student Doctor Network / Quora
“Around the world, doctors are walking away from the profession in large numbers to work in startups, to study law, and to explore many other career choices.” — Dean at Toronto Metropolitan University’s School of Medicine, 2024
Source: TMU School of Medicine
“One-third of med school graduates finish their training with $140,000 or more in debt.” — Dr.Bill / medical school debt research
“Psychiatry: A Different Kind of Medicine”
“With greater flexibility in terms of where and how you practice, surging demand for your services and high levels of professional satisfaction, psychiatrists can look forward to a career that is both satisfying and meaningful.” — Dr.Bill career guide
Source: Dr.Bill — “5 Things to Know About Practicing Psychiatry in Canada”
“Psychiatrists often enjoy long-term relationships with patients and can see the benefits of progress over time first-hand.” — Dr.Bill career guide
“Psychiatrists in Canada work an average 46.6 hours per week, which is lower than many other specialties.” — CMA data
“Demand for psychiatrists exceeds the supply all across Canada.” — Canadian Psychiatric Association, via Dr.Bill
Note on These Voices
Negativity bias warning: These quotes skew heavily toward the struggles of family medicine — administrative burden, overhead costs, fee-for-service frustration, and burnout. This is partly because those are the dominant public narratives in Canadian media, and partly because unhappy physicians are more likely to speak publicly. Physicians who are content with their careers, work reasonable hours, and earn comfortable incomes rarely write CBC articles about it.
The CMA survey data provides some balance: 60% report work-life satisfaction, 65% are accessing wellness supports, and multiple specialties report >70% professional satisfaction. But individual positive voices from Canadian physicians are genuinely hard to find in public media — the narrative is overwhelmingly about crisis.
What’s notably absent: Specialist perspectives (surgeons, internists, dermatologists), physicians in salaried positions (community health centres, academic medicine), and physicians who chose medicine later in life. These voices would likely paint a different picture than the family medicine fee-for-service accounts that dominate this collection.
SpaceCat Context
Medicine is the longest path (6+ years minimum), the most expensive ($100-300K+ in debt), and the highest eventual earning potential ($200-300K+ net for family medicine, more for specialists). It is a fundamentally different commitment than MSW, nursing, or OT.
Her shelter work connects to: - Community medicine/public health — working with marginalized populations, social determinants of health - Psychiatry — mental health, addictions, trauma. One of the specialties with highest satisfaction (72%) and best work-life balance (46.6 hours/week). But requires 5-year residency after 3-4 year MD = 8-9 years total. - Family medicine with a social justice focus — community health centres, inner-city clinics, Indigenous health
McMaster MD is the best fit: - 3.0 GPA minimum (OMSAS scale) — lower than most Canadian medical schools - CASPer-weighted at 32% — values personal qualities and life experience - 3-year accelerated program — saves one year - No prerequisite courses — any undergraduate degree accepted - Her life experience and demonstrated commitment to vulnerable populations would be assets in the application
The core question: Is the 6+ year path and $100K+ investment worth it for the eventual earnings, scope of practice, and depth of impact? The answer depends on how much the opportunity cost matters relative to career length. If she practices for 30 years, the math favors MD decisively. If she values entering the workforce quickly and having immediate impact, MSW or nursing gets her there in 2 years.