The falling-down professions

According to a 2006 poll by the American College of Physician Executives, nearly 60 percent of doctors said they had considered getting out of medicine because of low morale, and nearly 70 percent knew someone who already had. In a culture that prizes risk and outsize reward some doctors feel they have slipped a notch in social status. It's not just because the profession has changed, but also because the standards of what makes a prestigious career have changed.