Did you decide what to do for a living "based on care for the whole?" I suspect like most people it was mentally looking at a Venn diagram intersection of "what am I smart enough to do?", "what do I enjoy doing?", "what pays me the most, or well enough that I can do at least as well as my parents?"

How many people who get into surgery would still do it with all the same education, testing, training, and licensure requirements if it paid $100k/yr? My guess is not many. If you're in a highly litigious state in a high-risk specialty your malpractice insurance alone could be more than that.

It's not surprising to see smart people leave risky positions with pretty objectively bad work-life balance for more money, less stress, and better WLB.

Many people go into medicine wanting to do good, but then after a couple years of working 100 hours a week for a gen surg residency you realize that this isn't sustainable, especially if you want to start a family.