Only so many people can be trained in medical schools every year, and many applicants must be turned away. Considering there’s a physician shortage and it is so costly to society to train doctors, I suggest we henceforth become more selective in the applicants we accept. The following candidates should not be accepted to medical school any longer:
1) Women
Well, obviously. Is there any worse payout on the money our government spends on training physicians than women? Not only do they take long maternity leaves, but they tend to work part-time, contributing to the physician shortage. This one is a no-brainer.
2) Age > 28
When there are all these young 22-year-olds interested in being doctors, why on earth would we accept a 30-year-old, who has eight full years less time to contribute prior to retirement? I mean, I guess we could force them to sign a document promising not to retire before age 70, but what if they die or have a stroke before then? Where will we be then, huh?
3) BMI > 30
Obesity is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. An obese physician is much more likely to die earlier or have more medical conditions that will take away from time they could be spending taking care of patients.
4) Smokers
Again, smoking is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. And we all know how hard it is to quit smoking. If we’re really trying to get the most bang for our buck, the safest choice is not to take people who have a higher risk of early cardiovascular disease, lung cancer, COPD, and other conditions that will pull them out of the work force early.
5) Chronic medical conditions
We definitely shouldn’t admit anyone with diseases like diabetes or lupus. We had a diabetic in my class and she couldn’t even make it through the surgery rotation without having accommodations made. How is this person going to be able to work as hard as a healthy person?
If we stop admitting these five kinds of candidates to medical school, I am certain that the physician shortage will improve and patients will be happier with their care.
Dude, you make me chuckle. Seriously though, as a 29 year old considering med school, do you think there is an actual downsides to a late start? Mind you, I fulfil all five of those categories, so I really, really shouldn't be allowed to be a doctor...
ReplyDeleteThe only downside is that you might not fully appreciate how long the training will be until you're 1/2 through it -- because nobody does. Only by then you'll be 35, not 27, and you'll be at a totally different life stage than everyone else around you.
DeleteWe have a 43 year old in my class and at least five people in their thirties two of which have kids and one is pregnant!
DeleteAnd the 43 year old has Aspergers -->He's a really nice guy, but if you want to talk about a real disqualification, that should be one. I can't wait until we go through rotations to see how it's going to go!
I'm 40 and applying for 2013 admission. Granted, not every school wanted to consider me, but those that did were pleased with my experience. I got 5 offers. I say go for it.
DeleteI need to point out that the assertion that the number of spots for medical students is the limiting factor in the physician shortage is false. Residency is the limiting factor because you need at least one year of residency to even practice at an urgent care here in the US. Medical schools across the country have increased their class sizes. Four brand new medical schools graduated their first class this year. The result was not thousands more newly minted physicians, the result was, for the first time EVER, 1,100 Allopathic students went unmatched this last friday. With all spots, including all preliminary or transitional spots, filled, there are still 1,100 medical students with nowhere to go next year, an average of $200,00 in government loans a piece, and the inability to practice medicine because they cannot finish their training.
ReplyDeleteThis does not even count the unmatched DO and American IMGs this year. Putting pressure on current physicians is not the answer. We have the students. What we need is GME funding and ACGME approval for new residency positions. The dean of my medical school has been lobbying congress this week for emergency ACGME approval for new residency spots so he can manufacture spots for the 11 people in my class who did not match and he is not alone. Every allopathic school has unmatched students in the double digits this year.
Being unmatched doesn't mean there aren't residency spots. All of those people will scramble into either a residency or a TRI, even the DOs.
DeleteCorrect about the IMGs though, many won't match.
No. They won't they tried. In the past, there were fewer than 100 allopathic grads left unmatched after the scramble/SOAP. This year because they changed the way the process works - all in versus all out, the lack of DO students applying to DO residencies and the huge influx of new students, it created a perfect storm so there are LITERALLY no spots left.
DeleteThe deans of the medical schools and the unmatched candidates are in panic mode trying to find something for them to do next year. The positions simply do not exist. As I said this is the first time in history that this has happened.
http://thehealthcareblog.com/blog/2013/03/18/health-care-by-the-numbers-what-the-early-2013-match-day-numbers-tell-us-about-where-were-going/
DeleteNot every one... my school only had 4 unmatched people after the SOAP was all said and done. I believe they are all taking a year for research.
DeleteAmen to your post KarateSocks. Where's the logic in increasing med school enrollment if you have no place to send your medical graduates once they are done with school?
DeleteAdd to this list anyone who has a bladder and needs sleep to function. Think of all the time you're wasting society getting your precious 8 hours of sleep when a person who doesn't need sleep could have gotten your med school spot. Selfish bastards.
ReplyDeleteWell, you didn't mention offensive body odor, facial tattoos, uncontrollable flatulence, or terrible dental hygiene. So I guess I'm still okay.
ReplyDeleteEveryone knows men are supposed to be the doctors and women are supposed to be the nurses.
ReplyDelete-a male RN
You forgot those interested in research science. Those people are a HUGE waste...they should just become a PhD if they want to do research. They only do paitient care like 30% of the time and we all know that contact with paitients is what medicine is all about and nothing else. They pretty much contribute nothing to medicine.
ReplyDeleteomg, B-R-I-L-L-I-A-N-T! I'm a female MS2 from the west coast and I just started reading your blog a few weeks ago and I love your honest writing about this whole insane process. =)
ReplyDeletewoow.....you have to be joking right?
Delete(I'm from Quebec, Canada. Our health system is somewhat different).
ReplyDeleteThat "physician shortage" is something I have been wondering about.
Over here, what we lack are family physicians in rural areas, or facilities to allow more physicians to work in a capital.
The ressources are used to their full extend. We keep training more doctors every year, but there are no room for their to work. So they end up leaving the province after a 12 year training. Even family physician have to work in rural areas (like 200km from main cities) because there is no room for them to work.
In other words, they keep allowing more medical student to undergo training so that more of them end up in family medicine. And all the others are just pretty much screwed.
Oh well, there are problems everywhere I guess.
I'm Canadian and I have to admit, I read your comment in a Québécois accent :)
DeleteAs usual, you amuse me. The part about smoking, however, is actually somewhat true. I Matched on Friday and my contract states that I am not allowed to smoke at all, even when I am away from the hospital. I know of at least one other program that has a similar clause. Since I am not a smoker, this poses no problem for me, but I find it interesting that these programs are treating smoking in the same way that they treat illicit drug use.
ReplyDeletein case anybody missed it, this is sarcasm....
ReplyDeleteI've got 3 out of 5, I guess I need to take up smoking and gain weight.
ReplyDelete