(05-31-2017 02:40 PM)Stick4489 Wrote:  

(05-30-2017 08:02 PM)EverRespect Wrote:  I think with the internet, fewer doctors will be needed. Heck, make more drugs legal over the counter and you could almost do away with the primary care physician.

Well IT people will tell you that expert programs will be able to do most doctoring. I don't believe it. Not in the next half century anyway.

(05-31-2017 08:15 AM)Crebman Wrote:  If we want to try and break down "Healthcare" and the issues we have with cost to it's simplest terms - we are paying a ton of money in "administrative costs" to comply with the million and one regulatory requirements our government has deemed as "required'.

As well, and the laws of supply and demand come into play here, the looming doctor shortage (it's already here in some places) that does nothing but increase costs. If there were more doctors, in fact, if there were so many doctors that there were some empty chairs in waiting rooms - I'm betting the cost of services would go down some.

Unfortunately, I haven't seen much of anything from any of our dear leaders from either party that address either of the two items above - silence.

Removing some of the administrative costs reduces politicians power of control and the health industry lobby for restricting the number of doctors effectively limits the numbers entering the market, along with the ungodly costs associated with actually becoming a doctor.......

Bernie Saunders and Jill Stein, both Independents talked much on this issue. Stein is also a medical doctor herself, and know what the issues are about the costs and all that.

(05-31-2017 02:04 PM)MplsBison Wrote:  

(05-31-2017 12:32 PM)dmacfour Wrote:  You could do that, or you could get more liberal arts majors that take the required science classes. You don't need a degree in anything particular to get into med school, just a year of physics, chemistry, and biology. A lot of liberal arts majors are required to take a number of science classes as part of their "core" curriculum anyway (to be well rounded or something). Instead of making people take a year of filler core and elective classes, give them the option of replacing them with a med school prereqs. Just about everyone I knew thought core classes were BS and would jump on the chance to replace them with something useful.

But beyond just getting people ready for med school, we need people to actually get into med school. I work for a med school that just admitted its first class of students - 60 of them. While it's a start, it barely begins to address the shortage in my state and almost didn't happen at all. The other public med school in the state fought tooth and nail to prevent ours from being established. They only proposed adding more slots to their med school after being threatened with a little competition from us.

Opening another med school in a state doesn't necessarily address a doc shortage in that state, because the grads will most likely be residents elsewhere and are more likely to then practice where they were residents rather than return home.

Med school is very important, not trying to dismiss it. But a state that needs more docs needs to fund more residents in-state!

The existing med school has slots dedicated to several surrounding states and an overall acceptance rate of like .3%. They have a huge pool of applicants and have to accept a certain amount each year, many of which don't want to practice in our state to begin with. The new med school is not part of that agreement and is only accepting in-state applicants. It won't make residencies appear, but at least it'll help.

There will be a shortage of many professionals in the near future.

(05-31-2017 02:36 PM)EverRespect Wrote:  

(05-31-2017 10:00 AM)Bull_Is_Back Wrote:  

(05-31-2017 07:54 AM)LeFlâneur Wrote:  My granddaughter has enrolled in a Physicians Assistant program. Although she could complete a full MD program, in 5 years she can be working full time in a medical facility. That is between 6 and 8 years shorter, and several hundreds of thousands of dollars less, than getting a full MD.

This is the future. PAs can handle the day to day needs of most people.

I worry that PA's will start to be overused... I like the idea, but at some point a doctor can spot something a PA might miss.

Like what? PCPs work off a phucking flow chart and have to follow the process or get sued or lose their license. w symptom = x test = y result = z drug. If x test = no result, clear all liability and refer to specialist. Repeat. Very little critical thinking is allowed in the field anymore. 90% of them could be replaced in an associates degree program.

It's sad, but you're right. Many PCPs put little thought into their patients in clinic and just refer to specialists for damn near everything. Many of our patients are referred to us without even an attempt to find the cause of the problem.

(05-31-2017 02:40 PM)Bull_Is_Back Wrote:  Most of those are going to be at teaching hospitals attached to med schools, no?

Not at all. Residents go to all kinds of hospitals, most of which aren't hospitals that are affiliated with higher education institutions.

(05-31-2017 08:06 PM)dmacfour Wrote:  The existing med school has slots dedicated to several surrounding states and an overall acceptance rate of like .3%. They have a huge pool of applicants and have to accept a certain amount each year, many of which don't want to practice in our state to begin with. The new med school is not part of that agreement and is only accepting in-state applicants. It won't make residencies appear, but at least it'll help.

Wait a second, are you talking about that new private med school in Idaho that is opening in Boise? If I understand correctly, that med school isn't even teaching modern medicine. It teaches a different type of medical practice ...

But anyway. To the overall point, I'm not against any state wanting more (public) med school students being educated at state institutions, whether that means an expansion of an existing program or a new program.