Am i alone in this?

[The Sultan]

---

Members don't see this ad.

ok, so I have wanted to be a doctor for as long as i can remember. I love the idea that i can use science to service others around me. Hell, ignoring practical problems, I think everyone should be a doctor. Is there anything better than to make someone feel better or improve their life simply by practicing your craft. If you are with me so far, why is it that some monetarily oriented institution like the aamc forces us to wade through the **** and toils of, among others, the MCAT? Why does the path of this noble profession have to go through such corporeal means? I dont know, it just seems like that in order to become a doctor today, one must commit to certain acts that run contrary to the ideal of the vocation.
Phew, ok had to vent. Am i just an idealistic fool?

 

[Trek]

Doctors wanting to keep themselves rich. --Trek

 

[Scooby Doo]

Idealistic fool? perhaps too idealistic yes..

To say that everyone could become a doctor is ricockulous...

After having worked over 10 jobs in the course of my life so far...I have come to the conclusion that i would NEVER entrust my life or even a little stubbed toe to some of the people I work with. By making the process long and arduous, they make sure to attempt to weed out the people who don't want to do it! I said ATTEMPT 🙂

Working with other people, makes me realize that some people are extremely sllooooowwww to pick things up and you can keep banging them on the head over and over again with a book or instruction manual, yet they will NEVER get it! Since there is no real test to test competence, the MCAT is the next best thing...plus, it's so much fun studying for it! I actually met one of my exgirlfriends in a cafe while studying for it the second time. Unfortunately, she kept me from studying, but it's all good :wink:

 

[amonkeybutt]

Ditto Scoobs. Being entrusted with someone else's life or any tiny part of their body is a HUGE responsibility. We have to have some way of weeding people out who are passionate about being a doctor but do not have the ability of doing so (whatever the reason may be). Although the MCAT and other stuff are not the most perfect way of doing so, it is at least a start.

 

[psyc.lover]

you are not alone. i have no idea why its so hard of a process. we just have to do it. 🙄

 

[none]

The AAMC isn't monetarily oriented. It's a non-profit institution (note the .org, not .com extenstion). Many of the individual medical schools, however, are very much for profit organizations. Why did you attack the AAMC?

 

[CUarzt]

to be "idealistic," sultan, i think you would need to have ideal patients. let's not forget the recipients of medical care. and of course, patients will never be ideal, treatment will never be ideal, lawsuits will arise, etc, etc.

therefore, you cannot possible have one aspect of a wheel as "perfect" or "ideal" without the other cogs following suit.

just my $.02 😛

 

[johnM]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by none:
•The AAMC isn't monetarily oriented. It's a non-profit institution (note the .org, not .com extenstion). Many of the individual medical schools, however, are very much for profit organizations. Why did you attack the AAMC?•••••Which medical schools are for profit? I'm not doubting you, but even in private schools, is anybody really making any money? sure the school might make some, but I don't think that this usually trickles down to shareholders like in a private company. It seems that any profits get re-invested back into the school (ie, the endowment).

 

[The Sultan]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by none:
•The AAMC isn't monetarily oriented. It's a non-profit institution (note the .org, not .com extenstion). Many of the individual medical schools, however, are very much for profit organizations. Why did you attack the AAMC?•••••Here is why I dont like the AAMC:

1. It represents those medical schools that "are very much for profit organization."(association of american medical colleges)

2. MCAT- enuf said, for God sakes people get hives from this thing.

3. AMCAS- This translates: "Here give us your money, and we'll think about sending you the real application" What the hell is the point of this thing if you end up filling up secondaries anyways. Cant my MCAT scores be placed on a secondary? Non- profit my ass.

 

[Future_Doc]

<img border="0" alt="[Pity]" title="" src="graemlins/pity.gif" />

 

[shimmer118]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by The Sultan:
3. AMCAS- This translates: "Here give us your money, and we'll think about sending you the real application" What the hell is the point of this thing if you end up filling up secondaries anyways. Cant my MCAT scores be placed on a secondary? Non- profit my ass.[/QB]••••So true! If everything about this process is "non-profit", then WHERE'S MY MONEY GOING??? Are they throwing it out the window? Using it as toilet paper? I think not. *Somebody's* get _very_ rich in this process, and it aint the med school applicants! 🙄 😡

 

[megkudos]

I'm glad we have AMCAS. (as annoying as they were this past year) I would not want to have to fill in all my grades and extracurriculars and send my transcipts for EVERY application. That would be no fun at all.

 

[none]

The MCAT doesn't develop itself. AMCAS, as horrendous as it was developed, also did not spontaneously come into being. Someone has to get paid to make these things and that's where our money went. Further, the AAMC does a great deal more than just deal with pre-med issues. Check out their website in depth some time.

 

[Ibis]

Dude, it's just the way it is......nobody said the system was perfect.

On the bright side, you'll be that much more satisfied, once you succeed!! 🙂

 

[Legend]

"This game is flawed...."

Mr. Nash

 

[The Sultan]

I have always wondered this, but am quite sure it will never happen:

Open up the flood gates, let more people become doctors. Make the schools responsible for churning out qualified physicians. This will do a couple of things: first, more doctors means more competition and cheaper medical care. Second, it will self-selectively weed out all those interested in becoming rich by practicing medicine.

As for the responsibility of someone else's life, I couldnt agree more that no one should practice medicine without being qualified. However, I refuse to believe that some of the thousands who get rejected from med-schools wouldnt make wonderful doctors if they were allowed to enter. To say that the aamc controls the number of doctors out there for the patients protection is crap, the controls (as trek said) are there so no one has to give up their share of the pie.

And yes the system sucks, and it wont get any better by just putting up with it.

 

[johnM]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by The Sultan:
•I have always wondered this, but am quite sure it will never happen:

Open up the flood gates, let more people become doctors. Make the schools responsible for churning out qualified physicians. This will do a couple of things: first, more doctors means more competition and cheaper medical care. Second, it will self-selectively weed out all those interested in becoming rich by practicing medicine.

As for the responsibility of someone else's life, I couldnt agree more that no one should practice medicine without being qualified. However, I refuse to believe that some of the thousands who get rejected from med-schools wouldnt make wonderful doctors if they were allowed to enter. To say that the aamc controls the number of doctors out there for the patients protection is crap, the controls (as trek said) are there so no one has to give up their share of the pie.

And yes the system sucks, and it wont get any better by just putting up with it.•••••That is a ******ed idea, and I'm glad that you are not in charge. If this happened, medicine would be like law: over-saturateed with poor, jobless grads who will do anything to make a buck. You would start seeing TV adds begging people to call Dr. Whatever, and every doctor would start to hate their job. There must be a better way to weed out the ones who are doing it for the money.

 

[The Sultan]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by johnM:
That is a ******ed idea, and I'm glad that you are not in charge. If this happened, medicine would be like law: over-saturateed with poor, jobless grads who will do anything to make a buck. You would start seeing TV adds begging people to call Dr. Whatever, and every doctor would start to hate their job. There must be a better way to weed out the ones who are doing it for the money.[/QB]••••Why would a doctor hate his job? cuz he isnt making any money? As for over-saturation, if you dont tinker with it, it will probably fix itself because those interested in money will probably begin defer before they get to med school. As for the situation you describe, it isnt valid because there will always be patients out there, it will be just a matter of how important money is to you. And i dont know anything about law, but it seems to me that you are working off a baseless stereotype about lawyers.

 

[Trek]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by The Sultan:
• •••quote:•••Originally posted by johnM:
That is a ******ed idea, and I'm glad that you are not in charge. If this happened, medicine would be like law: over-saturateed with poor, jobless grads who will do anything to make a buck. You would start seeing TV adds begging people to call Dr. Whatever, and every doctor would start to hate their job. There must be a better way to weed out the ones who are doing it for the money.•••••Why would a doctor hate his job? cuz he isnt making any money? As for over-saturation, if you dont tinker with it, it will probably fix itself because those interested in money will probably begin defer before they get to med school. As for the situation you describe, it isnt valid because there will always be patients out there, it will be just a matter of how important money is to you. And i dont know anything about law, but it seems to me that you are working off a baseless stereotype about lawyers.[/QB]••••A doctor would hate his job if he was saddled with 120,000 dollars of debt and a job that paid under 50,000- as in the scenario you'd like to build. In that case there'd be no chance to pay off loans and live like a regular human being. But if you'd like that sorta life more power to you. Frankly more doctors won't do anything but make loan defaulting a very common thing after all these M.Ds/D.Os went back to school to become computer guys. --Trek