You're confusing two different definitions of the word privilege. It can mean exactly what you imply, that you were given something by means of your standing alone. It can also mean that enjoy, justly, all the benefits commensurate with your earned status. Please re-read my post in light of this new information.
Privliege: a right or immunity granted as a peculiar benefit, advantage, or favor ;
especially : such a right or immunity attached specifically to a position or an office
According to your wording, a privilege of being a doctor would be cutting people up, since if you did this while you werent a doctor you would be thrown in jail for assult or wutever. However, that doesnt change the fact that you earned the title of doctor and thats not a privilege.
I don't recall any decline in physician quality over the past several decades in societies that experienced a physician salary decline, namely England, Sweden, and France. Given, their education is largely paid for by the government, but this is countered to some extent by lower salaries and less autonomy. Can you explain why these nations still produce high calibur physicians?
Their medical education is sibsized heavily or free, they dont have to deal with as much ligitation, they dont have to put up with as much paperwork, and they work less hours.
When I was in ireland, the equivlent of residents were on strike.
from what ive been told the AMA is out of touch with many physicians and physicians feel they should be doing more.
Alright, I'll counter your hypothetical situation with another, which is just as likely and has just as much evidence to support it as yours:
Reimbursement drops marginally for specialists. At the same time, reimbursement is raised a small bit for primary care. Thus, more graduating students find primary care worth the commitment. This new found availability of GPs engenders a national movement toward preventative care starting at the GP level, thus decreasing the number of emergent cases that require specialist attention, leaving the patient base at roughly the same level for those specialists.
Ok, so there is ~47 million uninsured and ~250 million insured (have access). Of those 47million about 25-30% can afford coverage but dont want it because they are young or have other priorities. 11.5 million are eligible for assitance programs but arent enrolled. Subtract illegal immigrants (which I dont mind covering per se, but with costs spirling out of control citizens must be covered first) and the number of uninsured is less than 20 million.
So we still have ~250 million people who have acces to preventative care, but costs are still so high and specialists are still needed. Since the plan is to provide ~10% more than medicare, in my theorethical situation, people will find the extra time and trainning necessary to specialize to not be worth it given the lower reimbursement. Thus patients will still need specialists and there will be fewer of those and as a result the shortage will shift from PCPs to specialists.
Why should I fight for what YOU feel is "right" for the profession? I personally feel that what is "right" is balancing adequate patient care and access with reimbursement. I think we should throttle the private industry and nationalise the lot of them. Supporting what you suggest would fly in the face of my ideology.
fair enough. but adequate patient care and reimbursement are issues related in a way opposite of the way your portraying it. As reimbursement went down PCPs either blow through patients which sacrifices quality of care, so that they can make the same amount as they did last year but doing more work to get it. Or they shut their doors, also negatively affecting patients access to adequate care. Medical students also started to go into other specialties creating a shortage of these doctors and decreasing access to care even more.
Medical school seats are now increasing to combat shortages, but while work environment dissatisfaction to payment ratio remains high people wont enter these specialties.
I don't follow your logic. I haven't claimed anything that isn't readily apparent and supported by official channels. I am a medical student, I have not started formal first year classes. I don't know how many times I need to repeat this. Are you trying to get at something, just bitter, or looking for a chance to practice your flame technique?
youre right im being insensitive. So how do you like being a medical student sso far? Is it as tough as everyone says?
