While all of your points are true and well-founded, I think the point was that physicians are no longer able to have the practice they want in the environment/location they want because of outside forces acting on our profession. Should physicians be able to have their cake and eat it too (as they have in the past)? That is a matter for debate, but it is a growing concern for those who came into medicine assuming they would have the complete autonomy granted to physicians a generation ago, as they are finding that more than just reimbursement is changing.
The CNN article was sensationalistic in that it would give the impression that to say a junior high school student reading this might think "Wow, you can't find work as an Obstetrician", when in reality there are a lot of jobs for Obs and most every type of doctor. In this way either the Ob/Gyn/reporter appears to be dishonest and manipulative in the assessment of the situation for the shock value or to try to get ob/gyn malpractice rate cut. (These rates may well be exorbitant, but this article paints a false picture of reality, and it is sour grapes IMHO).
The good old days of doctors weren't that great. A higher devotion to your patients might mean that you had to take ALL of the call yourself and residents worked much harder than today. Nowadays there a whole ton of doctors who are very entitled, get to share call, or just work administrative type jobs, and complain constantly about reimbursement.
I would like to interview this Ob doc BEFORE she started med school:
Me: "So what would you do if you have trouble running your own solo private practice mid-career?"
Her: "I would work hard to find another job as an Obstetrician because I love delivering babies, and I would volunteer while I looked for a job at a medical school."
Me. "You wouldn't say start selling jewelery online and forsake medicine because of a set back like that?"
Her: "Oh, probably not, unless I was say in my mid-50s and I saved up enough to retire, then I might shut up my practice if I couldn't have all consuming power and control over my own business, you know, I would feel bad about it but at least you'll get maybe 20 years out of me. But heh, the jewelery business is important, it helps people by giving them shinny crap to look at and helps them feel gaudy. I love helping people."
Me: "But would you miss delivering babies?"
Her: "I guess, I dunno, I'll always have jewelery!"
Me: "Would you consider working for a group practice or a hospital?"
Her: "Again, when I save up enough to retire I'll make that decision, what is the point of being a doctor if you can't get everything you want?"
Me: "What about international volunteer work? Would you consider volunteering abroad as an Ob/Gyn after you saved up all this money?"
Her: "Well, I want autonomy and control over my life and my own practice, sort of like my own little country, I wouldn't want to go somewhere else to help poor people. Unless they paid me as much as a jewelery maker or more."
Me: "Have ever done anything to help educate other people, would you help teach medical students or residents?"
Her: "I want to run my own practice so that I can focus on what is important to me, being around a happy time in people's lives, medical students and residents should teach themselves. My practice is private and they wouldn't be allowed."
Blah, Blah, Blah. Although it hard to tell who slanted the article, the Ob/Gyn in it appears to give the very false impression that she *can't* find work as an Ob/Gyn, and that she still has a love for the profession, but can't make it financially and has to make jewelry.
They should offer a Jewelry 101 class in med school so that students know they have a back up in case they can afford to do medicine. (tongue in check)
There are so many crappy role models for med students as so many attendings really don't give a dam about helping society.
I hope this ob/gyn never makes her way back into medicine and that she enjoys making jewelry for the rest of her life.
Alot of physicians a generation ago were *real* doctors who really went out of their way for their patients and really devoted their life to it. Do you think that you could work nonstop as a family practice doc in an underserved area for forty plus years?
Please, many of today's doctors are entitled money grubbing business people with no real dedication to their profession.
