Snowballz, while I can understand where you're coming from, lets put this in perspective, ok?
1) After graduating from medical school, I, personally will only have about 80,000 in debt. Im *LUCKY*. I have a college trust fund that wasnt used up b/c I got a scholarship. I am also paying in-state tuition in Tx (~7,000/year). Most people will have more like 200,000 in debt at graduation. You cant pay loans off during residency, when you are only earning maybe 25,000/year. So thats at LEAST 3 years of interest on the principle. Add to that, that unless you work completely from a hospital (ER, whatever), you have to pay malpractice insurance, business overheads, staff salaries, etc etc etc. That stuff is WAY expensive. Yes, 120,000 a year is a great salary - but we wont see probably half of that. So please stop the crap about dropping physician salaries being a good thing. Sure, cut them if you want your doc to live in a cheap apartment, not have kids and retire with no savings to live on (the then nonexistant) social security at age 65.
2) Maybe this will make people say "wow, you shouldnt go to med school, you're in it for the $$", but yes, I DO expect to earn more than people who didnt work their butts off for at least seven years. I DO expect to be compensated for undertaking a job where people's lives are on the line and if I say one word wrong I could get sued for millions - not to mention having to pay for and endure the years of training.
3) This isnt even mostly about money. I will spend at least seven years of my life learning every gory detail about anatomy, physiology, pathology, neuroscience, etc that can be drilled into me. I will not sleep for five of those years, because I will be in the hospital, learning to treat patients as best I can. After finally getting licensed and practicing on my own, Im supposed to be OK with the idea that a 19 year old high school dropout is on the other end of the phone at Aetna (or whoever) telling me that an MRI of the head of a patient with papillary edema, severe headaches, bilateral hemianopsia and diplopia "isnt medically indicated"? Please. No, I wont know EVERYTHING, but I sure as heck will know more about whats medically indicated than that high school dropout clerk that's denying the scan.
I dont expect to be treated like "a God" or have gold flung at me as I walk down the street. But it is reasonable to expect that I will be paid a salary that will allow my family to own a modest house in a safe neigborhood, have reliable cars (2, so my spouse can also drive to work), and maybe be able to send my kids to private school. I also think its reasonable to expect that people will realize that yes, I DID go through all that training, I DO know more about details of medicine than people who didnt undergo training that extensive (PAs, nurses, technicians, clerks - and NO Im not saying that I always know better than everybody - experienced nurses know a heck of a lot, and I look forward to learning from them. But.), and I should be able to make medical decisions about what tests are NECESSARY to my patient's care. HMOs dont do that. All they care about is the bottom line. Anyways.
Yes, Im ranting. Im pissed off by that article and Im cranky b/c There is TOO MUCH to learn in head and neck and Im behind (literally, we just started the pelvis/perineum today). So if anybody's offended, realize it wasnt meant to offend. Im venting and its my personal opinion, which IM entitled to.
Star
--Trek
