Quick Question

[CHawK]

Please help me answer this postbac application question

"Physicians will face considerable challenges in the future. What do you see as the most significant issue the medical profession faces in the next FORTY years?"

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[Shredder]

something pertaining to genetics. 40 yrs is a long time and most petty issues will be worked out.

 

[Law2Doc]

Please help me answer this postbac application question

"Physicians will face considerable challenges in the future. What do you see as the most significant issue the medical profession faces in the next FORTY years?"

40 years? That's a really long event horizon, and pretty much requires sci fi thinking. Thus, I would have to say the replacement of human medical jobs by all those cyborgs.

 

[Shredder]

40 years? That's a really long event horizon, and pretty much requires sci fi thinking. Thus, I would have to say the replacement of human medical jobs by all those cyborgs.

i agree, for a 40 yr time span you have to blur the line between science fact and fiction. maybe its a use your imagination type of essay? i still say genetics

 

[kaineliu]

containing healthcare costs.

the medical economy in the united states is going to blow up soon. lower wages for all practitioners, higher cost of health care for all. the uninsured keeps growing. malpractice is an issue, but the state of healthcare delivery is a much bigger problem.

 

[Law2Doc]

containing healthcare costs.

the medical economy in the united states is going to blow up soon. lower wages for all practitioners, higher cost of health care for all. the uninsured keeps growing. malpractice is an issue, but the state of healthcare delivery is a much bigger problem.

I'd be shocked if most of these things didn't get tackled already in the next decade, or maybe at the most 20 years. 40 years out will be totally new problems, ones we can't think of yet. Shredder is right -- it will be genetics issues, likely cloning. Something out of the movie The Island, perhaps.

 

[bananaface]

The big factor in rising healthcare costs is drug cost. It's the new super spendy biotech drugs that are really reaming healthcare systems. Yeah, there is increasing drug use as the population ages and becomes more health conscious and an increased cost per prescription. But biotech drugs are the straw breaking the camel's back. Everything else can be taken care of with cost sharing. The biotech burden is just too damn big.

 

[jebus]

Thus, I would have to say the replacement of human medical jobs by all those cyborgs.

Cyborgs? They're called "Indians".
Seriously, I think outsourcing and the technology that enables it will be the biggest obstacle to American physicians - and a boon to patients because it will improve accessibility and reduce costs. I think some specialties are particularly susceptible to this: Radiology will give way to tele-radiology, some surgeries will give way to tele-surgery, psychiatry will give way to tele-psychiatry, etc.
Doctors do 2 jobs: address biological problems and care for people. The biological problems can be addressed by "cyborgs" but the cold empathy from a robot seems like it'll take a while to fix. But if you're looking for reassurance, it's just a matter of time before people become more comfortable with reassurance through a computer screen. That said, I think primary care is going to be really difficult to outsource and in the long run that'll be the safest avenue to pursue if you want a career.
But what the hell do I know?

 

[Shredder]

cloning, privacy and discrimination (big ones), free will vs biological determinism as more and more is discovered about nature and nurture and their place in medicine (for example huntingtons). if gene therapy unravels i think its going to be one of mankinds greatest discoveries ever. thats why im so drawn to it, unbelievable potential but also implications. for a 40 year time frame popular science medicine section is probably a good place to look.

desiredusername i agree that globalization is a big one, but its still hard to put that in perspective of 40 year time frame. outsourcing/insourcing from india wont revolutionize medicine, just as it hasnt done so for tech, its just made things cheaper and increased competition. thats the inevitable conclusion of any form of protectionism

 

[Law2Doc]

cloning, privacy and discrimination (big ones), free will vs biological determinism as more and more is discovered about nature and nurture and their place in medicine (for example huntingtons). if gene therapy unravels i think its going to be one of mankinds greatest discoveries ever. thats why im so drawn to it, unbelievable potential but also implications. for a 40 year time frame popular science medicine section is probably a good place to look.

desiredusername i agree that globalization is a big one, but its still hard to put that in perspective of 40 year time frame. outsourcing/insourcing from india wont revolutionize medicine, just as it hasnt done so for tech, its just made things cheaper and increased competition. thats the inevitable conclusion of any form of protectionism

We can combine a couple of these -- like cloning ourselves, moving the clones to india, and then outsourcing to ourselves.