DrIng said:
Probably a total aside to this thread but I was just thinking. It's funny how in the discussion of FMG's there is an assumption that they are a certain sort of person, i.e. often that they are someone from the third world who speaks English as a second language etc.
A couple of misconceptions that seem to be floating around-
1) That FMG's have abandoned their own country, many fmg's return to their own country and take the skills that they have gained back with them- thereby enriching the medical system in their own country with another perspective. Also, many FMG's who do come from third world countries send a decent amount of maney 'home' to help support their families there.
2) that it costs the US taxpayer to pay for residency training. Actually as I understand it most hospitals make money out of the labour of residents- it happens the world over, hospitals get funded at a much higher rate in terms of fee for service than they pay their staff (and I used to be an accountant so I do know what I'm talking about)
3) Sure the rish pay proportionally less tax but overall they pay more tax in total $$$
Have a great day.
The xenophobia and isolationism this thread advocates is reprehensible, unreasonable, nationalist, and racist. The protectionist, jingoist impusle advanced herein is based on priciples advocated by those who supported aparthied, segregation, and the KKK in the past. US first? Take a look at your own heritage - unless you are a Native American (ie. American Indian), some family member in your own past was once an imigrant too.
With that being said, your facts on points two and three are just plain wrong. Hospitals are paid by the federal government. It is that payment that "costs the taxpayers money". That hospitals then generate revenue from the work of residents in no way makes it cost the federal government any less to train residents.
Also, the fact that residents are clearly inefficient, and less productive than attendings, or even PA's or NP's, particularly when they are being taught, and not working. The feds reimburse hosptials BECAUSE of the aforementioned inefficiencies, and thus hospitals generally break even with residency training programs, and do not reap huge profits despite the sweatshop hours we used to (and in some instances still do) work on their behalf
3) I am not sure what this point was in reference to, or how it is relevant to medicine in general, or the general residency issues board in particular, but in the US at least, there is a graduated income tax. The rich pay both a higher percentage AND a higher total dollar amount of taxes. Are they more sophisticated in seeking out methods to diminish their tax burden? I have never seen datsa on this, but it would certainly be likely. But these incentives have been deemed by Congress to to foster enterprises in the public interest, and to encourage investment in areas which would not otherwise be as ecconomically enticing to those with disposable income.