Missouri first in US to let physicians practice without completing residency

Becker's Hospital Review ^ | December 19, 2017 | Alyssa Regge

[Sooth2222]

This is how it was in 1985 when I graduated.

Yup. That's how it was until gov't "fixed" another problem, making things awkward, difficult and more expensive.

Medical licenses in most states required 1 year of training after medical school, an internship or PGY-1 year. (New Hampshire didn't require even an internship to become licensed for US graduates IIRC.)

Residents could and would moonlight, taking night call at other hospitals that didn't have house staff.

[ronnie raygun]

Third world obamacare medicine

[I want the USA back]

Expect to see more mohamheads and abduls wearing white coats.

[Doogle]

Teachers in NYC are allowed to teach with NO college degree.....just lowering the standard...

[fwdude]

I’ve had two doctors “retire” out from under me over CommieCare. I’m not surprised by this move by MO and expect many more states to follow. It’s too late to “repeal” O-Scare. The damage has been done and is largely irreversible.

[JustTheTruth]

I don’t think this is correct...

A number of states allow medical school graduates to practice without completing residencies. In Arizona, for example, a medical school graduate who completes the first year of a residency (generally described as an Internship year) can get a license as a physician and practice medicine/hang up a shingle...

[Rusty0604]

They’re just practicing.

[exDemMom]

Note to self: do not ever become sick in Missouri, especially in a rural area.

I don’t want to be seen by a med school graduate who has no experience actually seeing patients. No, thanks. There is a reason for internships.

[Neoliberalnot]

Well, these doctors completed medical school which is not a small feat. The physician assistants (no medical school degree) are driving this objection because they have not completed medical school. The need is to fill the rural areas to provide access to care, at least by a real doctor, that hasn’t completed a residency.

I made numerous comments yesterday on people here on FR actually promoting homeopathy, which is nothing short of snake oil.

[Ciexyz]

Glad your experience with Dr. Dave was a positive one.

[wally_bert]

I go to one myself.

No complaints besides there are 4 doctors in the same practice.

[wally_bert]

As if I didn’t have enough reasons to avoid Missouri.

[Thibodeaux]

Muslim?......... actually many are Hindu, red spot and all

[trebb]

...However, we encourage states to pursue more practical workforce solutions, such as increasing the number of state-funded residency positions."

Kid of like the argument for more State/federal funding for schools - spend more money and it will all be better.....while such internships can have positive effects, it is also just as possible to get through one and be a lousy doctor and possible to be a good doctor w/o one...probably not a lot of net gain in throwing lots of "outside the profession" money at it.

[Mom MD]

PAs have 2 years of training after college with no residency or other focused clinical training yet most insurances and administrators think they are as good as my 4 years of medical school and 3 years of residency. Better in fact because they are cheaper. Just about any medical school graduate will have twice the training and experience of a PA. If the want to work as PAs I don’t have a problem with it. Knowing the creep in regulation however I’m sure that soon enough they will be licensed as full physicians. The difference is they will never be board certified

[Mom MD]

Not as I recall. In rdeeto get a license and practice as a GP you had to complete a year of internship and pass step 3. They are talking about no internship and no step 3

[Mom MD]

Med students when they graduate have done only 2 months in each specialty plus some electives. The real training is done during residency.

[righttackle44]

We may be making medical practice more of a challenge than it really is, in it's simpler aspects.

I used to be the director of a national health program. I once had a physician come to me and present a program in which he proposed to give medical education leading to medical degrees on an on-the-job basis. He said many, many doctors are never called on to give more than simple diagnoses and treatment. (This was before the institutionalization of physicians assistants.) He said that doctors educated in such a way were a viable way of providing medical assistance in communities where little or no medical treatment is available.

Our board, unfortunately, would not give him a place on their agenda-. I thought he at least deserved a hearing.

A physicians association that I worked for supported medical school admission for a man who was not a college graduate. The association believed that he would probably never perform brain or cardiac surgeries, but he would be a competent physician.

He had been a certified medical lab technician, and he had proven himself to be more than competent in understanding the sciences of medine. He performed well on the MCAT, and was eventually admitted to a major university medical school. Last I heard, he was considered a fine practitioner of medicine, and is a medical doctor.

Perhaps, like the traditional practitioners of old time folk or tribal healers who trained young men or women of the tribe to take his or her place one day, our physicians guard entrance to medical practice out of concern that someone may discover which weeds and barks and chants and dances they use to provide healing, by accident.

[Road Warrior ‘04]

So many doctors are turning over a good bit of their services to nurse practitioners. So far, I have no problem with that. All are very well qualified. Those that I’ve spoken with have told me the only reason they won’t become a doctor is the insurance cost.

[wita]

Those with experience like mine, will have, over the years, received far more care and advise from nurses than physicians. That said, on another note, doesn’t the military allow Docs in without having completed a residency?