Posted on 03/25/2010 8:33:45 AM PDT by RaiderRose
Surgeons, cardiologists and psychiatrists often take center stage in the medical field.
But a new program at Texas Tech's Health Sciences Center is all about family doctors.
The university unveiled Tuesday a three-year medical degree to help address a shortage of primary care physicians in West Texas and across the nation. The new program will allow medical students to complete their degree in three years, rather than the typical four. They'll also receive a $13,000 scholarship to cover tuition and fees during their first year, Tech Chancellor Kent Hance said.
"They get a scholarship in the first year, and don't have to take the fourth year, so the cost is half," Hance said at a Tuesday press conference. "This is really innovative, and to see we're the first ones doing it makes me really proud."
(Excerpt) Read more at lubbockonline.com ...
I read somewhere that Obamacare is modeled after the Soviet system. Apparently under the soviet system most healthcare workers/doctors were the equivalent of our school nurses.
Yes, in the USSR Doctor was considered a low-status occupation. Most were women.
So you’re saying their engineers got their education in a cut-down program? Ah, that’s the problem. LOL
that's funny. Could you please tell me which surgeon and specialist is "over burdened" with non-life threatening cases. Who is going to do you non-life threatened cholecystectomy. or hemorrhoid, or pilonidal abscess. People don't go to surgeons for colds, they go there to get cut open or tubes shoved in places to look around and heal things by cutting them, burning them or removing them.
The problem is going to be a shortage of specialist my friend. What you're seeing is a "distribution" problem in most cases.
How many CT surgeons in NYC? How many in outlying cities? I can see if someone wants to skip their fourth year, but in most cases medical students, even those wanting to be Family Practice doctors get exposure to a surgery, OB, ER, Ophthalmology, Neurology... you learn what the sub specialties are and how to work up patients that present with symptoms that need referrals and also to expand your differential diagnosis on constellation of symptoms.
It would be like having a quarterback play against 4-3 defense for 2 or 3 years... when you want them to play for money they're exposed to 5-2, 3-4, gap 8, dime or nickel coverage schemes.. so the more you see, especially SEE not read, the better you get. That's why usually the most coveted residency slots are in hospitals that have huge patient populations and are trauma/referral centers. Like Parkland, Baylor, Jackson Memorial, University of South Florida...etc...
you'll get doctors out quicker and depending on the post med school training may do just great... but the proof will be 15 years down the road when their malpractice insurance analysis gets done.
By the way, Tech really might be the innovator but isn't a top tier school by far, real far.
“Texas Tech is in my back yard. They are far from a liberal college!”
Graduated there and loved it very much. Conservatism was alive and well in the student body, something a lot of other schools can’t claim.
Dr. Armistead of Michigan State University, Texas A&M and the University of Tennessee tried the three year program for veterinarians at each of these schools. It was a failure. All three veterinary colleges reverted back to the classical four year program after trying the three year tracks. The students burned out faster and pressure great whenever he tried this at each university. Originally instituted to save money, the three year program was hard on the faculty as well as the students.
There probably are already plans to fast-track doctors from India, China, vietnam who knows where else. If it isn’t ongoing already. And of course, nurses
Big fat internet pipelines to India, then:
“Doctor Ravi will see you shortly, please step closely and look into the telemedicine camera. Thankyouveddymuch.”
LOL!
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