Posted on 07/30/2010 5:06:28 AM PDT by Second Amendment First
For generations of pre-med students, three things have been as certain as death and taxes: organic chemistry, physics and the Medical College Admission Test, known by its dread-inducing acronym, the MCAT.
So it came as a total shock to Elizabeth Adler when she discovered, through a singer in her favorite a cappella group at Brown University, that one of the nation’s top medical schools admits a small number of students every year who have skipped all three requirements.
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They forgo organic chemistry, physics and calculus — though they get abbreviated organic chemistry and physics courses during a summer boot camp run by Mount Sinai. They are exempt from the MCAT. Instead, they are admitted into the program based on their high school SAT scores, two personal essays, their high school and early college grades and interviews.
The study found that, by some measures, the humanities students made more sensitive doctors: they were more than twice as likely to train as psychiatrists (14 percent compared with 5.6 percent of their classmates) and somewhat more likely — though less so than Dr. Kase had expected — to go into primary care fields, like pediatrics and obstetrics and gynecology (49 percent compared with 39 percent). Conversely, they avoid some fields, like surgical subspecialties and anesthesiology.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Psychiatry basically is the world’s (and the “prince of this world”’s) method of suppressing and denying the biblical truth about the human condition.
That guilt you feel? No, it isn’t sinfulness, there’s no such thing! It’s because of X, Y, and Z - someone else’s fault, basically, and none of your own.
I would also guesss that an unstated by very much used criteria would be the person’s “minority status”.
“So my veterinarian is better trained than these new doctors?!”
The admission requirements for most vet schools are stiffer than most medical schools. It’s been that way for awhile now.
Yes, God forbid that we exclude anyone! Wouldn't want to damage their self esteem. That's much more important than stupid old stuff like effectively diagnosing and treating a patient.
Idiocracy, here we come! (gotta love the hospital scene in that one)
At least doctors will be able to sing and dance and act.
“What a crock of crap. And yet, Brown University is accepting her in to their medical school.”
For 200k colleges these days will accept anyone.
It’s going to be worse than that: new doctors will come from Pakistan and Jamaica. The perps will point to Britain, where that is the case, and say, “See, nothing to worry about. We are just the last developed nation to recognize that those doctors are as good.”
"I never met a psychiatrist who didn't need one."--George Putnam
There is no reason why we cannot take reasonably bright high school students and turn them into MD’s in a five year program. This is what the rest of the world does. I have taken both organic and physics and see no reason for those to be absolutely required the parts of those disciplines that a MD needs to know could easily be included in their other classes. The doctors union the AMA is the one that wants to limit the number of doctors to increase doctors pay. The current system rewards the obsessive Doctor god personality all too much. I pick osteopaths for my primary care doctors because they usually have at least some humanity left. If the AMA objects too strongly call the new doctors Practical doctors and restrict their practice to general practice that would let all the AMA crowd become specialists which is what they seem to want anyhow.
Bedside Manor ping.
I am sure the core first year chemistry is still required. I cannot imagine a doctor ever needing the knowledge gained from the second semester of Organic Chemistry (and probably not parts of the first semester either). For years it has been the gatekeeper class for Med/Vet school.
Physics on the other hand. If you can’t pass non-calculus based Physics, then you have no business being a doctor. Most top notch kids can take this as a Senior in High School (ours is a dual enroll Community College - High School class that takes the place of Senior Physics). I don’t expect to take the Calculus version, but I do think a good understanding of force and motion is a critical part of being a Doctor.
Britian has already beat us there. It seems when you cap the amount of money a person can earn in a profession the most qualified stop signing up. As a result you end up with Doctors with great bedside manner having no idea what chemicals are included in the prescription. The answer of course is to publish “prescribed and approved” practices for each diagnosis. The only problem is the “diagnosis thingy”. Get that wrong and all sorts of avoidable problems present themselves. The good news for Britian is they have a private medical system and a public one. The smart fellows seem to gravitate to the private system for obvious reasons.
The AMA supported health care reform, which will diminish doctors pay.
The clogged pipeline is not due to the B.S. requirement though, it is getting enough teaching doctors. I think something can be said for the broader approach of requiring a B.S. degree as well in making a more well rounded person. I also like the idea of the maturity of a 24 year old versus a 21 year old seeing patients.
That being said I agree with your assessment of Organic Chemistry (especially the second semester - it is just a gatekeeper course). On the other hand non-calculus based Physics is important and should be retained (most top notch High School students can do it as Seniors anyway).
Most people would be surprised at the work done my young medics - I was one - that covers 80% of the daily chores of an MD. If a base or post is small a medic does all the treat and diagnose work with the aide of books and “phone” now internet, assist from others. Most of what doctors do is random trial and error. So if a 20 year old medic can earn a congressional medial of honor then at 24 or 26 they probably can become an MD without hard science. Doctors live by the PDR and related books...they are mechanics nothing else.
I still want a competent mechanic. I wouldn't let a political science grad work on my car.
Skin color is the most important prerequisite for medical school under Obamacare.
OB/GYN is NOT a primary care field. It is a surgical specialty. Most routine gynecology is done by PCP’s. I should know I was a PCP for years. OB/GYN makes several times the annual income of a PCP.
All joking aside, I don’t think a fast-track Dr is a bad idea at all. My problem is how they are trying to get these liberal arts tards to take part in something that you need a hard science background for. That quote about the “social” causes of health problems should be all you need to scare you about this approach.
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