Med Schools: Four That Flunk

Hartford Courant ^ | 6-29-03 | By JACK DOLAN And ANDREW JULIEN, Courant Staff Writers

[nuconvert]

Med Schools: Four That Flunk June 29, 2003 By JACK DOLAN And ANDREW JULIEN, Courant Staff Writers

Idaho regulators investigating complaints involving 12 patients revoked Dr. Brent E. Woodfield's license after concluding that he didn't understand "the basic principles of the practice of medicine."

For Dr. Anacleto Capua, accused of misdiagnosing fatal conditions in three patients, refresher medical courses were recommended by Florida authorities concerned about his medical skills.

Hitting the books might have helped Dr. Narpat Panwar, who flunked the U.S. medical licensing exam seven times before passing - only to be accused later in New York of botching a childbirth so badly the newborn suffered brain damage.

Besides a slippery grasp of the basics, these physicians share another bond: They graduated from a handful of medical schools that produce troubled doctors at about 10 times the rate of the best schools, an eight-month Hartford Courant investigation has found.

The schools - the Autonomous University of Guadalajara in Mexico, Howard University in Washington, Manila Central University in the Philippines and Meharry Medical College in Nashville - ranked at the bottom in separate analyses of three databases containing records of disciplinary actions against thousands of physicians across the United States.

[lizma]

Although difficult to prove, several experts also theorized that racial bias by state medical boards and other regulatory agencies might lead to black physicians being viewed more skeptically than whites when disciplinary actions are meted out, skewing the results for both Howard and Meharry.

Well maybe or maybe Howard and Meharry feel their politcal agenda trumps a few patients lives.

[nuconvert]

And I know of a few horror stories regarding military hospitals ...

[joonbug]

When I was a premed in college, there was a special program to assist (tutor) minority students in some of the difficult premed classes like organic chemistry. A friend and I came across study notes from this tutorial group before our organic chem final. We went through the study notes for practice. And guess what the final exam consisted of? Those study notes and practice questions, meaning that the minority students were given a copy of the actual exam ahead of time. If this same approach is taken at the mentioned medical schools, it is no wonder that their graduates are incompetent. Not only is it bad for patients, but the poor doctors find themselves on the wrong end of lawsuits (plaintiff lawyers don't give a @#$% about diversity), disciplinary actions, and the like. Not fair to them either putting them in a situation where they are destined to fail.

[nuconvert]

Yeah. I don't think they're THAT skeptical. The numbers are a bit too high for that excuse. Of course it's the "several experts" again. You know how they can be.

[gcruse]

Wow. That's pretty frightening. And these people probably have appointments to see patients first thing in the morning.

[nuconvert]

At least it was organic chem and not anatomy.

[Intolerant in NJ]

The four schools differ in many ways, but the clearest common denominator is that most accept candidates who might have had trouble getting into other schools. For a variety of reasons - some noble, others more pragmatic - the schools have more flexible admissions standards than other institutions...from the article bump........

[stands2reason]

most are greedy, mean, and condescending to patients.

Not in my experience.

[nuconvert]

"At least one school, Guadalajara, has accepted would-be doctors who never completed college."

That's pretty flexible.

[lizma]

And I know of a few horror stories regarding military hospitals ...

I've worked in a few veteran hospitals. I think the major problem is that the staff are federal employees and pretty much can't be fired. (I suspect they can kill patients, but I don't think they are allowed to kill their boss. I'll have to look that one up.)

For the most part, good people work there a few years until they can't take it anymore. The lazy ones just show up at work, doing little when they get there, until they can collect a pension. They are very frustrating places to work at.

[nuconvert]

Sounds like it would be frustrating, especially if you're one of the "new" staff.

[Intolerant in NJ]

"At least one school, Guadalajara, has accepted would-be doctors who never completed college." That's pretty flexible...this is true, but actually there are combined programs in the US (or at least there were a few years ago) which admit students to med school after having completed only three undergraduate years of intense pre-med studies - I believe Penn State and a med school in Philly were together in such a coordinated program...of course, students have to be especially selected for such training, and I think Guadalajara's real problem is that they're taking students who couldn't get into any othe med school even with all four years of undergrad work.......

[nuconvert]

Yeah. I don't think the accelerated program at Penn St. is the admissions problem at Guadalahara. But it's interesting that they have that program.

[henderson field]

Good doctors will tell you not to go to VA hospitals if you can avoid it.

[henderson field]

That's the whole problem with the government: no one can be fired. This has to change. You can be fired. I can be fired. But to them there's no reason to be competent, and it obviously doesn't bother them that they are not.

[RightOnline]

"The two U.S. schools, Howard and Meharry, have played a critical role in the history of American medical education, training generations of African American physicians when the doors to most schools were largely open only to whites. Doctors trained at these schools have gone on to provide care for many who were being turned away by hospitals or physicians that refused to treat minorities.

They are also among a handful of historically black institutions that attract students who often come from underprivileged backgrounds and may score lower on standardized tests."

Utter bulls**t.

OK, Black America, just how embarrassed are you at this? How many more excuses does black America need? Just how much longer can "black institutions" ride this hoary "we be disadvantaged" vehicle? Utter horses**t.

The truth is, it's things like this that continue to set back race relations in this country 20 years at a shot. Too many of us are tired of excuses for shoddiness, nonexistent academic performance, barely functional illiteracy, sky high illegitimacy, hugely disproportionate crime rates......and now, excuses for turning out "doctors" by the bucketful who'll kill you as soon as bill you.

Shame, people. Shame.

[nuconvert]

Henderson Field? Guadalcanal?

[nuconvert]

Okay. I'm awake! Now tell us how you REALLY feel.

[RightOnline]

I call 'em as I see 'em.......and the first sumbitch who calls me "racist" for it is going to catch unmitigated hell.

[jwh_Denver]

I doubt that anything will be done about the two US schools because their students are primarily a protected class. The practice is to hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil about these schools.

I think a far worse problem is that doctors will not rat on other doctors.