Originally posted by: FrontlineWarrior
sure, i'm biased. i did mention that a slight increase in enrollment is ok, and the AMA is increasing the number of spots and medical schools. my school is planning an increase of 10% this year alone.Originally posted by: JS80
Originally posted by: FrontlineWarrior
the reason for why admissions chooses those with lower scores is probably due to the fact that they got a lot of flack in the past for filling the schools with socially inept people who couldn't deal with the other aspects of healthcare. sure you could fill the schools with only those with very high gpas and MCAT scores. but would you want these people to be your doctor? i'm not sure i know the answer to that. most of medicine isn't like your typical computer desk job where you can sit alone and never interact with anyone. it's kind of like hiring a waitress; do you hire the one that serves the food the quickest or one that gets along with the customers too and delivers an overall satisfactory dining experience? like you said you don't have to be a genius to be a doctor. but there are some standards. not rigid standards, but standards. i personally don't think anyone with a 24 belongs in medical school but that's just my bias. if admissions committees see something about the applicant that outweighs the lower score then i guess they know more than i do. in any case, being able to filter through the wannabes early on with the core science requirements, then with the mcat, then with interviews, allows schools to be selective and choose the candidates they feel are most qualified. it's kinda beside the point to argue which aspects lead to better doctors. that's the admission committee's job. my concern is only that there is a choice, and that the talent pool is not diluted, without specifying what the specific talents are.
as for a "free market", would you want the medical profession being the same as the legal profession? there are tons of unaccredited law schools training mediocre lawyers. as long as they pass the bar they can practice law. many of them are completely incompetent, prey on fear and wreak havoc on society. there are great lawyers that charge millions, other who barely make 30k a year. the end result is that the quality of legal representation varies a lot and the richest get the best, poor get public defense attornies who don't give a damn.
now would you want medical professionals being trained at unaccredited schools, having only to pass a few tests to prescribe life altering medications and surgeries? doctors deal with people's lives. when a lawyer mismanages a case you usually don't die. when a doctor screws up, it's very very bad. right now the vast majority of doctors provide excellent health care in america. with a free market you will have snake oil people opening up shop on every corner providing terrible healthcare, leaving the good care only to those with enough money.
cliffs:
choice for admissions committees is good
reasons why people don't get in are various. you can have good scores and be a sociopath. you can be really nice and caring but dumb. point is to screen people out who are lacking in one or more areas.
admissions could be increased slightly more than now, but cannot a free for all.
I would think you're a little biased. Don't tell me you need to be a genius to tell someone he has a cold and prescribe him antibiotics. There are plenty of physician jobs that people who get rejected from med schools can do. The problem is that the AMA has a monopoly on the supply of doctors, and it is not in their interest to increase the supply of doctors (even at the same ratio as the increase in population).
no, you don't need a genius to tell someone who has a cold to take antibiotics, because 1) colds are viral, and antibiotics don't kill viruses, and 2) only a doctor or well trained nurse practioner is able to recognize signs and symptoms that may indicate something more serious going on.
anyone can tell someone with a chronic cough to take cough medicine. but only a doctor knows when that simple cough is a sign of acid reflux, a side effect of a blood pressure medicine, neck cancer, lung cancer, or something else more serious. we don't train for years and years to prescribe cough drops. we train to keep people safe and to recognize things that most others are completely oblivious to. many people, with a little training, can perform routine surgeries with as much skill as an average surgeon. but when things go wrong, who has the knowledge to know what to do? who has the pathophysiological knowledge to understand the situation and best strategize? who knows when surgery is appropriate, who can manage the post-op period? not simple-minded cutters with some hand-eye coordination, that's for sure.
the first step to gaining knowledge is knowing what you don't know. that is why many hotshots screw up patients badly. that is why doctors are needed, and quality control is paramount.
it is good to be cynical. it keeps people honest. all i'm saying is that there is more to the limited number of spots than the AMA trying to guarantee salary.
Thanks for getting technical with common knowledge :roll: I'm sorry but low level physicians are no better than RNs.