Get a Life, Doc, If You Dare

Residents are often too busy wiping the noses and taking the temperatures of other people's kids to do the same for their own.

By Mary Carmichael | NEWSWEEK
Published Nov 22, 2008
From the magazine issue dated Dec 1, 2008

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  • Posted By: physrecruiter @ 01/28/2009 10:30:29 AM

    Wow. We have already noticed a trend of younger physicians wanting shorter work weeks, fewer hours, etc. due to lifestyle changes and the fact that we now limit the hours per week during residency. While I am not surprised to see this new Part Time residency approach, it does make me wonder what long term impact it will have on the mentality of physicians after they begin practicing. Because we have a limited number of residency slots and physicians that do not want to work the longer schedules/hours of previous generations......it is no wonder we are seeing a significant physician shortage. Scary.

  • Posted By: christopherkidwell1 @ 01/18/2009 9:29:35 AM

    rcurtis505, there is an easy answer to that problem: make it so that if a doctor makes an agreement to spend 5 years in an inner-city hospital or somewhere else where doctors are in high demand, their loans are forgiven or paid off by the government.

  • Posted By: hiall @ 01/09/2009 1:54:12 PM

    Residents are under extreme scrutiny during their fellowship applications. This means, if you had a medical issue or were unable to work full time it is assumed that the advanced training schools (you need the best for the best jobs) will ignore you. Some people may think that at a doctor's level there is no discrimination, that is totally incorrect. Imagine 100s of people competing for only a couple of positions. That is what is happening, a lot of which is because our programs accept applications from other countries. Not enough training options for the people who want in.

    Until more programs are offered and therefor competition increases, it is basically you signing your life away to a program for a certain amount of time. I would never recommend the medical specialty to anyone I know graduating high school of with a bachelors coming out of college, purely because the archaic match program, treatment of student/residents and expectations in the advanced levels such as fellowships. Add the hours up devide by the pay and you are in the negative. Go for a doctorates or PHD program, then get into a fellowship. You can still do some programs and avoid the slavery and most the time half the debt accrued because of interest.

  • Posted By: baskar_bsc18 @ 12/23/2008 9:12:26 AM

    Doctor my face full pimples eruku nan enna tretment edukururathu.

  • Posted By: rcurtis505 @ 11/22/2008 10:02:36 PM

    Residents are under another kind of pressure, as well: the need to get through residency in the minimum amount of time, to start paying off the loans from medical school. Can't defer the loans indefinitely, not to mention the interest! I would bet this is the main reason most residents try to get it done as quickly as possible. Certainly was for me.

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