I thought I was “retired”.I turned 66 years old, the kids were raised, and the mortgage paid.I was planning to “coast” for the twilight
years of my life.But then something
inconceivable came to my attention.Something that would cause me to undergo one of the steepest learning
curves of my life!Suddenly, “coasting”
was no longer an option.
My credentials are NOT in the
Medical Field.I have a Masters in
Education, taught in Special Education, and have tutored all ages to adulthood
for the last 35 years.I particularly
enjoy analysis of learning gaps and how to remediate them, the differences in
learning modalities and how to utilize them to assist in learning, etc.
So how did I become interested in
this topic of Medical Education?I have
been on the sidelines of Medical Education for nearly 50 years.3 members of my immediate family are
doctors.I have watched the process of
their educations from beginning to end.I have listened to the stories about medical residencies for at least 40
years.My husband is currently and has
been either faculty or Program Director for OB/GYN residencies for over 25
years.
I have heard the intricacies of
resident applicants, their extra credentials and life experiences, and how the
candidates were ranked in the National Resident Matching Program.I would await the results of the “Match” and
hear how far down the rank list the program had to go for their matches.And then there were the “unfilled” slots
which were filled by a “Scramble” (before S.O.A.P.), and many phone calls to
fill the remaining slots.So this topic
is very familiar to me.
When I became aware of the huge
deficit in residency slots I was incredulous!How could this be happening?After all it takes to gain acceptance into medical school and complete
all the necessary steps to becoming a doctor, how could the “SYSTEM” allow the
breaking of our “SOCIAL CONTRACT”?
In the course of my research, I
have come to realize there are a lot of misconceptions about the residency
shortage.Many doctors who are aware of
the residency shortage just say, “Let them re-apply next year…” or “They must
not have been a strong candidate…”
If you asked me whether my
“passion” was Medical Education, I would have to answer “no”.My passion is in recognizing a series of
events which have resulted in a grave injustice, and telling the Nation what is
happening!Most people have not observed
the process of Medical Education over a nearly 50 year period.Most people would not be in a position to
“connect the dots” to discover where the breakdowns in the process are
occurring.Most people might not have
heard about the devastation and incredulity experienced by unmatched doctors
like I have.Someone needed to pull this
whole situation together and get the real story “out there”!I am that person.I could not let this travesty go on without a
fight!
It is a classic case of
bureaucracy where the right hand does not know what the left hand is
doing.In 1997 the Federal Government’s
“Balanced Budget Act” put a freeze on Medicare reimbursement for medical
residency training slots.Yet, with a projected
doctor shortage of up to 90,000 physicians in the next decade, the number of
medical schools was INCREASED.What a surprise!The number of medical schools increased at
the same time as the number of required post-graduate training slots was REDUCED!This catastrophe has left more than 40,000
graduate doctors, over the last 5 years alone, with no where to go!!
These unmatched graduate doctors
fall into a “limbo” where they cannot complete their training.They cannot obtain a medical license without
a residency.They can’t even work as
Physician Assistants!Their school loans
are due, an average of $180,000, with no viable means of employment.They are in a real “Catch 22”.
And we, the American public, are
in for a real surprise as we age with the impending doctor shortage!
This blog is designed to educate
the public about this travesty.It is a
call to action to those who can help rectify this ongoing catastrophe.The voices who can help include:State and US Legislators, State and National
Medical Societies, US and Foreign medical school deans, Residency Directors,
Medical students, Physicians, Public Health Departments, and finally the MEDIA.
