Medicine: Where It is Going and What It Means

[teleopti]

So I wanted to ask all of you who are in the medical profession where you think medicine is going or where it is "actually" headed. Seems like a lot more medical schools are opening up. Also what are your takes on those in the Carib like Ross and St. George.

Residency is getting tighter and tighter by the day....

Post away!

[Joekerr]

Everything is getting tighter to get into day by day, not just medicine. Unfortunately, when it comes to medicine, it seems to me (from looking at others I know who are in that field) that "getting in" full time, is basically like making partner in a professional firm, or being promoted to SVP in a company right away.

Used to be, this was no problem, you could basically choose where you wanted to practice. Now, not so much, you have to wait, and wait, and wait. And you have to do crap work and lots of call for years, in the hopes that they eventually offer a permanent position. Which is markedly different from the past and I think it is really scaring people in residency right now. And those in school.

Overall though, when you think about it, no one in any other field goes from school, 5 years + of training, right into a SVP / Partner position....takes far longer than that and so maybe this isn't so unusual - maybe the profession is basically aligning itself with other professions? Still, it represents a change to those in it, and an unsettling one at that and I get it. And I feel for those people too, don't get me wrong - they worked really hard to get where they are, and if they have no place to work at the end of it, well that's frustrating and discouraging.

But I think the wait time is only going to increase - I don't think we will see a reversal. Up here, any full time position that comes open, people across the country know about it and are applying - any position in a rural place in Canada probably has 50+ well qualified (but new) surgeons applying for it, many with sub specialties. So even if we see mass retirement, which I don't think we will, I think the supply is still more than sufficient and I don't see any marked reversals happening in the near time.

All I can say is best of luck and hope something works out for you if you choose to pursue this!

[bumere90]

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