A Big Problem

Article Title: Medical Students Confront a Residency Black Hole
Info: http://management.fortune.cnn.com/2013/04/01/medical-students-residencies/

So I found this article whilst researching about Internal Medicine. It talks about how this year, hundreds of medical school graduates were unable to get a residency position. This is extremely concerning because medical school prepares you for the real world of medicine and most of your knowledge will be put on the line during your residency.

During residency, you'll be trained in a particular specialty of your choice. This is where doctors become true masters of their craft. Depending on what programme you join, surgeons become surgeons. Internists become internists. Students become doctors. 

When medical school graduates are unable to get a spot in residency, this is a huge problem: they've studied for years only to be cut out when, I believe, is the most important part of their career. According to this article, medical schools are graduating more students than there are residency positions. The answer? Open more spots! In March, several lawmakers passed a legislation that will add 3,000 – 4,000 positions over 5 years. This is a good solution for now.

Another issue this article mentions is the decreasing amount of primary care doctors and residency positions. Many students are rushing forward to specialties such as dermatology or laproscopic surgery. (The pay is nearly twice as much, which is appealing)

While I was at the UCI Medical Centre, I was able to talk to an OBGYN. She said that there is a serious lack of primary care doctors. Her statement makes sense: students train for years of their life. Why not be paid a lot? Personally, I want to be a surgeon. I wouldn't mind training for Internal Medicine either, but residency positions are incredibly important; something that this article helps me to understand.