Jamila Vasi <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Prof Ewa Barnes <\/p>\n\n\n\n
CRT 100-057W<\/p>\n\n\n\n
April 3, 2022<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Topic: Medical School Should Cost Less<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Today we are faced with 2 facts: one, that as a nation, we are in the midst of a shortage of doctors, primarily primary care physicians, and two, the cost of education- especially for graduate school- steadily climbing. The logical response is that we should financially support aspiring young doctors in their medical education- which would solve one problem by mitigating the other. The reality is that we are discouraging students from any form of higher education, not to mention medical education. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
To understand the depth of the issue, it is integral to acknowledge some basic statistics. According to The National Center of Education Statistics, the average cost of undergraduate education in the US is $86, 936, roughly $21,734 per year. For hopeful medical student, this is just the beginning of his\/her student debt- something they will deal with years after becoming a practicing doctor. To get a better idea of the cost of a medical education, I interviewed a second year medical student at McGovern Medical School in Houston, Texas. He provided me with insight into the minimum cost of getting a degree in medicine as somebody who pays in-state tuition at a public school, lives at home (and therefore does not pay for room and board), and lives in a state that heavily subsidizes medical education. After tallying the cost for medical school applications, the cost of having to travel to in-person interviews at various schools (he interviewed only in-state), his tuition, exam costs, and other mandatory items (ex: laptop, white coat, study materials, scrubs etc.), his current costs stand at approximately $57,820 for 2 years, with a total of $115,590 for 4 years of schooling. This is significantly lower than the median four-year cost of attendance, which- according to data from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), ranges from $255,000 to $337,000 for the Class of 2020. The average student loan debt for medical students is $223, 700 (College Costs- CQ researcher)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now that we have established that medical school is not for the faint of heart- nor for those with limited funding, let us explore the primary issue: the national shortage of doctors. According to data from the World Bank (compiled 2019), there are 2.6 doctors per 1000 people in the US. In stark comparison, every other 1st world country has far more. More than half of the states in the US- 13 in the South and 6 in the West had fewer than 90 primary care physicians per 100,000 residents in s study done in 2012 (refer: AAMC). The Association of American Medical Colleges forecasts a deficit of up to 90, 400 doctors- particularly specialists- by the year 2025. The growth of the elderly population- particularly Baby Boomers- are partly responsible for this. The association\u2019s chief public policy officer, Dr. Atul Grover, explains, \u201cFor 20 years, 10,000 people a day will turn 65, and they are the ones that use most of the health care services.\u201d Clearly, we are currently at a deficit of primary-care physicians which is only going to get worse in the coming years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
These issues, however, are far from new. In an article published in 1960, the author states that medical school is getting more and more expensive, with even basic necessities such as study materials being added into the cost. She admits that there are greater rewards in other fields of science, which are less rigorous and financially attractive. With that, she states that if action is not taken, we could face a nationwide shortage of doctors in the future. Evidently, she had incredible foresight and predicted our reality today. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
So what are the theoretical solutions? While it can be argued that there are other medical professionals (such as physicians\u2019 assistants) that could take the place of physicians- they do not have the depth of experience and clinical training as a doctor even fresh out of medical school has. Furthermore, they do not have the same autonomy as a doctor does, so while they are valuable assets to doctors, they cannot entirely replace them. The other, solution is to assist young medical students in their endeavors- especially financially. Some costs should be eliminated completely- such as licensing exam costs, study resources, and application costs. This will begin to relieve students of some of the pressures of schooling, and is a positive step in the right direction.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Sources: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Price, Tom. “Doctor Shortage.” CQ Researcher<\/em>, 28 Aug. 2015, pp. 697-720, library.cqpress.com\/cqresearcher\/cqresrre2015082800.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shaffer, Helen B. “Doctor Supply and Medical Education.”\u00a0Editorial Research Reports 1960<\/em>, vol. II, CQ Press, 1960, pp. 823-41. CQ Researcher, 31 Mar. 2022, library.cqpress.com\/cqresearcher\/cqresrre1960110900.<\/p>\n\n\n\n