Medical Residents Need To Get Tougher Summary

As a young child, I witnessed underserved communities in India and America that truly needed health care, but were deprived of it, due to high poverty. I was a casualty of this situation when I moved to America. I lived in a neighborhood that was poor, and there was a lack of proper healthcare, especially if one did not have health insurance. The neighborhood had only one hospital in its vicinity, and the wait hours were long. My experiences were never pleasant, for the staff and doctors were often rude. These experiences made me realize that my passion for helping would be most helpful in a health care career. However, I knew that if I were to become a doctor, I had to maintain my grades, as it is a highly competitive field. This desire to become a doctor led me to take classes at a community college while attending high school.

Primary care physicians are on the lower end of the totem pole when it comes to ranking doctors, and on top of that they typically make less money than most specialties. Are these the reasons that medical students are deterred from family practice? A group of researchers set out to find out. Michael Compton and his colleagues surveyed hundreds of students over the course of their time in medical school and found that “students wanting a high-prestige career were more likely to be interested in a non- primary care specialty than a primary care specialty” (1099). In other words, medical students looking for a prestigious

From the moment they began their journey at Harvard Medical School, their entire life became medicine and medical related topics. Constantly studying for school, exams, board tests, and for their future, stress was no stranger. “Stress refers to physical and psychological responses to overwhelming stimuli… Burnout is actually a combination of factors” (page 115, DePru). Stress leads to burnout, and many medical professionals face both roadblocks in their careers. In Doctors’ Diaries the students stress did not subside when the graduated, it only increased. Once they were placed in their intern positions, adjusting to their new jobs brought on more stress than some could handle. The doctors had to learn to be modify their lives and their expectations in order to stay on top. In example, Jane learns to be a positive influence for her patient’s in her inner-city hospital for she fears that she might be the only flicker of light they see for awhile. Jay Bonner and Tom Tater display the greatest burnout and stress. Tom cannot seem to find his place within the hospital and even doubts his own abilities. Tom is a hard worker and he is more driven than his peers. When Tom is fired from his ER job, he realizes how burnt out he is with the system, not the

After my observations, I have learned a lot about how the the medical aspect of the health care system worked. I always had the mindset that the doctors were the ones who ran everything in a hospital or a clinic. Upon observing, I realized that this was false and that it took teamwork, cooperation, and communication to help create an environment to best serve its patients. When I came into the University of Michigan as well as the Health Sciences Scholar Program, I had set my target to go into family medicine in order to pursue a career as a family physician. I also saw that there were many health disparities and inequities among patients in hospitals as well. I thought maybe I could help fix this if I became a physician. After my observations, I had an ambivalent feeling if I should still continue with what my heart was set on. I never really thought about exploring the vast array of other health-related professions. There were many fields of health professions I had really never thought about and this class as well as my observations had really helped open my eyes to the complexity of the health system to make it work.

Just as the institution is eager to continue embracing the ever-changing world of healthcare and medicine, I too embody this same distinguishing characteristic. Throughout my undergraduate experiences I have learned in order to be a steward and servant of the medical profession one must exercise teamwork, service, empathy, accountability, and optimism; all of which coincide with the tenets that are declared by the Meharry Medical College, School of Medicine culture. Attending this medical school would be one of the greatest rewards for my motivation and persistence. I know for certain there would be no greater experience than to be a part of the Meharry Medical College

Earlier this year, the United States Government asked the Institute of Medicine to conduct a study regarding this problem, specifically focusing on Graduate Medical Education, and its affects on the

The curriculum of the Med School encompasses many hands-on practices that are often neglected at other universities. These practices include the following skills: healthy policy, community service and engagement, and evidence based practice. I can build off my current knowledge of public health and can apply the social skills and knowledge I learned from my classmates and professors to connect with my patients and prosper in my career. I can also enrich my undergraduate experience by thoroughly exploring all of D.C.: the populations living in area, the outdoor life, and the social conditions of the people around

This great disparity in wealth and opportunity has prompted me to join the American Red Cross to help with disaster relief and mental health, as well as volunteering at the women’s and children’s shelter. The opportunity to assist ailing communities makes Marshall University special in comparison to some of the other schools. Not only this, but Marshall provides a great opportunity to pursue some research endeavors. If you are wondering why I am applying, the answer is simple. The opportunity to study medicine at Marshall is too ideal to pass up. Marshall is a school that I believe can enhance my love for medicine, and teach me to be a veritable and meticulous physician. Being a Montana resident has put me at a disadvantage while applying to medical school. Montana does not have its own medical school, and so I must seek an out-of-state school. This puts me at a disadvantage since most schools prioritize in-state students before the out-of-state ones. I chose to apply to Marshall because it is a school that I would love to attend and be a part of their excellent medical

A residency is required training that is completed after medical school. Without completing a residency program, DO and MD medical school graduates are unable to practice medicine. Although the number of DO and MD graduates has been increasing, there has been very minimal increase in the number of open residency spots that are available. This means that some of these would-be physicians are unable to practice medicine simple because the number of med school graduates outnumbers the number of open residency

“Healthcare Administration, what a choice for the second half of your life, VeRhonda,” I say to myself as I enter Unit 3 of my online course. Interestingly our assignment asks us to locate an article from a professional website that is credible, to use as a blog idea in Unit 4. I chose an article entitled, ‘The Silent Struggle: Depression During Residency’ (Miller. 2015), which may be found at http://medscape.com/viewarticle/851028. The article gives insight to what I am sure many of us are unaware of. Many of our medical residents are being plagued by depression and/or suicidal ideology. As a student wishing to soon one day become an administrator or manager within the healthcare industry, my mouth dropped at the statistics and immediately my mind began to search for a solution to this devastating situation.

The memory of George’s struggles provides a continuous reminder of why I am pursuing a career in medicine and serves as a perpetual source of motivation. I have a responsibility to those less fortunate than me to work my hardest and to continuously improve, so I may grow to ensure that others do not needlessly suffer as George has. Moreover, the knowledge of healthcare inequities I have gained will allow me to bring the concerns of underserved populations to the Wake Forest School of Medicine and help foster the growth of physicians who are dedicated to aiding the disadvantaged. Medical school will undoubtedly be wrought with challenges; however, I am confident that dedication to ameliorate others’ suffering will allow me not only to thrive, but also enrich the learning experience of my peers.

With long work hours, many physicians sacrifices their social lives and down-time for their career. Not only that, but the long hours pose a serious health risk. Studies have proven that extensive work hours not only increase mental stress but can even increase individuals risk of stroke. According to one study, “compared to those who worked standard hours (35-40 hours/week),participants who worked 49-54 and more than 55 hours a week had an increased risk of stroke” (“Long Work Hours May Increase Risk of Stroke."). Furthermore, fatigue is a serious danger to patient safety. Individuals who are tired naturally make more mistakes, and have impaired complex problem solving skills, which are vital for working in a hospital. According to a recent survey, 81% of physicians described themselves as either overexerted or at full capacity (Jennings). Many physicians are struggling to balance their personal lives, and even health, with the responsibilities of such a demanding career. Reasonable work hours, call coverage, and time off for illness or vacation are essential to maintaining the well-being of these vital care givers. By increasing the workforce for obstetrics and gynecology, by building interest in young students, health care can be improved, and the hours for current physicians won’t have to be so long; thus improving the quality of care and the quality of the physicians

Morehouse School of Medicine is the academic institution that will give me the best environment to grow and flourish. The prestige and history of the school speak for themselves, but Morehouse has so much more to offer. Strong community presence is a quality of Morehouse’s that drew me to the school. Learning about the Public Health & Preventative Medicine residency program was exciting for me because practicing preventative medicine is a future goal of mine. As I overlooked Morehouse’s website and read about MSM’s strategic five year plan, the key words that stuck out to me were “health equity”. I believe every individual deserves a fair chance at living a healthy life regardless of his or her socio-economic status. I was so glad to see that

As years have passed college has become more and more expensive. Medical school graduates, graduate with over $150,000 in debt, thus having a major influence on the career’s that these students choose to take (Christian, 2011, pg.30). The outrageous debt these doctors take on influence them to specialize in different medical fields that will bring in more money. Lauren Silverman, author of “The Cure for a Doctor Shortage: Primary Care and Teamwork”, states that “last year, across the country, the average specialist earned $284,000. The average primary care doc? $195,000. So, selling recent graduates on family practice isn’t easy” (2016). An easier solution to convincing medical students to take the roll of being a primary care physicians is to raise the amount of money they are reimbursed. Primary care physicians are just as important as a specialist. Without a regular check-up to a primary care physician, there would not be a need for specialist. Primary care physicians are usually the first to find a problem with the patient, “It is folly to think that reading a CT scan takes any more skill than separating out a case of lung cancer from the common cold in the doctor’s office” (Christian, 2011, pg. 31). Although this solution will not fix the problem, it is a start to closing the gap on decreasing the shortage of primary care

A major concern in the world of medicine and many patients around the world has been how fatigue is affecting surgeons. Imagine you are in the operating room and you happen to see the surgeon yawn, you are putting your life in his hands. Questions begin to fill your head. How long has he been working? Will he be able to perform at his best? Will he make a mistake because he is tired? In the late twentieth century and very early twentieth-first century it was believed that patient safety was at risk to due to surgeons working over a hundred hours a week, so new regulations were set on 2003, to limit surgical residents to only being able to work for eighty hours a week. Recent studies have found that limiting the amount of hours surgical residents could work has limited their experience, lowered certification passing rate, and increases the possibility for more errors. . Residents see less patients and they don’t get to see the patients they treat get better or worse and research supports that there is no significant evidence that negatively correlates hours worked with surgeons ' performance. Even though in the past it was believed that Patients were more at risk when surgeons work longer, making them more susceptible to errors because of fatigue, due to new studies, residents should be allowed to exceed the 80 hour limit because studies show that residents are being exposed to less patients which reduces their experience