The USA needs more doctors

[tallrick]

Originally Posted by PYT

I highly doubt ANYONE can self-educate themselves to become a physician. The medical expertise involved is far too extensive. Honestly, how would you teach yourself to do a colonoscopy?

And I'm very curious, what type of "test" do you propose for non-licensed medical staff to take? Paper and pencil? A test surgery? I'm not too sure you understand what is involved in medical training. It'd be more accurate to consider licensing as the 3-5 years of residency rather than the medical boards.

When it comes down to it, No PhD, RN, or PA can ever replace a trained doctor.

Of course not. The current system has to limit participation to be profitable. On the job training is used for vocational trades, why is being a doctor so special to require an overpriced medical school instead of a common sense alternative. Taking on a huge debt before earning an income is just plain stupid.

[Mathguy]

Originally Posted by BCreass

Maybe if we had universal healthcare, we wouldn't have this problem.

Healthcare has become all about $$$....and the insurance industry, from health insurance to malpractice insurance for doctors has destroyed it.

It's a well known fact that most medical malpractice insurers have lost a small fortune over the past 20 years or so. MANY have stopped writing it and\or gone bankrupt doing so. There are several factors involved here...generally though it's more claims and more expensive claims.

[Mathguy]

Originally Posted by emilybh

What? Some states have TOO MANY doctors. Besides we'd all be better off if we kept our exposure to conventional medicne to a minimum. It turns out, medical errors is the leading cause of death in this country -- more than heart disease or cancer. 800,000 people die every year based on ony 5-20 percent of reported incidents die every year from this. LE Magazine, August 2006 - Report: Death by Medicine

Not true, the leading cause of death in the US is squirrels.
Just type "Happy Tree Friends" in you tube and you will see what they are capable of!

If you care to site valid statistics from a reputable source (and not a dead link) then I will be happy to look at them.

[Mathguy]

Originally Posted by BCreass

......because it'd push the insurance INDUSTRY out and would ultimately cut costs, just like it does in every other "developed" country on god's green earth.

As long as everything could be administered by the government more efficiently then this statement holds true. <Points to medicare>