We will have a lack of doctors within 2 years. Becoming a physician is difficult for many people. It is competitive, and the best of the best is desired. While no one wants an unsavory doctor, the training that goes into creating one cannot predict the success or failure of the physician. What makes a physician successful in school is not what makes him/her successful in a physician's life. Just as many physicians I have seen as "successful", I have seen many who are not, who have discord and disconnect from their craft. Exhausted by the systems use to enact healthcare. The depression seen when patients fail to adhere to their regimen. And the multiple, rapid filing of health records that do not follow the patient with any standard or logic. Then, are outcomes improved, and that doesn't take a physician training, but public health training. Some physicians want it, some don't. So, then the restriction is further.
I hold a PhD. My training involves asking probing questions, deeply examining them and finding their answers. A doctorate training is not simply, anyone can get one. That is NOT my case. As much grief as I got for my PhD does not merit the loss in income I incurred. In fact, if I knew any better, I probably would have gotten a MD before a PhD, because of the level of respect that physicians hold for one another. Whereas, there is a bit much disrespect toward PhD's by both professionals and publicly, until we show them our capabilities, then they are shocked. How we get further along to finding answers than they. How we pursue answers to questions deeply is different than what a physician brings. That does not mean we do not collaborate, what it means is that our relationship is deserving of respect.
A physician is trained, licensed and boarded to work on human beings. We, PhD's know that, we actively choose NOT to seek a medical degree so that all we have to do is be at the bench, and test concepts to help find answers. Physicians are trained how without any questions, and do not ever question the intent of their experiments. While overtime, anyone can learn anything given enough training, a PhD develops protocols to get at the answer much faster, quicker and with consistency because that is a part of our training to do that. The difference is, when you ask a physician to do hardcore complex biochemical experiments, you will be lucky to get the concentrations accurate. Whereas, if you ask a PhD to draw blood, finding a vein would be interesting with recumbency.
Either way, we highly trained individuals must stop fighting! Why? Are we for the same goals? We are the best and the brightest and we were excepted to doctorate level educations, to be told by mere bachelor's level policy/business people what to do... Rather than gunning for each other, we have some serious health issues that remain unaddressed, swine flu, chronic disease, yes, health care reform which is mainly based on lack of public health options, and great influence on what is a "healthy human being". Will cancer rates change if we reform health care? Will we make a dent in obesity? Can chemical modifications of foodstuffs really effect changes in one's health outcome? Are these studies being done so that we know?
It takes ALL OF US to find answers than to play politics.
of Dr. Gina Moore the consummate professional
