7 ms·

I sure don't want any of that 99% being a doctor or lawyer just finishing a boot camp.

spacelizard 9y ago
I do. There are all kinds of things wrong with requiring 20 years of study just to be able to have a chance to do a job properly. If done properly, we can reduce that time significantly.
- andrewflnr 9y ago
  I'm inclined to agree about lawyers, but for medicine I'm pretty sure there just is that much to learn.
  - maxerickson 9y ago
    I imagine most doctors would be just fine as doctors if they graduated from high school at age 16 and also skipped 1 year (maybe 2) of undergrad. A great way to spend more money on education would be to target lowering high school graduation age to 17, with at least a year of training oriented education for students that weren't interested in an academic track and a faster academic track for students that did want it. The idea that everybody gets value out of Algebra II is pretty confused and at my Big 10 university, I often knew more history on days I hadn't done the reading than most of the people in my discussion class (that is, our "well prepared" high school students aren't coming out of high school well rounded anyway, lets drop the pretense).
adpirz 9y ago
Boot camp is hyperbole for medicine, but the medical field itself is beginning to recognize (at least in the US) that the path to becoming a physician is much longer than need be, especially given the shortage we have especially for GPs.
- c0nfused 9y ago
  My impression is that the medical field is mostly increasing the number of new MDs but not the number of residency slots. This means that soon medical school will end up like law school where you can get a law degree but not a job. You need at least a year of residency to be able to practice medicine in any state, to get a real job you need to finish. http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/healthcare/266610-shortage-of-residency-slots-may-have-chilling-effect-on-next http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/healthcare/266610-sho...
  - maxerickson 9y ago
    It would be easy to fix. Current spending on residency programs is something like 10 or 15 billion dollars. With more than 3 trillion dollars in healthcare spending, a 10 billion dollar experiment aimed at lowering costs is cheap. (and of course it isn't necessary to immediately double the number of slots in order to soak up the extra MDs)
- mirimir 9y ago
  Maybe we have a shortage of GPs because specialists, such as plastic surgeons, earn lots more money.
mindcrime 9y ago
If all I need is an ingrown toenail removed, or a prescription for an anti-fungal cream or something, I'd be totally fine with a doctor who went to a boot camp. Why would I want to pay for somebody who is dramatically overqualified - and correspondingly more expensive - to take care of a minor problem?
- MandieD 9y ago
  You want someone "overqualified" who can tell the difference between a fungal infection that just needs a prescription anti-fungal cream, and one that is affecting more than just your foot and/or requires something beyond a cream.
  - mindcrime 9y ago
    So, what, you think every medical issue demands the same level of expertise? Do we really need somebody with 8 years of schooling, residencies, etc. to deal with every little issue? Personally, I think the answer is "no". That in no way suggests that there isn't a role for the hyper-educated / trained doctor, or for even more highly trained specialists. The point is just that not every situation requires them.

I do. There are all kinds of things wrong with requiring 20 years of study just to be able to have a chance to do a job properly. If done properly, we can reduce that time significantly.

andrewflnr 9y ago
I'm inclined to agree about lawyers, but for medicine I'm pretty sure there just is that much to learn.
- maxerickson 9y ago
  I imagine most doctors would be just fine as doctors if they graduated from high school at age 16 and also skipped 1 year (maybe 2) of undergrad. A great way to spend more money on education would be to target lowering high school graduation age to 17, with at least a year of training oriented education for students that weren't interested in an academic track and a faster academic track for students that did want it. The idea that everybody gets value out of Algebra II is pretty confused and at my Big 10 university, I often knew more history on days I hadn't done the reading than most of the people in my discussion class (that is, our "well prepared" high school students aren't coming out of high school well rounded anyway, lets drop the pretense).

adpirz 9y ago

Boot camp is hyperbole for medicine, but the medical field itself is beginning to recognize (at least in the US) that the path to becoming a physician is much longer than need be, especially given the shortage we have especially for GPs.

c0nfused 9y ago
My impression is that the medical field is mostly increasing the number of new MDs but not the number of residency slots. This means that soon medical school will end up like law school where you can get a law degree but not a job. You need at least a year of residency to be able to practice medicine in any state, to get a real job you need to finish. http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/healthcare/266610-shortage-of-residency-slots-may-have-chilling-effect-on-next http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/healthcare/266610-sho...
- maxerickson 9y ago
  It would be easy to fix. Current spending on residency programs is something like 10 or 15 billion dollars. With more than 3 trillion dollars in healthcare spending, a 10 billion dollar experiment aimed at lowering costs is cheap. (and of course it isn't necessary to immediately double the number of slots in order to soak up the extra MDs)
mirimir 9y ago
Maybe we have a shortage of GPs because specialists, such as plastic surgeons, earn lots more money.

mindcrime 9y ago

If all I need is an ingrown toenail removed, or a prescription for an anti-fungal cream or something, I'd be totally fine with a doctor who went to a boot camp. Why would I want to pay for somebody who is dramatically overqualified - and correspondingly more expensive - to take care of a minor problem?

MandieD 9y ago
You want someone "overqualified" who can tell the difference between a fungal infection that just needs a prescription anti-fungal cream, and one that is affecting more than just your foot and/or requires something beyond a cream.
- mindcrime 9y ago
  So, what, you think every medical issue demands the same level of expertise? Do we really need somebody with 8 years of schooling, residencies, etc. to deal with every little issue? Personally, I think the answer is "no". That in no way suggests that there isn't a role for the hyper-educated / trained doctor, or for even more highly trained specialists. The point is just that not every situation requires them.