7 ms·

I was under the impression that the professional organizations kept a pretty tight grip on the number of medical school students allowed to graduate every year

I was under the impression that the professional organizations kept a pretty tight grip on the number of medical school students allowed to graduate every year - the reason we could use more doctors is that doctors enjoy the job security that comes with this enforced scarcity. It's certainly not the case that you really need to have both a perfect 4.0 GPA and have gone to the moon to be capable of performing as a doctor (as the application process for med schools would have you believe... after all, Europe manages to train doctors straight out of highschool in 3 years + internships/fellowships/etc. compared to North America's 4+ years + a bachelor's degree).

apl 16y ago
> after all, Europe manages to train doctors straight out > of highschool in 3 years + internships/fellowships/etc. > compared to North America's 4+ years + a bachelor's > degree). It's at least six years of med school in Germany, France and the UK, although I can't vouch for any other European states. But I do agree with your basic point: the selectivity isn't due to doctors having to be much more skilled than, say, (real) engineers.
radu_floricica 16y ago
Eastern Europe here, Romania more specifically - the standard is 5 years plus internship, more for certain specializations. I never heard of (nor would I trust) 3 year medical schools...
DocSavage 16y ago
I think relatively few medical students had a perfect 4.0 GPA in college. Even places like Harvard Med School have entering students averaging 3.8. Not sure how professional organizations can keep a "tight grip" on med school slots when foreign medical school graduates (and osteopathic medical school grads) can take USMLE medical boards. The pass rates for foreign medical grads, including US students who study abroad, are about 15-20% lower than US medical grads. My point is that the choke point for future doctors isn't the number of medical school slots but the USMLE pass rate and possibly the number of residency slots.

apl 16y ago

> after all, Europe manages to train doctors straight out > of highschool in 3 years + internships/fellowships/etc. > compared to North America's 4+ years + a bachelor's > degree). It's at least six years of med school in Germany, France and the UK, although I can't vouch for any other European states. But I do agree with your basic point: the selectivity isn't due to doctors having to be much more skilled than, say, (real) engineers.

radu_floricica 16y ago

Eastern Europe here, Romania more specifically - the standard is 5 years plus internship, more for certain specializations. I never heard of (nor would I trust) 3 year medical schools...

DocSavage 16y ago

I think relatively few medical students had a perfect 4.0 GPA in college. Even places like Harvard Med School have entering students averaging 3.8. Not sure how professional organizations can keep a "tight grip" on med school slots when foreign medical school graduates (and osteopathic medical school grads) can take USMLE medical boards. The pass rates for foreign medical grads, including US students who study abroad, are about 15-20% lower than US medical grads. My point is that the choke point for future doctors isn't the number of medical school slots but the USMLE pass rate and possibly the number of residency slots.