Comments on: Do we need a new Flexner report? http://www.medrants.com/archives/5264 Internal medicine, American health care, and especially medical education Sat, 11 Feb 2012 15:15:48 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: PK http://www.medrants.com/archives/5264/comment-page-1#comment-531624 PK Fri, 12 Feb 2010 15:20:06 +0000 http://www.medrants.com/?p=5264#comment-531624 I'm afraid that in my experience "medical student education" has fallen farther down the list than #5. This varies from service to service, but in some rotations medical students are just there to do scut work and if they manage to learn something along the way it's just bonus. I’m afraid that in my experience “medical student education” has fallen farther down the list than #5. This varies from service to service, but in some rotations medical students are just there to do scut work and if they manage to learn something along the way it’s just bonus.

]]> By: Jared http://www.medrants.com/archives/5264/comment-page-1#comment-531519 Jared Sun, 07 Feb 2010 15:38:05 +0000 http://www.medrants.com/?p=5264#comment-531519 DB, this line from the linked article frightens me.  "These schools' defense, that even an inadequately funded medical school served a purpose by offering an opportunity for disadvantaged individuals to attend, was soundly and correctly rejected as a bogus argument." It is true that inadequate funding, and lack of experience or knowledge have been shown to inhibit education.  But, if that were a primary inhibitor of education, scholarship would have stagnated more than we think it has.  Where I believe we need to focus our efforts is to define where the mission creep has occurred throughout medicine and medical education, and provide for a new Flexner-styled report to help us understand what has happened, and bring us back to our foundations.  Actually part of that has happened in an NPR program titled "This American Life".  The two-part discussion is here http://www.thisamericanlife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?episode=391 and here http://www.thisamericanlife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?episode=392 DB, this line from the linked article frightens me.  "These schools' defense, that even an inadequately funded medical school served a purpose by offering an opportunity for disadvantaged individuals to attend, was soundly and correctly rejected as a bogus argument."

It is true that inadequate funding, and lack of experience or knowledge have been shown to inhibit education.  But, if that were a primary inhibitor of education, scholarship would have stagnated more than we think it has. 

Where I believe we need to focus our efforts is to define where the mission creep has occurred throughout medicine and medical education, and provide for a new Flexner-styled report to help us understand what has happened, and bring us back to our foundations.  Actually part of that has happened in an NPR program titled "This American Life". 

The two-part discussion is here http://www.thisamericanlife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?episode=391 and here http://www.thisamericanlife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?episode=392

]]> By: Medical Contrarian http://www.medrants.com/archives/5264/comment-page-1#comment-531518 Medical Contrarian Sun, 07 Feb 2010 15:05:45 +0000 http://www.medrants.com/?p=5264#comment-531518 I could not agree with you more. I just yesterday wrote a piece on a related aspect of this marriage of medicine and the university.   <a href="http://georgiacontrarian.blogspot.com/2010/02/medical-knowledge-vs-medical-know-how.html" rel="nofollow">http://georgiacontrarian.blogspot.com/2010/02/medical-knowledge-vs-medical-know-how.html</a> I could not agree with you more. I just yesterday wrote a piece on a related aspect of this marriage of medicine and the university. 
 http://georgiacontrarian.blogspot.com/2010/02/medical-knowledge-vs-medical-know-how.html

]]> By: Clinton http://www.medrants.com/archives/5264/comment-page-1#comment-531507 Clinton Sun, 07 Feb 2010 02:26:24 +0000 http://www.medrants.com/?p=5264#comment-531507 Keep up the good work, DB.  I am on the verge of graduating from medical school and I have been pondering going down the academic medicine professional pathway post-residency... but only if we can stick to a mission statement of "teach students and residents." I agree that all too often, the business philosophy dominates and the students (and patients!) suffer. Keep up the good work, DB.  I am on the verge of graduating from medical school and I have been pondering going down the academic medicine professional pathway post-residency… but only if we can stick to a mission statement of "teach students and residents."

I agree that all too often, the business philosophy dominates and the students (and patients!) suffer.

]]> By: PeterW http://www.medrants.com/archives/5264/comment-page-1#comment-531486 PeterW Sat, 06 Feb 2010 00:59:22 +0000 http://www.medrants.com/?p=5264#comment-531486 Good point on focusing on students, but remember that even with exhorbitant tuition, it costs still more to train students and residents.  So SOME form of revenue is still needed, even if we could prune back other activities.. Good point on focusing on students, but remember that even with exhorbitant tuition, it costs still more to train students and residents.  So SOME form of revenue is still needed, even if we could prune back other activities..

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