subject: Fresh New Doctors Help The Entire Population [print this page] The medical field has always been an attractive option to many young people. But in recent years, medical schools around the country have seen an emergence of a new breed of doctors who are driven by the rewards of medical service for the good of the public, rather than financial compensation.
For instance, one 28-year-old physician refused $30,000.00 + from insurance and drug corporations, medical schools and private institutions. In its place he took a $12,000 per year salary from an organization which he started himself while in medical school. This is just one example of the new breed of doctors who commit themselves to the improvement of the quality and delivery of medical care in America.
He tells us that his intention is not to practice medicine in the classic, conventional sense. The purpose of his government funded institute is to analyze the educational, medical, dental, and legal needs of specific communities, and his institute has been doing this since it's inception four years ago. He believes that the overall requirements of the community are intertwined, and therefore it is necessary to consider other aspects, along with health care issues. Students who wish to be pioneers are restricted by the limited number of opportunities within the medical system.
The state of health care in the US has long been the subject of heated debate. Still requiring encouragement, the medical schools are attempting to make changes and focus more on an outreach. The people who can force the medical programs to change are the medical students themselves. Thanks to their persistence, the majority of medical programs in the United States have begun to include community medicine classes as a part of their degree requirements. There is a growing awareness on the part of modern medical students of the lack of basic medical care available to many individuals and their families.
Having a seriousness of purpose, a great interest in justice, a real sense of compassion, and an increased sense of social needs, students are thinking differently according to the dean of one of the this country's top medical institutions. The dean also stated that this is the first generation of physicians where he has seen these qualities, and that it can affect what they find funny as well. This new kind of idealism seems to result in a student who is more willing to make sacrifices in favor of the common good. For these individuals, the lifestyle that we have come to associate with doctors, the big cars, golf games and material wealth, is less of a motivation. Success in the chosen field has less to do with social status.
Students of modern medicine no longer believe that their status as doctors elevates them above other people. They enjoyed being a part of the social elite. They wanted to own more things. They lived very structured lives that offered them safety, luxury, and a feeling of accomplishment. Students today are difficult to figure out if one looks at them from the point of view of older physicians.
One desire of many modern students is to see that medical care is delivered based on need rather than finances, and that no one should be denied medical care for any reason. One associate professor who supports and helps lead these reform efforts points out that while billions of dollars are spent on medical care, people are actually not any happier now than they have ever been. He also claims that without change, this trend will continue. He even believes that the overall condition of health care can become worse if changes do not occur quickly.
There is one association that has been established for the sole purpose of motivating medical students to go into certain areas in the medical field, such as preventive medicine, public health and environmental health. Across the United States, medical projects based in communities are subsidized by this organization. It is occupied full time with achieving the integration of community health projects into the curricula of the medical schools.
Learning community medicine has increased in popularity with these new young doctors and many have indicated a desire to return to those types of work that they were exposed to while still in medical school. Reaching out to the communities that they are serving, you will find the med schools and hospitals wanting to recruit minority men and women to train for medical careers, in addition to the setting up of clinic and other community projects.
