The New York Times addressed a proposal for an increase in medical schools across the nation in an article published Feb 14. If passed, these new medical schools are will be established through the Commonwealth as well as universities such as, Hofstra University, Quinnipac University, Rowan University, among many others.
The purpose for this proposal is to provide medical facilities and aid for those of a lower income who inhabit places other than suburban areas. In addition, this plan acts a seed of hope for students determined to have a career in the medical field but do not meet the standard for being accepted to prestigious medical schools.
However, this proposal seems to be connected to a lot more than just providing a higher chance for medical students to fulfill their dreams of becoming doctors.
According to the article, an abundance of factors contribute to the anticipated changes in the medical field: “a growing population; the aging of the health-conscious baby-boom generation; the impending retirement of, by some counts, as many as a third of current doctors; and the expectation that, the present political climate notwithstanding, changes in health care policy will eventually bring a tide of newly insured patients into the American health care system.”
Perhaps it is finally sinking in that the ratio of qualified doctors to patients in need of services throughout the United States is heavily imbalanced. If the proposal is passed, these aspiring medical students will hold the title as “primary care” doctors, meaning that their focus will be on treating impoverished and immigrant communities as well as those without health insurance.
In the current spectrum of health care for the less fortunate, physician assistants and specialists, who don’t hold the same criterion as doctors, give out aid. The possible increase in schools will give people currently in the health care field, minorities, as well as those who may be older, a chance to study.
But an important question to ponder is: does an increase in doctors necessarily dictate quality care? With the slow process of health care reforms and many going untreated due to lack of sufficient funds, this increase will be a godsend.
Perhaps this bold change will also break the vicious cycle of the “less is more” attitude regarding services for patients. It isn’t uncommon to be waiting in a doctor’s office next to a person with a cough promising the contraction of H1N1, while the doctor is in the other room fixing a scraped knee.
For those questioning the credibility of these new medical schools, it is crucial to understand that they must go through an authorization process and even then, students must be able to pass a medical licensing examination given by the National Board of Medical Examiners, in order to practice medicine.
Although the road to becoming a physician will differ from those attending traditional medical schools, the end result will be similar. Conceivably, this proposal may be a solution to the on-going struggle in deficiency of medical services for Americans.
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