Everyone likes to complain about health insurance costs but none of that matters if we don’t have providers!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The main bottleneck is in residency slots. You can build all the med schools you want, but that doesn't make a difference if someone cannot complete their training. Residency spots are largely federally funded, and Congress needs to provide more funding for this.

NO, absolutely not. We, the American TAXPAYERS are already paying ENOUGH.
So are the med students themselves.

It’s OUTRAGEOUS that we’ve been FORCED to pay for “residency spots”. What does that even cover? Your stipend?

Who all is raking in all this cash??
The corruption is phenomenal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From the article: "Medical schools have done their part by increasing enrollment by nearly 40% since 2002. We must now expand graduate medical education so we are training more doctors to meet the nation’s health care needs."

So are there a bunch of people who got their MDs but can't get residencies? What are they doing?

It's still like a 5% acceptance rate.

Medical schools aren’t doing squat about the shortage except maybe increasing their class size by a few or establishing tiny “satellite” campuses to pretend they care about rural medicine. No, they are reveling in the exclusivity too while raking in thousands in secondary application fees and making applicants jump through more and more hoops. They are too lazy and set in their ways to take on more students. They just want to keep phoning it in with pre-recorded lectures and group case presentations where the students teach themselves. And they fall back on the congressional residency cap to justify their actions. They also fight any attempt to build new med schools in the states where they are located so that they have less competition.

This fraud is utterly unsustainable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The main bottleneck is in residency slots. You can build all the med schools you want, but that doesn't make a difference if someone cannot complete their training. Residency spots are largely federally funded, and Congress needs to provide more funding for this.

Historically, hospitals funded residents themselves, with residents providing cheap labor.

I'm not opposed to the federal government funding more residency slots, but doing so will further cement the expectations that hospitals can benefit from their labor without paying for them.

[Anonymous]

I’m 100% opposed to forcing average hardworking people to pay hospitals for the privilege of accommodating cheap labor residents.

Who the heck pulled a fast one and slipped that one into a bill?
A big fat team of hospital thug lobbyists.

[Anonymous]

I don’t understand why people are mad about doctors working part time. I’m in primary care and for every 1 hour of seeing patients it’s about 30 min-1 hour of paperwork (returning lab results, paperwork, mychart messages etc.) so basically to keep work at a normal 40 hour work week you have to reduce your hours to about 28 patient facing hours a week. Look for me it was either part time or leaving medicine. Would you rather no doctors or part time doctors because I’d like (and I think my colleagues agree) to see my kids from time to time

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand why people are mad about doctors working part time. I’m in primary care and for every 1 hour of seeing patients it’s about 30 min-1 hour of paperwork (returning lab results, paperwork, mychart messages etc.) so basically to keep work at a normal 40 hour work week you have to reduce your hours to about 28 patient facing hours a week. Look for me it was either part time or leaving medicine. Would you rather no doctors or part time doctors because I’d like (and I think my colleagues agree) to see my kids from time to time

Many professions require extra work. You think the teacher at the school down the street is getting time during her day to plan lessons or grade papers? She’d also like to see her kids from time to time.

I get your point, but you’re hardly the only profession that has a lot being asked of you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand why people are mad about doctors working part time. I’m in primary care and for every 1 hour of seeing patients it’s about 30 min-1 hour of paperwork (returning lab results, paperwork, mychart messages etc.) so basically to keep work at a normal 40 hour work week you have to reduce your hours to about 28 patient facing hours a week. Look for me it was either part time or leaving medicine. Would you rather no doctors or part time doctors because I’d like (and I think my colleagues agree) to see my kids from time to time

Many professions require extra work. You think the teacher at the school down the street is getting time during her day to plan lessons or grade papers? She’d also like to see her kids from time to time.

I get your point, but you’re hardly the only profession that has a lot being asked of you.

Both teaching and medicine are currently experiencing shortages.

So from a workforce perspective the current situation is not working for either profession.

[Anonymous]

Who wants to be constantly controlled by bureaucratic freaks planted behind their desks, while they collect exorbitant paychecks and demand elaborate security?

No one. Why sit in university when someone else is going to dictate how you’re allowed to breathe?

Unless you’re the top gun in your field (think Randi W. and Tony F.), the current situation isn’t working for any professional.

Hence, the increasing return to technical professions. Good pay for hard workers. And no crushing debt. They’re often better positioned financially to marry, have children and buy a modest starter home.

Both teaching and medicine will continue to have shortages until it’s permitted to function as free thinking professionals, based on their demonstrated successes. If there’s only one way to treat diseases (without any cures), why bother?

Bring back the days when a doctor’s goal was to heal his patients and get them off of drugs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Who wants to be constantly controlled by bureaucratic freaks planted behind their desks, while they collect exorbitant paychecks and demand elaborate security?

No one. Why sit in university when someone else is going to dictate how you’re allowed to breathe?

But you're pretty much describing every professional job out there these days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand why people are mad about doctors working part time. I’m in primary care and for every 1 hour of seeing patients it’s about 30 min-1 hour of paperwork (returning lab results, paperwork, mychart messages etc.) so basically to keep work at a normal 40 hour work week you have to reduce your hours to about 28 patient facing hours a week. Look for me it was either part time or leaving medicine. Would you rather no doctors or part time doctors because I’d like (and I think my colleagues agree) to see my kids from time to time

Many professions require extra work. You think the teacher at the school down the street is getting time during her day to plan lessons or grade papers? She’d also like to see her kids from time to time.

I get your point, but you’re hardly the only profession that has a lot being asked of you.

You can be mad about it all you want but doctors vote with their feet. I refuse to work 80 hours a week (40 hours of patient care plus 40 hours of paperwork) so either you accept me part time or I leave. Same goes for many of my colleagues so I guess we settle for part time doctors. Not sure why you are mad about people wanting a work life balance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand why people are mad about doctors working part time. I’m in primary care and for every 1 hour of seeing patients it’s about 30 min-1 hour of paperwork (returning lab results, paperwork, mychart messages etc.) so basically to keep work at a normal 40 hour work week you have to reduce your hours to about 28 patient facing hours a week. Look for me it was either part time or leaving medicine. Would you rather no doctors or part time doctors because I’d like (and I think my colleagues agree) to see my kids from time to time

Many professions require extra work. You think the teacher at the school down the street is getting time during her day to plan lessons or grade papers? She’d also like to see her kids from time to time.

I get your point, but you’re hardly the only profession that has a lot being asked of you.

You can be mad about it all you want but doctors vote with their feet. I refuse to work 80 hours a week (40 hours of patient care plus 40 hours of paperwork) so either you accept me part time or I leave. Same goes for many of my colleagues so I guess we settle for part time doctors. Not sure why you are mad about people wanting a work life balance.

Okay? And teachers are doing the same thing. Part-time teaching positions are rare, so they are simply leaving the profession altogether.

We all deserve a work/life balance. Your situation is no worse than people in many other professions. Be grateful part-time work is an option for you.

[Anonymous]

I’m a physician who works for a huge health system.
- I haven’t gotten a raise in 3 years.
- Our one admistrator (for 6 doctors) left a few months ago, and upper level admin won’t replace her, so we spend a huge amount of time doing admin tasks (fedexing, ordering office supplies, putting in work orders when the heat or AC breaks).
- Admin won’t replace medical assistants who leave, so we do their work too, now
-I get into work between 8:15-8:30. I leave work between 8 and 9 PM, and eat leftovers from dinner by myself (my husband makes dinner). Kids are teenagers, so luckily they don’t go to bed until late, so I see them a little.
- I get up early one weekend day to work on paperwork, and monitor messages/phonecalls all the time, answering them if there is an emergency.

So, a full time job is about 70 hours/week, including all of the admin work (which used to be done by others but support staff is no longer being replaced). I am in my early 50’s with 20 years of experience, and make 400K in a very high COL city. It’s very rewarding, but it is becoming such a grind and is just so exhausting. It’s just annoying that I have to spend my timing figuring out how to use the Byzantine ordering system to get printer paper. Admin tells us that we should buy office supplies ourselves if we want to avoid that horrid ordering system, but it seems wrong - reminds me of how teachers spend their own money to buy their students school supplies.

My non-doctor friends are lawyers or in finance. They make much more and work much less, and can even take days off or go in late/leave early to see their kids’ games or be around when there is a half-day at school. My husband does almost everything around the house. This is why docs go part time - because full time is 60-70 hours/week, and it’s not compatible with having a normal life and the money isn’t worth it anymore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand why people are mad about doctors working part time. I’m in primary care and for every 1 hour of seeing patients it’s about 30 min-1 hour of paperwork (returning lab results, paperwork, mychart messages etc.) so basically to keep work at a normal 40 hour work week you have to reduce your hours to about 28 patient facing hours a week. Look for me it was either part time or leaving medicine. Would you rather no doctors or part time doctors because I’d like (and I think my colleagues agree) to see my kids from time to time

Many professions require extra work. You think the teacher at the school down the street is getting time during her day to plan lessons or grade papers? She’d also like to see her kids from time to time.

I get your point, but you’re hardly the only profession that has a lot being asked of you.

I support this 100%. Resist the system that has taken control of you. Maybe even unite with likeminded colleagues and fight the system that wants to replace you with robots, while they keep fleecing taxpayers.

You can be mad about it all you want but doctors vote with their feet. I refuse to work 80 hours a week (40 hours of patient care plus 40 hours of paperwork) so either you accept me part time or I leave. Same goes for many of my colleagues so I guess we settle for part time doctors. Not sure why you are mad about people wanting a work life balance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand why people are mad about doctors working part time. I’m in primary care and for every 1 hour of seeing patients it’s about 30 min-1 hour of paperwork (returning lab results, paperwork, mychart messages etc.) so basically to keep work at a normal 40 hour work week you have to reduce your hours to about 28 patient facing hours a week. Look for me it was either part time or leaving medicine. Would you rather no doctors or part time doctors because I’d like (and I think my colleagues agree) to see my kids from time to time

Many professions require extra work. You think the teacher at the school down the street is getting time during her day to plan lessons or grade papers? She’d also like to see her kids from time to time.

I get your point, but you’re hardly the only profession that has a lot being asked of you.

You can be mad about it all you want but doctors vote with their feet. I refuse to work 80 hours a week (40 hours of patient care plus 40 hours of paperwork) so either you accept me part time or I leave. Same goes for many of my colleagues so I guess we settle for part time doctors. Not sure why you are mad about people wanting a work life balance.

Okay? And teachers are doing the same thing. Part-time teaching positions are rare, so they are simply leaving the profession altogether.

We all deserve a work/life balance. Your situation is no worse than people in many other professions. Be grateful part-time work is an option for you.

You asked why doctors go part time and I’m telling you why. If you want to be mad about something be mad at insurance companies that require all this paperwork. The only way to attract doctors into primary care these days is to offer a work life balance otherwise not one person would do it for the pay. So stop being mad at doctors who just want quality of life. It won’t get you anywhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand why people are mad about doctors working part time. I’m in primary care and for every 1 hour of seeing patients it’s about 30 min-1 hour of paperwork (returning lab results, paperwork, mychart messages etc.) so basically to keep work at a normal 40 hour work week you have to reduce your hours to about 28 patient facing hours a week. Look for me it was either part time or leaving medicine. Would you rather no doctors or part time doctors because I’d like (and I think my colleagues agree) to see my kids from time to time

Many professions require extra work. You think the teacher at the school down the street is getting time during her day to plan lessons or grade papers? She’d also like to see her kids from time to time.

I get your point, but you’re hardly the only profession that has a lot being asked of you.

You can be mad about it all you want but doctors vote with their feet. I refuse to work 80 hours a week (40 hours of patient care plus 40 hours of paperwork) so either you accept me part time or I leave. Same goes for many of my colleagues so I guess we settle for part time doctors. Not sure why you are mad about people wanting a work life balance.

Okay? And teachers are doing the same thing. Part-time teaching positions are rare, so they are simply leaving the profession altogether.

We all deserve a work/life balance. Your situation is no worse than people in many other professions. Be grateful part-time work is an option for you.

You asked why doctors go part time and I’m telling you why. If you want to be mad about something be mad at insurance companies that require all this paperwork. The only way to attract doctors into primary care these days is to offer a work life balance otherwise not one person would do it for the pay. So stop being mad at doctors who just want quality of life. It won’t get you anywhere.

Agree 100%.