I posted last night on the supply of doctors. A couple of comments on that post provoke a second thought. That is--a while back I met a retired doc, fellow my age (maybe Eydie Gorme's age) who offered this comparison: when he went to med school half a century ago, something like 95 percent of classmates were headed for direct patient care. These days the number is--what? 75 percent? Lower?--anyway, a lot fewer than 95 percent are headed for patient care. The rest are headed to Law School, B School, or direct to investment banks and such.
That, at any rate was the story back at the end of '06. I wonder what all those guys are planning now?
Afterthought: My interlocutor had specialized in post-surgery care of heart patients. He displayed, not incidentally, about the best bedside manner of any person I ever met. Just to meet him as you came from under anesthetic would be enough to put you on the road to recovery.
Optional outside reading: Might be a good time to take a look at Simon Johnson's account of how we are becoming a banana republic. And Phil Greenspun cfs. the current Harper's on the same line.
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