An Original Photographic, "Poseidon on the Atlantic", Atlantic City, New Jersey, 2004. Copyrght, mkrause54@yahoo.com or mkrause381@gmail.com.
Poseidon, Ancient Greek god of the Sea, holding Trident, stands guard over the Atlantic City Basin of the Bay off the Atlantic Ocean. Like Dionysius, an ancient god of "hearty partiers", Poseidon caused certain forms of mental disturbances, by inflaming the "maeneds". Hipporates' 400BCE text "On Sacred Diseases", blames Poseidon for certain types of epilepsy.
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There is a Midwestern city made famous by Randy Newman's hit song "Burn On, Big River, Burn On". The song describes the seemingly impossible combination of opposites, fire on water.
There really was a fire on the surface of the Cuyahoga River. The fire ignited in an industrial chemical "slick" floating on the river. Despite the obvious availability of water beneath, the chemical fire was difficult to control and extinguish.
In that city, there was a mainstream, traditional, M.D. (allopathic) School of Medicine ranked number 18 of 125 MD schools of medicine in the United States by Barron's in 1984-1985. The School was well-known for developing innovative curriculums in clinical medicine, education and practice. The School of Medicine "University-affiliated" hospital system had a reputation for excellent patient care while hosting strong medical research laboratory groups.
In an edition of an alumni publication a number of years ago, there was a short article written by Jack Medalie with a seemingly paradoxical title: "Is there life after medical school?" Years later, the paradox is more understandable.
Fortunately, there is life after medical school for most graduates. But it may not resemble the naively anticipated or hoped for career and lifestyle. The approximately 125 M.D. Schools of Medicine require completion of high school and a 4-year college (BA or BS) to apply to these professional schools. The offer of acceptance presents a gruelling further 4 years of study with long sleepless hours of unpaid hospital work. After graduation, medical practice evolves into unpaid "second 40 hour work weeks" during entry level jobs requiring study, attending lectures, and a commitment to "lifelong learning" to stay current in the art and science of medicine.
However, the future of the young medical professional may remain uncertain. Career evolution may not even involve medical practice, a totally unexpected result for the average or even above average student and young professional. Honors and awards may become merely a personal record of achievement, not the anticipated ticket to a lifetime paid career in academic medicine or private pactice.
Life after medical school may not even resemble life before medical school. The level of physical and psychological comfort, material success, if only a new car and a nice but modest apartment, may be difficult to regain.
Why? Because an overwhelming number of financial obstacles arise. Even students with honors and awards may be confronted with an enormous number of negative credit reports and hyper-aggressive bill collecting, largely due to failure of banks, financal companies, "public/private partnerships" or quasi-governmental "spin-off" bill collection agencies to honor the deferrment/forgiveness clauses used by financial aid office workers to convince the prospective student to sign. There are other financial issues including pressure to donate to an ever increasing number of "groups with causes", national and international.
What the naive, intelligent, hard-working medical student may not undertand is that
his or her name begins to appear on school and hospital expense and other business lists. Medical students apparently generally are presumed to be wealthy people who will fund the entire economy.
Tax and bill collectors, including paralegals and even lawyers, conjoin with the IRS (Internal Revenue Service) which audit health care professinals more frequently than the average taxpayer. This occurs during the student years and as young professionals or "sole proprietors" entering private practice or the work force. As one IRS agent described it, an increase in income, after completing school, prompts the "computer to kick the name out" for audit and investigation. And despite the "Taxpayers Bill of Rights" limiting the number and amounts triggering audits and investigations, this may occur monthly, quarterly, and yearly for decades.
As the "bill collecting/financial services" sector of our retail/service economy increases, so do the number of bills, audits, and investigations of students and young professonals sent to these financially vulnerable individuals.
This creates almost unsurmountable financial pressures as the graduate begins his/her rapel to success. Why? Students and young professonals are seen as a "third party" source of unlimited money to finance the burgeoning retail and financial sectors, includng philanthropic and political organizations, of our increasingly de-industrialized economy.
A struggling medical student also may be targeted for threats and vandalism in medical centers, parking lots, and neighborhoods. Reports of vehicle damage and losses required for insurance coverage may trigger additional investigations. Working and parking in a hospital or university area becomes a "high-risk" factor for insurance agents, who continue to follow individuals who continue to drive to and work in these areas.
(Read more on subsequent blogs on http://monthlynotesfourteen.blogspot.com An Answer to the Question: "Is There Life After Medical School?")
Email mkrause54@yahoo.com or mkrause381@gmail.com to comment or request copies of this or other blogs posted by mary for monthlynotesstaff on http://monthlynotesfourteen.blogspot.com (currently accessed through http://monthlynotes.blogspot.com on www.google.com).
Graphic: An Original Photographic of "Poseidon on the Atlantic", 2004, copyright, mkrause, with text, 2011, mkrause54@yahoo.co or mkrause381@gmail.com.
References: www.wikipedia.com
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