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A Mindful
Approach
Shaun Kerry, M.D.
Diplomate, American
Board of Psychiatry and Neurology
Many people believe that health-care reform is
the highest priority issue in the United States today. Although
there has been an enormous struggle to discover a solution, answers have
not been found, largely because people have been looking in the wrong
places. Having both practiced medicine for many years and experienced
substantial illnesses, I have seen the system from both sides.
If we reexamined the antiquated educational requirements currently needed
to practice medicine, we could have a plentiful supply of creative, compassionate,
and reasonably priced physicians.
PPO's, socialized
medicine, rationing treatment, or legalistic approaches do not solve
the problem.
However, once the root cause of the current medical
system's ineffectiveness is thoroughly examined, the outlook for the
future becomes extremely favorable.
Most Pre-Medical Education
is Irrelevant:
The M.D. degree requires twelve years of higher
education, most of which has little value to the future practicing physician. In
many schools, the educational pattern is memorize, pass the test, and
forget. The pressures encountered by medical students are mentally
damaging, and waste many valuable years. By the time the doctor
graduates, he has forgotten most of what he has learned.
Patient Centered Learning:
The solution is to bypass rigid institutions,
utilize free internet programs, and have medical students assist practicing
physicians by taking patient histories. These
students would offer valuable, free services to doctors. At
the same time, they would have a vivid learning experience by spending
several hours each day interacting with actual patients.
The
Cost Of Medical Education Would Be Negligible:
The expense of health care is directly proportional
to the cost of the doctor's education. With the institutional bottleneck
gone, there would be a greater number of doctors, and the cost of healthcare
would plummet. Doctors would have ample time to devote to their
patients, keep abreast of new developments, and conduct research. This
equates to more time and care per patient at a lower cost.
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