What Doctors Aren't Learning In Medical School And Why It Matters
Posted almost 10 years ago by Nicholas M Perrino
Has medical education evolved appropriately to meet the demands and changed landscape of 21st century healthcare?
Shouldn't other provider types, like APRNs and PAs, be fully engaged in teaching medical students in partnership with physicians? What about pharmacists, nurses, respiratory therapists, OP/OT, etc.?
"-An impressive 96 percent of students believe that to deliver high quality care, it is important to collaborate effectively with extended care teams, including registered nurses, physician assistants, specialists, and medical staff (a stance not often shared by the medical societies they may soon be joining).
-However, nearly 60 percent consider lack of communication between care teams the biggest obstacle to effective care coordination. In fact, concerns about inadequate cross-team communication was acknowledged by seventy-five percent of students surveyed.
In other words, most students, residents and graduating physicians felt unprepared in the important people skills of building a business, running a practice and communicating with their colleagues—never mind relating to actual patients.
How did this happen?
After seven to twelve years of medical education, today's young physician has joined a cult centered around four biases: competitive, autonomous, hierarchical and noncreative.
This happens because medical schools in the US still accept medical students based on their science GPA, ability to memorize organic chemistry formulas, and MCAT scores. Yet, we are amazed that doctors are not more empathetic, communicative or creative. We still believe that a student with a 3.9 GPA will be a better doctor than one with a 3.5 GPA, even though the former may have had no social life."