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I think Tim Lancaster should read these figures as an opening bid to
the Obama administration - along with so many other cap-in-hand seekers
after funds. The language is hyped and ambiguous throughout, maximising
the bidder's apparent need.
For example "We currently train about 25 000 doctors a year " might
mean 'we have 25 000 doctors in training in any one year'. If average
training time is 4-5 years then the "6000 doctors graduate each year"
figure would be in the right ballpark. These 6000 "fill two thirds of
first year residencies, with graduates from overseas filling most of the
remainder. ". A campaign for 'indigenisation' seems politically likely,
but doomed, as the UK DoH/NHS found to its chagrin last year , when they
favoured EU graduates to the exclusion of 'IMGs'.
Let us hope Obama is at once more numerate, worldy-wise and colour-
blind than the DoH, when it comes to meeting our needs for quality
doctors..
There is an error in the figures quoted in paragraph 4 of this
report. The USA graduates more than 16000 doctors per year not the 6000
attributed to the Salsberg report (see NRMP figues for 2010: http://www.nrmp.org/data/2010pressrelease.pdf). I expect this is just a
typographical error but it makes the article very difficult to follow. A
correction would be helpful.
Opening Bid
I think Tim Lancaster should read these figures as an opening bid to
the Obama administration - along with so many other cap-in-hand seekers
after funds. The language is hyped and ambiguous throughout, maximising
the bidder's apparent need.
For example "We currently train about 25 000 doctors a year " might
mean 'we have 25 000 doctors in training in any one year'. If average
training time is 4-5 years then the "6000 doctors graduate each year"
figure would be in the right ballpark. These 6000 "fill two thirds of
first year residencies, with graduates from overseas filling most of the
remainder. ". A campaign for 'indigenisation' seems politically likely,
but doomed, as the UK DoH/NHS found to its chagrin last year , when they
favoured EU graduates to the exclusion of 'IMGs'.
Let us hope Obama is at once more numerate, worldy-wise and colour-
blind than the DoH, when it comes to meeting our needs for quality
doctors..
Competing interests:
None declared
Competing interests: No competing interests