Medical Education Reform
Among the many drivers of skyrocketing health care expenditures, medical education might well be characterized as the often neglected, figurative elephant in the middle of room. The Association of American Medical Colleges reports that the average annual cost of attending a private medical school is approximately $51,000 and $48,000 for public medical schools (https://services.aamc.org/tsfreports/report_median.cfm?year_of_study=2012). Prior to attending medical school, medical students must have completed a bachelors degree and all pre-med curricular requirements at a similar annual cost for private universities. The cost of residency, a three to seven year term immediately following medical school, which is required for aspiring medical doctors to become board certified, is about $28,000. This fee often affords the resident the opportunity to work 100+ hours per work at minimal salary of about $40,000. The cost of tuition (and its associated expenses) ...