Earlier this year, I commented on a discussion from the Wall Street Journal about modern medical education.
Reading Dr. Goldfarb’s new arguments during the COVID-19 situation, I’m beginning to understand his argument. It’s surprising to hear that “American medical training as a whole doesn’t include a strong grounding in public-health issues or disaster preparedness.” In hindsight, this seems to be a striking omission from the curriculum.
Adding this to the curriculum may be a good idea. Dr. Goldfarb argues that “doctors should learn to fight pandemics, not injustice.”
Above all, the medical profession should abandon the fantasy that physicians can be trained to solve the problems of poverty, food insecurity and racism. They have no clinical tools with which to address these issues.
Stanley Goldfarb
I agree that physicians certainly do not have the tools to solve poverty, food insecurity, or racism. However, I’m not sure that any physicians actually believe in this fantasy. Certainly, more of the curriculum should focus on clinical issues such as pandemic response or disaster preparedness in general. Maybe that will come at the expense of training on societal issues.
However, that part of the curriculum isn’t important because it teaches physicians to solve these problems or treat them directly. Rather, by being aware of these issues and biases, physicians can take a much more nuanced approach to treating patients in the broader context of society.
While I do agree that physician training should be focused on actually treating patients. Responding effectively to global issues that have an effect on treatment, such as climate change, social determinants, or natural disasters, is just as important. Ultimately it is important to be aware of these issues and how they impact the health and healthcare of the patients that physicians treat.
Dossier
“Med School Needs an Overhaul,” by Stanley Goldfarb, April 13, 2020. https://www.wsj.com/articles/med-school-needs-an-overhaul-11586818394
“Discourse on Modern Medical Education,” by Sahil Nawab, January 24, 2020. http://www.sahilnawab.com/blog/discourse-on-modern-medical-education/