As a physician from a family of physicians, I frequently find myself being asked if I would recommend my profession to a young person. With the looming shortage of doctors faced by this country, I believe this is indeed a critical question. In the finest tradition of medical school instructors everywhere, I usually try to answer by proposing a thought experiment:Think about how you would respond if your beloved son or daughter, now a 19 year old straight A student at a top college, came to you and and asked your advice about a career option that possessed the following characteristics:1. The course of training for this profession is extremely long - between seven and twelve years after college graduation.2. The first four years of training will occur in a post-graduate school that costs as much as $43,000 per year in tuition and fees alone. 3. Post-graduate degree programs only accept the best students with the most competitive resumes. In fact, it is widely rumored that many...(Read Full Post)