The difference between medical students and the average person who is simply down on their luck is that a medical student KNOWS that hard times are coming and needs to have the discipline to plan accordingly. When applying for med school, did someone leave out the part that you will have NO INCOME for 4 years...and then only a small one for several years after that? And if you are that short on money...why do some of you insist on having child number 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6????????
I'm all for helping out people, but the sense of entitlement I've run into with my fellow medical students and residents is insane. Sure, go on welfare - but, hey, that's a nice new DELL you got there!
It's crazy to expect taxpayers to pay your way thru medical school when most taxpayers struggle simply to send their own children to college. There are MANY decisions a prospective medical student can make to help out with expenses....consider the cost of living at your dream school - if it's too high, go somewhere less expensive. The cost of your vehicle includes not only the payment, but insurance and gas...both of which are higher with our ever-popular SUVs. Not to mention the cost of parking in the bigger cities and other misc. maintenance. Beer - Nat light (do they still make that stuff??) is cheaper than mugs at the new, hip microbrewary. Gadgets - no, you really don't NEED a palm until rotations....your older laptop will do just fine (or the refurbished ones are just as good but way cheaper), and you don't REALLY have to be CONNECTED 24/7 - so get rid of the cell phone.
The bottom line - if you don't have the money, then you need to re-evaluate your spending. Sure, money is tight and some are genuinely strapped, but you knew this was coming.
Those in my class who received aid didn't make any effort to hide the other luxuries they had...new computers, renting DVD's every day and watching them in class, having the latest digital cameras and palms, eating out for lunch every day, stay-at-home wives toting their 3-4 kids around in their new gas-guzzling Tahoes....it's quite mind-boggling. Perhaps if I didn't see this, I wouldn't be so spoiled on this entire subject. However, the more the government saved these people - the more they took the "extra" money and bought things even I would have had to really think about before purchasing (and my husband makes 6 figures).
And for those of you rationalizing this behavior with the argument that "I will be paying so much back in taxes some day"...sure, okay...I am willing to bet that you will pay an accountant WAY more to NOT have to pay those taxes when the time comes. Also, while we are on the subject...more and more physicians are ceasing to accept new medicaid patients....and this comes after their own children were on medicaid during medical school and, sometimes, residency. When you are in practice and are b*tching about your reimbursements (or lack of) - you need to think of the doc visits, ER visits, etc...that your own kids had and the physician got paid squat for.
It's called social responsibility. It's called pride. And every one of you defending this behavior can make a million excuses as to why the "system" was made for people like you. However, if you could see the look on people's faces when they find out that medical students and residents are receiving aid for housing, food, and healthcare - when some families in most states have both parents working but make too much money to qualify for this, but too little to really make ends meet and can't afford health insurance and have too much pride for one parent to stay home and "homeschool" school-age children (yeah, another scam!) just so they will qualify. Now THAT is social responsibility. THAT is teaching your children to work hard and to become productive citizens without the sense of entitlement some of you will pass on to your own kids. By the way, how many of you have actually told your parents, grandparents, etc...and your spouse's family as well that you are (or are contemplating) receiving welfare?
I've been on SDN since I was an undergrad, and I am finishing up my PGY1 now. And, each year, someone finds out that med students and families can qualify for this and posts it on here. And, each year, I go off the deep end about how irresponsible this is. Each one of you will, very soon, recognize patients who abuse the system....using the ER for primary care, patients not having the discipline to quite smoking, but not thinking it's right for taxpayers to pay for another arterial bypass, etc... But, what do you don't realize is that you are just as guilty. Why is it right for you to have a child, or another child, when you KNOW you have NO income??? Why is it right for you to qualify for assistence when you could have simply prepared for what you knew would come?
I acknowlege that some circumstances are simply out of our hands...but, this is the life YOU CHOSE. If you make poor decisions that result in your lack of funds (attending a school that is too expensive, in a town that is too expensive, not waiting to have a family, not saving prior to medical school - whatever)...then you really have no right to complain about it.
Unfortunately, any children involved need to be taken care of. I only hope you all remember the help you may have received and treat others down on their luck with kindness and not think you are above them. Althought this isn't typically what I've seen....I still hope for it. Okay, my rant and rave is over and I already know it made little difference to most of you....but made me feel better saying it.
