The State and Medical Education
June 17, 2011
CHILLINGWORTH writes:
I have been interested to read your thoughts on women in the medical profession and some of the ensuing discussion.
Without wishing to take away from any of what you’ve said, there’s also a different lesson that jumps out at me from this discussion: I think the problems you describe are an excellent argument for getting the federal government out of the business of education.
You’ve pointed out more than once that the rest of us are subsidizing the medical students’ education; so we have an interest in making sure that we get a good return on our investment. I agree that, when we’re paying for it, we should have a say. I don’t think we should be paying for it. I don’t think the federal government should be giving medical students (or college students, or high schools) grants, government-guaranteed loans, loans directly from the government, or any other kind of financial support. (I don’t recall education being one of Congress’s enumerated powers, but regardless of constitutionality, I think it’s bad policy.)
Again, this doesn’t necessarily diminish any of what you’ve said—even without the government’s interference, we’re all “invested” in medical students in a broader, societal sense, and of course we have an interest in discussing these matters and trying to figure out what is best for (as your subtitle says) “the common good”. But we shouldn’t be forced to subsidize it.
Laura writes:
Excellent point.
One of the great ironies of government grants and guaranteed loans is that students have become more, not less, burdened with debt. These subsidies encourage tuition inflation, unrealistic expectations and the attitude that certain forms of education are necessary at any cost. They also entail a decline in standards.
