UCF med school selling out with hospital pick

In reference to UCF’s medical school dropping two local hospital systems in favor of HCA and distant hospitals (“UCF med students barred after pick,” Nov. 17): I’ve enjoyed seeing med students shadowing physicians in several environments in recent years. I’ve taken great satisfaction in being part of their entry into the medical community of tomorrow.

Now it seems that UCF is selling out the opportunity for the young people to gain real-life experience and guidance from practitioners in locations convenient to their source of study.

I did not see anything in the article that logically supported this seemingly irrational action by the university that constrains not only the geographic locations but also the breadth of experience that will be available. This bodes ill for the future of new physicians and the reputation of UCF’s medical school in its early days.

The choice of HCA struck me as curious on two levels. That was the hospital chain that Rick Scott served as CEO and the one that made him a millionaire through his platinum parachute before he became governor and now a U.S. senator.

Interestingly HCA was found guilty of extensive Medicare and other insurance fraud, to the tune of billions of dollars. The fraud occurred during Scott’s tenure at the helm but the charges and convictions were levied after he left the field of battle. One wonders if political pressure was exerted on UCF to make this very poor choice short-circuiting the medical education program just when the UCF College of Medicine is trying to gain a reputation.

William Thompson Apopka