Physicians add to medical knowledge at astounding rate

In his recent Op Ed piece, Dr. Michael Ego notes that “PHDs advance knowledge, whereas MDs merely apply existing knowledge.” He goes on to note it takes “several years longer than the 4 years of medical school to earn the PhD.” Let me set the records straight. The “mere’ ability to practice medicine takes many more than just four years. A residency in family practice requires 4 years of additional training after medical school. For me, this included every third night on-call and 36 hour shifts. One of my physician patients recently finished eight years of residency and fellowship in order to begin his practice of pediatric orthopedics. That’s 12 years total, including medical school. And the learning does not stop there. Boardcertified physicians must be recertified every several years, and many hours of continuing medical education are required. Thus, the “mere” ability to work as a medical doctor requires much more than Dr. Ego would have us believe.

Dr. Ego also ignores the significant contributions to the medical field made by medical doctors on a daily basis. The number and quality of medical journals containing studies by practicing physicians are numerous. The newly published developments occurring on a daily basis in the medical field are necessary for physicians to keep up with. Physicians also have the ability to participate in clinical trials, and to evaluate the efficacy of new treatments over what is available in the present for patients. Practicing physicians add to medical knowledge at an astounding rate.

I would hope that Dr. Ego’s simplistic statements are views of very few others. Robert W. Kyrcz M.D. ProHealth Physicians Guilford Family Practice