Registered: Sep 2003
Location:
Posts: 385

walmart should not have to, other private sector business operations either provide any fringes other than what are necessary to attract-keep needed employees, a cost of being in business... now with that said, many employers who are in a market niche that allows them the upper hand may start to cut back on these fringes in order to create more profit, profit is the life blood of captalism and is always going to be maximized, employess are just one part of the profit equation- the less they cost, the more profit potential, capitalism has no heart-soul-compassion-empathy, not always true of those operating the system, but the basic premise of this economic system... now with that thought in place, adequate health care may noy be available as needed under the private business model thus some form of universal health care becomes mandated to meet the needs of the nation's people, the how-what, etc. are debatable, the need to do so exists, sometimes one may have to do things to benefit the whole of society that is not their personal priority choice...

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Registered: Sep 2003
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Posts: 385

Rip,
noticed that 71 senior med students at SIU, Spfld, Il. landed spots in the National Resident Matching Program, not sure how many were eligible.. choices were 21% family medicine, 15% internal medicine, 13% pediatrics, 11% emegency medicine, and 7% general surgery, 9 of these grads are from the local area... some of the match locations, Viginai Commonwealth U., SIU in Spfld., Stanford, U. of Iowa, Ohio State Medical Center, U. of Il, in Peoria, these are the local grads... probably means more to you than me...

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Registered: Jun 2003
Location: Morrison TN
Posts: 4927

Most everyone gets a position some where in something because they are all doctors. The question is, is it a categorical or a preliminary position and is it in the field they want it to be in.

Categoricals are spots that are promised that you will complete your Residency in that program, permanant positions.

If you don't match then there are two "scramble" days prior to Match Day allowing unmatched applicants to try and fill up unfilled programs, change their field and go into something less competitive, or accept a preliminary position.

Preliminary's are temporary 1 year positions for maybe somebody that didn't match that still wants to be a Surgeon or whatever so they take a Preliminary spot. It is a job, and it will get you experience, but you have to go through the match again next year to get a permanant position and the preliminary year doesn't count toward your Residency requirements. If you are applying to Surgery you still have to do 5 years even though you have 1 year in the books already as a prelim.

Some fields such as Radiology require a preliminary year in Medicine or Surgery before going to the core of Radiology, these DO count toward your residency because it is part of the requirements of that field.

Our class had the best Match of any class in the history of the school. Out of 54 graduates we only had 3 that did not match and had to "scramble", two of those got very good Categorical positions and one of them had to settle for a Prelim, but he was happy with it because it was where he wants to go and he was promised a permanant position if he performs well. So we had a 100% match rate and only 1/54 had to take a prelim. I would say 80-90% of us got our first choice.

The national numbers haven't came out yet but the rumor is there were 6000 doctors applying for the 2000 Surgery positions (which is why I was very, very glad to have gotten my first choice).

I know for a positive fact that there was only 1 position available in the "Scramble" for Surgery in the entire US, but I don't know where that was yet. The official report will be available next week from NRMP.

We had people match in Plastic Surgery, Radiology/Oncology (the toughest match to get in Medicine), Radiology and Dermatology. Those are the big boys when it comes to being a tough draw. The funny part is that it appears that we are going to have to include Surgery on that list since the implementation of the 80 hour work week limitation.

Some of those Residencys you mentioned are very good Surgical Residencys. I know for a fact Virginia Commonwealth, Ohio State, and Peoria are all three excellent, I researched them myself. Looks like SIU had a good Match Day as well.

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Let's go huntin

Last edited by Rip on 03-17-2006 at 04:21 PM

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Registered: Jun 2003
Location: Morrison TN
Posts: 4927

I searched the New England Journal of Medicine and could not find the study you are asking about.

It could be that since it just came out yesterday it is not listed on the medical search engines yet, but they are usually right on.

I could just not be searching for the correct words etc.

If you would could you get me the title of the article, authors etc or maybe even a link so I can find it?

I am going to visit my Mom in a little while but I am on vacation next week and you have peaked my interest.

I have several theories all ready, but won't know anything till I can see the article, methods etc.

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Registered: Sep 2003
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Posts: 385

Rip,
I read it 1st in an editorial, but you can go to Rand Health Institute on line, Soci-Demographics of Poor Health Care, the abstract is there, dated 3-15-06... the Rand site should get you to the correct spot... interested in your analysis-thoughts..
always found the match program interesting in the sense
that no candidate actually seems to get left out, some must go through more hoops, but still move on... indicates all doctors, even those apparently less qualified continue, should some actually be given a different career path, not suggesting this, just asking????
glad your mom on the road to recovery...

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Registered: Sep 2003
Location:
Posts: 385

just a thought, someday Walmart may start to market-sell health insurance, biggest retailer in the world could tap into this area as well, WallyHealth....

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Registered: Jun 2003
Location: East OH
Posts: 938

US of Wallmart ---What a scary place. I guess we will be heading back to a third world country .

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Registered: Jun 2003
Location: East OH
Posts: 938

Hey Rip are you ready to go to work for Wallyhealth.
Only thing is, you will not get much in the way of health benifits as a entry level doc.

Last edited by Albert Fulton on 03-18-2006 at 12:55 AM

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Registered: Aug 2004
Location: Rockmart Ga.
Posts: 8685

yeah, and that 39 thousand a year and working 80 hours a week wont just be no 5 year residency, it'll be a PERMANENT ARRANGEMENT. Oh yeah, and like he said, I hope you can operate on yourself cause you wont be able to afford for anyone else to and you wont have insurance either.

__________________
In the beginning of a change, the Patriot is a scarce man, brave, hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, however, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot."
-- Mark Twain

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Registered: Jul 2004
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 1839

How many people do you know that got turned away from a hospital because they didn't have insurance or money? Heck we can't even turn away ILLEGAL immigrants let alone US citizens. I have to work in a maximum security state prison everyday to get my check and benifits. If Wal-Mart employees start making the same wages and have the same benifits I'm changing jobs........I bet it's alot safer. I did just the oposite though. I started my working career at a low paying job without benifits and worked my way up and when a better job became available I put MYSELF in a position to get it to better myself and my situation in life. But thats just me and the way I was brought up. I was never GIVEN much and learned early if I wanted it I had to work hard to get it. Alot of my friends were handed everything on a silver platter and now years later they're still relying on mom and dad and eventually the govt to support them. Glad my parents didn't lead me down that road.

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Al Tarantella

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Registered: Jul 2003
Location: PA
Posts: 2162

The basic premise here is that if Wal Mart can minimize employee costs in order to maximize profits, so be it. That's capitalism in its purest sense.

Is capitalism, in it's purest sense, good for America? Well, it's good for those that have the capital. It's bad for the majority of the working class. It creates a ruling class, and a subserviant class, that IS NOT BASED ON MERIT, WORK ETHICS, OR INGENUITY. Pure capitalism is bad for working class people. They could never escape servitude.

Socialism. I saw that word mentioned above. It's been propagandized into a dirty word. Yet, it's prevalent in our society. Many exercise socialist principles every day. Need some examples?

(1) Social Security. The biggest socialist program we have.
(2) Regulated Utilities (Electric, Natural Gas).
(3) Public Roads.
(4) National Security, Police Protection, Government Services.
(5) Regulated Communication Sevices (ex. Telephone).

Myself, I'm not retired, so I don't get (1) Social Security (but, I do pay into it). I do have (2) Electricity, and (5) A Telephone. I do rely on (4) National Security, Police Protection (laws and regulations), and will utilize govt. services when appropriate. EVERYDAY (at least every workday) I travel on public roads.

Like the word or not, that's SOCIALISM!!! Do you travel on public roads, without paying a capitalist for that right? If so, you're a SOCIALIST! Do you have a govt. regulated utility in your house, such as electricity and a telephone? If so, you're a SOCIALIST!

In America, we are all SOCIALISTS, but we are often propagandized to be predjudice toward the word. Yet, we practice it everyday!!!

Socialism is based on the betterment of society as a whole. Capitalism is based on the benefit of capitalists. We are a mixture of both.

For those of you that feel guilty about your socialist actions, such as traveling on public roads without paying a capitalist for that priviledge, I'll be happy to lift a burden off your back. I'll be the capitalist. YOU CAN PAY ME!!! OR, YOU CAN BE A SOCIALIST!!! YOUR CHOICE!

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Registered: Sep 2003
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Posts: 385

walmart\capitalism....

excellent-insightful-accurate post... most dream the dream of capitalism, but in actuality live the reality.. capitalism-socialism are ideal types, but in the real word do not exist in pure forms... our country is a mixed economy, a capitalistic base with social type programs as so well indicated in the post... we also have a constitutional republic and not a democracy, yet we are claiming to be builders of democracy in other parts of the world... capitalism lives off the labor of the worker and profits transfered to the owner... in out captalistic system most are born into, live in, and die in the same social class, does not mean none advance, in fact some do, most do not... sure most are not going to turn down social security, gov't. pensions, public utilities, public highways, police protection, public hospitals, etc... no question that based upon history capitalistic countries are the most successful and have proven to be the best way, yet all have in fact been mixed with social programs and are actually mixed eco-political systems... course in our system there are many subsidized programs to support capitalistic endeavors, oil depletion allowance, gov't. business loans, tax waivers, used to be college grants-loan programs- dramactically reduced under this adm., bailouts of some business operations, etc... thus the capitalistic often lives off the socialist type program... glad I have had the good fortune to be born-raised in this country, even though it has
many elements of socialism interwoven into its capitalistic constitutional format...

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Registered: Aug 2004
Location: Rockmart Ga.
Posts: 8685

Like I said, the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. The way most republicans want it is for the millionares to become billionares off the backs of the poor while they become dirt poor and poverty level. This is why I'm for Unions. Because the company owning billionares are like a big fat pig eating acorns under a tree but never look up to see where its all comeing from. Without the workers there is no company and no profit whatsoever. None. Zero. If Republicans had it there way there would be no minimum wage and everyone would work for a dollar a day and there would be no school cause no one could possibly ever afford it and the millionares and billionares would become trillionares.

__________________
In the beginning of a change, the Patriot is a scarce man, brave, hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, however, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot."
-- Mark Twain

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Registered: Jun 2003
Location: East OH
Posts: 938

Since this post has already been off topic a good bit . Did you notice that they raised the amount of money our goverment can print again. Democrats may be the spend and tax party but the Republicans have become the spend and go into debt party. I would rather be taxed for social progress than go into debt for corporate welfare and war. Like Doc said it is time for some type of national health care . It will probably need to be a combined Goverment and corporate plan.
PS-I am not against corporate welfare . I just do not want to help corpoations that take jobs and money out of this country. The strenth of this country is the middle class and it is shrinking.

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Registered: Jul 2004
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 1839

Sheep if what you're saying is correct then there would be no employees that work for a company owned by a rich republican making more than minimum wage. Now we all know this is about as far from the truth as a person can get. But the entry level jobs aren't going to make a person rich. I also believe in unions but I feel they have strayed far away from what the started out to do. Now days it seems like all they are trying to do is get lazy, troublemakers out of trouble in the work place as well as trying to price their members right out of a job. IE I work with a man that is late everyday of the week but as soon as he's called into the office about it the union steps in and spend their members hard earned money(dues) to get this sorry slob out of trouble they KNOW he really did. I don't like that part of it.

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Al Tarantella

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Registered: Sep 2003
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Posts: 385

no job, or very-very few actually make anyone rich, what one is able to do with what he or she earns has the potential to garner riches, jobs don't... to get rich one must make $$$$ work 24/7 day in, day out, every hr,. minute second, working does not have this potential... most rich people are that way based upon unearned income, investments, etc... today there is still opportunity to become rich, but the class-economic lines are becoming solidified in our mature economy, many quality jobs-not just minimum wage are being exported and globalized making the upward ascent steeper and more difficlut, not impossible... real wages have been stagnant or decreasing for most americans for many yrs.. wealth growth for many is actually a negative figure for a significant % of our citizens, the upper 10%- actually 1% or less have experienced tremendous financial gain- again from investement not fruit of labor... now if one can earn a decent income, may take several jobs at a time, save-live- invest prudently the potential to get rich exists, it is the dream of the many, the reality of far fewer... a much-much tougher world economically today than in years past, takes a larger amount to survive-succeed in an environment that that is much more competitive, more want than there is to get, yet the opportunity still exists, just a tougher row to how than in bygone years...

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Registered: Sep 2003
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don't know from personal experience, but take it not much chance of one getting rich while being employed at Walmart, same not true though if one had been at Microsoft several yrs. back, course the $$$ came from stock and not just the fruits of one's labor, yet some as a result of circumstance did in fact become well off, in this instance the dream of capitalism became a reality, unfortunately much more the exception than the rule..

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Registered: Jun 2003
Location: East OH
Posts: 938

Doc I do enjoy your posts . You are no doubt an educated man . This old retired steel worker gives you credit for book knowledge, and life knowledge. I sure hope that some day we get to turn our dogs out for a good old coon race.

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Registered: Sep 2003
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albert,
might just do that... you would certainly be welcome here in central illinois any time... am retired, still do teach a few college classes to keep invloved and engaged, but now work only as much or usually as little as I want to... an old basketball coach too, so very interested in the NCAA at the moment as well as the Illinois AA tournament... been bass fishing some too, now for fun- have given up the competitive events though... no doubt a much tougher wolrd to make it in than the one we grew up in... enjoy your posts as well

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Registered: Jun 2003
Location: Oklahoma
Posts: 2410

If you added up all the salaries and benefits payed to all employees last year and then divided it by the total number of employees to get the average ... I wonder what it would be ?

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Registered: Sep 2003
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will have to look at current figures, but in 2003 federal stats. for 2002, average wage was $739 per wk., this included both hourly and salaried employees, some cash bonus money-tips
included, but not all fringes... does very quite a bit by state, also figures for median income, per person-per family, as well as per wage earner published...

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Registered: Sep 2003
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Posts: 385

average wage in 2004 for all occupations was $37,440, census data will break it down by occupation, region, state, etc... also will provide median as well as mean data, these are figures compiled by the federal gov't., can look at your job and compare to average-median for the job, area, state, etc... might be good news or kinda depressing..

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Registered: Jan 2006
Location: missouri
Posts: 334

sheep tell me what you stand for as a dumdacrat......and a christian im curious you seem to have a opinion about everything....

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Registered: Sep 2003
Location:
Posts: 385

dumbdacrats must not be standing or maybe outstanding...

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Registered: Jul 2003
Location: PA
Posts: 2162

I saw that you alluded to the national debt. The ceiling was recently raised to 9 TRILLION DOLLARS. We are at about 8.3 TRILLION RIGHT NOW. 9 Trillion equates to approximately $30,000 for every man, woman, and child in the U.S.

From a historical perspective, we were at .93 Trillion at the end of 1980 (Carter). By 9/30/1988, we went to 2.602 Trillion (Reagan). By 9/30/1992, we went to 4.065 Trillion (Bush). By 9/30/1996, we were at 5.225 Trillion (Clinton-1st term). By 9/30/2000. we were at 5.674 Trillion (Clinton-2nd term). By the end of Clintons final term we were very close to having a balanced budget, and were looking at projected budget surpluses into the future. Enter GW Bush. He just flat blew the lid off of the idea of FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY! He's helped take us from a position of actually being able to pay off debt, to increasing it to 8.3 Trillion and rising. The tax policies set forth under his administration will keep it rising long after he's out of office.

The problem is that we have to pay interest on this debt. The interest that we pay on debt is money that we can not invest in our own country, our own people, and our own society.

China is a major player in our debt market. GW is helping drive our debt through the roof. Do you know what this means? It means that we are sending our tax dollars to China. Does it make you feel better to know that a lot of your tax dollars are being sent to China?

There's a lot more to this (too complicated to mention here). China is actully helping to keep our interest rates down (without China our interest debt burden would be higher). It's a currency value thing that's related to trade. If not for China, our debt burden, and interest rates would be higher than they are now. China is actually helping us here in exchange for increasing their share of the American Consumer Market. If you've seen a lot more "Made In China" merchandise in the last few years, you know this is true, even if you don't/didn't know why.

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