"The Residency Rescue"

Where Cuts to Funding and the Impending Doctor Shortage Collide

WESTBURY, NY (03/05/2012)(readMedia)-- Cuts to Medicare and Medicaid will limit the supply of new doctors that residency programs can afford to train. This limit in supply will occur when healthcare will experience its greatest demand.

To highlight this, medical students are holding a competition between New York State residency directors and different specialty representatives that will educate students on the impact of cuts to graduate medical education. These representatives from different specialties will play the role of residency directors in an imaginary New York hospital. Students in the audience will play the role of hospital administrators. At this imaginary hospital, severe cuts to graduate medical education require that administrators cut all but 1 of their residency programs. Based on the debate of the different contestants, students will decide which of the different residency programs will be rescued.

This event will be held at Columbia University Medical Center, The Hammer Health Sciences Center, Lecture Hall 401, 701 W. 168th Street, New York, NY, 10032 at 7 pm on March 8th and will be hosted by the Medical Student Section of the Medical Society of the State of New York. We invite you to attend this event and welcome any coverage of the event. This event will also be webcast on facebook for students across the state to both watch and vote.

For more information, please contact: Robert A Dugger II, MPH MSIV, MD Candidate, Stony Brook University School of Medicine, Councilor - Medical Society of the State of New York via email at: robert.dugger@hsc.stonybrook.edu or by phone: 786-372-0083.