June 24, 2006
WHO WILL DOCTOR TO THE DYING?:
Young German doctors leaving the country (KIRSTEN GRIESHABER, 6/23/06, Associated Press)
Germany's well-trained but frustrated young doctors are leaving the country for higher pay in ever greater numbers, leaving some hospitals struggling to fill positions.Posted by Orrin Judd at June 24, 2006 10:25 AMMore than 12,500 German doctors are working abroad already, and 2,300 left the country in 2005 alone, according to the doctors' association, the Marburger Bund. The Netherlands, Britain, United States, Australia, Switzerland and the Scandinavian countries are among the top destinations.
"There are more than 5,000 jobs available at hospitals due to the number of people who have left," Michael Helmkamp, a spokesman for the Marburger Bund, said Tuesday. "Clinics all over Germany are facing shortages and many hospitals cannot provide their former standard of health care anymore."
This sort of thing is an interesting consequence of the fact that the language more and more young people in Europe are learning is overwhelmingly English - it gives them an option (unintended by their parents) to emigrate.
The main social and political difference between Europe and the US is that in the US the more enterprising young are able to move to red states where taxes and living costs generally are lower, where they form families and become more conservative. Young Europeans by contrast generally can't do that, and tend to end up as lifelong nihilistic party-goers. This tendency to emigrate represents a (still small overall) crack in the dam.
This is particularly noticeable in France - compare Chirac's recent observation to Tony Blair that "we send you our young people, and receive your old people in return" (accurate except for the dirigiste assumption - they weren't "sent" M. le President, they voted with their feet.
Posted by: ZF at June 24, 2006 12:02 PMI can't be sure, but I think the school dentist I went to as a child was Dr Mengele, or one of his protoges. He had a German accent, and didn't believe in novocaine.
Posted by: Robert Duquette at June 24, 2006 1:25 PMWhen we were kids Novocain was for sissies.
Posted by: erp at June 24, 2006 1:55 PMerp:
When I was a kid, I was a weenie who begged novocaine. Now in middle age, I am the champion stoic who amazes the whole office with my mature acceptance of pain (If they only knew). Do you know they told me half their patients insist on freezing for a teeth-cleaning?
Posted by: Peter B at June 24, 2006 7:44 PMPeter, my hat's off to you.
Posted by: erp at June 24, 2006 8:41 PMThat must be a Canadian thing, no one I know gets novocaine or any sort of analgesic for a cleaning.
Posted by: Annoying Old Guy at June 24, 2006 11:20 PM