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American Hospital of Paris (7)
Medical practice in France (2)
There
are 180, 000 medical doctors in France. The ratio of specialists and
generalists is almost equal. Among generalists 3/4 of them practice
in the office and 1/4 work in the hospital. As compared with Britain,
the ratio of the specialists is much higher in France. It is probably
because French post-graduating training system is specialists oriented.
In addition, both doctors and patients are specialists oriented as well.
This is why there is no residency in Family Medicine in France at this
moment.
There are 260, 000 doctors in Japan with twice as many population as
in France. Therefore, France has many more doctors (180, 000) per person.
As everything in France is concentrated in Paris, it is extremely difficult
to find a post in hospitals in Paris. It is easy to enter the faculty
of medicine of University of Paris, but is very difficult to graduate
from it. Residency training to become a specialist is also very difficult
to finish. After the ordeal of more than 10 years, only handful of doctors
can get a job in Paris. They say that licensed physicians are earning
money as a taxi drivers in some European countries. France is not that
bad. However, many of them don't have full time jobs. They moonlight
at ER or work for insurance assistant company in case they need an escorting
doctor when transporting a sick client by air. I knew some of those
young French doctors personally.
You may have heard of the organization Medecins Sans Frontiere (Doctors
Without Borders). Some of them contract with MSF and have participated
in operations in foreign countries for several years. They get paid
inadequately, considering the dangers involved with the operation. However,
this kind of career is very useful in French medical society.
You have to forget about starting private practice immediately in Paris.
Paris is 100% saturated with private practitioners. Many doctors are
waiting the senior ones to retire. That is why the local medical association
was against my starting private practice at AHP. I heard later that
administrative staffs at AHP had to do a very tough negotiations with
the medical association.
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E-mail:kidot@momo.so-net.ne.jp