As medical students in Gaza, we are taught how to save lives with nothing and how to make impossible decisions. It was my childhood dream to study medicine. I wanted to be a doctor to help people. I never imagined that I would study medicine not in a university, but in a hospital; not from textbooks, but from raw experience.
Last week, Google AI pioneer Jad Tarifi sparked controversy when he told Business Insider that it no longer makes sense to get a medical degree - since, in his telling, artificial intelligence will render such an education obsolete by the time you're a practicing doctor. Companies have long touted the tech as a way to free up the time of overworked doctors and even aid them in specialized skills, including scanning medical imagery for tumors. Hospitals have already been rolling out AI tech to help with administrative work.
With so many people seeking further education as they get edged out of the job market by AI, Tarifi offered a different perspective: that nobody "should ever do a PhD unless they are obsessed with the field." The AI veteran also told BI that he'd advise caution to anyone looking to get into the fields of medicine and law, which take years - and often hundreds of thousands of dollars - to complete a degree.
"None of them! The man on the phone, who I was on the phone 911 with, he was like, 'What's your emergency?' And I was like, 'My roommate got a copper IUD inserted and he goes IUD?' And I'm like, 'Yeah, like, you know, like the birth control?' This man is just like, 'Okay, sounds like you're having a medical emergency. I'll transfer you over to the paramedics.'"
"AI itself is going to be gone by the time you finish a Ph.D. Even things like applying AI to robotics will be solved by then. So either get into something niche like AI for biology, which is still in its very early stages, or just don't get into anything at all," Tarifi said.
Many newly qualified doctors are taking part-time jobs to cope with debts, often driving Ubers or working in bars to supplement their income. This cycle of financial strain is particularly affecting students from lower-income backgrounds, highlighting a significant funding gap in medical education.
Carter Salazar shared her experience of feeling uncomfortable due to hot flashes in professional settings, worrying about how this affected her perceived competence among coworkers and students.
Untreated symptoms sometimes progress from pain to death, emphasizing the urgent necessity for diversity in medical education to ensure equitable healthcare.
We're just dumbfounded by this decision made by LCME. We have such a rich and incredible history of talented Black physicians. If we knock out the access before they even are entering medical schools... we're just going to be a nation that's not as creative, not as innovative and not as successful.
Medical school has been filled with late nights in the library, reading up on new literature and guidelines and diverse encounters with a wide variety of patients. But most importantly, the last four years have solidified my place in the medical field, alongside the lifelong friends I have made and the incredible attendings, residents, nurses, social workers, pharmacists, and dietitians I have had the pleasure of working with.
