Lilly, O'Toole & Brown Blog

Reisdency Programs at Area Medical Facilities Should Help Keep Doctors

A few years ago the people of Florida were being told about a medical emergency the likes of which we have never experienced.  Medical doctors were leaving the state in droves, the doctors who remained were unable to make malpractice insurance payments and malpractice carriers were becoming harder and harder to find.  None of this is true, but it made for a great backdrop for the malpractice carriers to pitch the claim to the Florida Legislature that malpractice jury awards were out of control and something needed to be done.  Well, now it appears at least for Polk County the shortage of doctors is being addressed.  Lakeland Regional Medical Center and The Watson Clinic are both taking on residency doctors.  These are medical students who are training in particular fields such as orthopedics, neurology and internal medecine that need additional hands on training in their chosen area.  The idea is to introduce these future doctors to the area and entice them to stay and provide continued care when they have finished their training.  This seems like a much more reasonable response to a "doctor shortage" than arbitrarily attempting to prevent an injured person from recovering from the doctor that injured them.