The other day, we had a patient in the ICU. As our team of 10 (attending, resident, intern, sub-I, and 6 students) pulled up to the patient's room during rounds, we joined the equally large ICU team in front of the sliding glass doors.
For a few minutes, the head of our team chatted with the head of the ICU team about our patient's care. I spaced out during their conversation because all I could think about was how much money had gone into educating all the people currently participating in this patient's care.
Between the 20 people (I counted) huddled around room 1001, which included attendings, residents, and students, millions of dollars had been invested in our education through undergrad, medical school, and residency.*
All to keep one patient alive.
It was a sobering realization of the cost of healthcare in this country and the long path we had all taken to be there.
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* Although we get paid during residency, each resident's spot is subsidized by the government. So money is still being invested in their training.
