BajaNomad

Medical Intern raped and beaten in Nayarit

EnsenadaDr - 10-19-2012 at 10:32 AM

Here is a link to the article about the Medical Intern, 25 years old, who was raped and beaten this month and remains in a coma in the Mexican State of Nayarit. There will be a national march in Mexico and protest against the treatment of Medical Interns, but probably will fall on deaf ears and changes will not be made to insure the safety of the Interns. After medical school in Mexico, interns are shipped out to unprotected areas of Mexico with little or no money (foreigners including Americans who attend medical school in Mexico get NO financial compensation). They are treated like cattle and are placed in crime ridden areas like Zorillo, a suburb of Ensenada, where I spent part of my internship. Complains to the hierarchy are ignored for the most part and bosses of the interns at times can be emotionally and mentallly abusive with no repercussions. This can often be worse than physical abuse.
http://www.jornada.unam.mx/ultimas/2012/10/18/15251073-atend...

It sounds Like .............

MrBillM - 10-19-2012 at 04:54 PM

A PSA is needed.

Like those big billboards that say "Don't Abuse your Kid".

So that potential abusers can be educated. Which, we know, is the answer.

AND, Maybe a warning label attached to their Diplomas.

I'm Sure that would correct the problem.

EnsenadaDr - 10-19-2012 at 06:49 PM

Mr. Bill, not only the superiors but the areas that people are sent to are very dangerous and the crime ridden community assaults these interns while they are left with no protection

doctor ensenada

captkw - 10-19-2012 at 07:00 PM

WOW !! thats a eye opener for me and I bet a lot of other folks as well........that SUCKS !!! never knew that...thanks for enlighting me and others...got say (again)..that really SUCKS !! Someone who schools themself to help other people to be put in such a sceneiro !!:fire: K&T:fire:

EnsenadaDr - 10-19-2012 at 08:15 PM

I wanted to make people aware that the Mexican government and Secretary of Health are skimping on adequate protection for interns besides not paying them more than $1000 pesos every two weeks. (Americans get NOTHING in financial compensation). Be kind to your local medical intern that works in your Clinica de Salud.

thebajarunner - 10-19-2012 at 08:20 PM

I have several local m.d. friends who went through the U of Guadalajara.

I have always admired and envied the Mexican system of sending out the young grads to do community service,
the US could learn much from this system.

But, to fail to protect them- INEXCUSABLE!!

For starters, the gov. needs to inform all communities of the simple rule;

"Fail to protect your med. grad- never (never , ever) get another"

That would be a start, but just a start.

The puebla that knows it is on permanent probation might just take better care of these folks that serve the pobres....

Hook - 10-19-2012 at 08:21 PM

Uh, a little more documentation that indicates this is NOT just an isolated incident and IS some kind of epidemic in Mexico, to which you are alluding.

Why would someone target interns for crime if they are so low paid? Most all crimes are crimes of passion or financial gain. Are you saying that there is an epidemic of crimes of passion against only interns? Why would they be singled out in these regions, out of all other professions?

Interns are interns; they are low paid.

What kind of protection are you suggesting that interns should have that others are apparently getting? Are doctors given physical protection by the government? Are nurses?

Oh yeah, and how is this Baja News?

Involuntary Interning ?

MrBillM - 10-19-2012 at 10:19 PM

While not condoning inappropriate and illegal behavior ............. Do THOSE Interns NOT have Freedom of Choice in pursuing their (such as it is) Career ?

Determining Risk versus Reward is something we all have to do.

EnsenadaDr - 10-19-2012 at 10:26 PM

Sorry, I thought Hook you might be worried about your Baja sponsored intern in Cabo, the little girl made good that goes to University of Guadalajara. It's a sweet girl like her who truly believes Mexico prepares medical graduates of Mexican medical schools who have a little studying moxie of their own that they can pass the US boards and go to any residency they want in the US...that is if the security of the Centro de Salud that they need to do their 2 years of internship is sufficient to prevent breaking in of criminals that are there because they all have fantasies about the young lady doctor and gang up on her....either to assault her or to steal the medication at the clinic...so Hook, maybe there you can see the relationship between the Mexican government which the last time I looked had jurisdiction over Baja California Sur as well. You know, what happens in DF, will affect the different states of Mexico.

Excellent points, thank you for your input!!

EnsenadaDr - 10-19-2012 at 10:30 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by thebajarunner
I have several local m.d. friends who went through the U of Guadalajara.

I have always admired and envied the Mexican system of sending out the young grads to do community service,
the US could learn much from this system.

But, to fail to protect them- INEXCUSABLE!!

For starters, the gov. needs to inform all communities of the simple rule;

"Fail to protect your med. grad- never (never , ever) get another"

That would be a start, but just a start.

The puebla that knows it is on permanent probation might just take better care of these folks that serve the pobres....

EnsenadaDr - 10-19-2012 at 10:35 PM

If you want to be a doctor, you take the chances, that's why I fought like heck to keep myself and my 13 year old daughter iin Ensenada when I did my two years of internship..even though Zorillo is a battlezone on the weekends and thank God I was transferred to Cantu, which isn't exactly crime free either.
Quote:
Originally posted by MrBillM
While not condoning inappropriate and illegal behavior ............. Do THOSE Interns NOT have Freedom of Choice in pursuing their (such as it is) Career ?

Determining Risk versus Reward is something we all have to do.

Ya Takes Your Chances

MrBillM - 10-20-2012 at 08:37 AM

Sometimes you win, sometimes not.

Or, as often said, "sometimes you get the Bear, sometimes the Bear gets you".

We're in Agreement.

TheColoradoDude - 10-20-2012 at 08:59 AM

It is called femicide

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Femicide

For a little eductation on this subject , google it, or watch the movie

THE BACKYARD ( http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1257579/ )

Most of these women are not targeted because they are rich, they are targeted because they are poor, or have left their families to find work elsewhere and become easy targets.

My heart breaks everytime I read about these occurences.

This is another story that is truly disgusting.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malala_Yousafzai

Apparently this Pakistanian little girl just wanted all girls to have the right to obtain an education.

EnsenadaDr - 10-20-2012 at 09:49 AM

They also target Interns in Mexico, not because they are poor, but because it is assumed that they have more money than the average person. Medical school in Mexico is expensive relatively speaking; you have to be able to support yourself for 6 years while going to school. Most medical students do not work, because the money received from working in Mexico without some type of specialty and time factor involved are not worth it. Most interns I know have their parents' backing financially, and some have new cars and/or electronic devices...so they are a target for criminal theft. You generally have to be receiving a steady income because there are no loans to be had for medical school or any other higher education from the Mexican government. A poor person in Mexico could not afford to study medicine generally speaking. Then again, most medical students have parents that pay for all expenses but it is a struggle for even an upper middle class Mexican to meet the room, board and tuition payments for 6 years.

[Edited on 10-20-2012 by EnsenadaDr]

DaliDali - 10-20-2012 at 09:51 AM

(foreigners including Americans who attend medical school in Mexico get NO financial compensation).

Hello Ms Doctora,

I am really sorry for the abuse that may come your way or what happened to that girl on the mainland.

I wonder if you might clarify one point you made about medical school. (see quote above)
Is it common practice to receive compensation for attending medical school?

I can't seem to recall anyone getting "paid" to attend a medical university?

EnsenadaDr - 10-20-2012 at 12:07 PM

Yes, I will clarify it. Mexican Interns, just like Interns in the US (Mexico has 2 years of Internship before getting your titulo medico, or medical degree, after the first four years of medical school) get financial compensation. It's not much, maybe $1500 pesos every two weeks, but it does help with gas etc. Interns in the US might make $35,000 to $40,000 American dollars each year. However, in Baja Norte they have voted against compensating extraneros, such as anyone who is not a Mexican. There are some ways about this. A friend of mine, whose father is a doctor in Redondo Beach California USA, has dual citizenship. Instead of paying the $15,000 a year tuition, he pays about half which would be the Mexican tuition rate. But he as well did not receive any money for being an intern in Ensenada, unlike others who did receive $3000 monthly. I have heard that Baja Sur might pay Americans the same, but I never knew of anyone personally because there are fewer and fewer Americans that go to school in Mexico because the standards of education do not meet what it takes to pass the USMLE, or the US Medical Licensing Exam, even though the school might be accredited by the US Government to take the exam, and become a doctor in the United States. My point being that students such as myself don't realize that schools like Guadalajara and Xochicalco, which are accredited by the US government, have less than an 8% pass rate. That is why students such as the young lady Emilia who are extremely intelligent have to realize that not just studying on their own will make up the gap. They have to study the Kaplan videos for at least a year after graduation, and take some computer bank questions for a few months after that to just pass Step 1, and there are Step 2 and 3. I only know one Doctor who did that in Ensenada, and his grades were mediocre.

[Edited on 10-20-2012 by EnsenadaDr]

DaliDali - 10-20-2012 at 12:30 PM

Ok and thank you for that explanation.

I would assume that an "intern" would be doing actual medical work rather than just being a "student" in a chair.

I don't think a "student" in a chair should be getting compensation whereas an "intern" who actually changes bandages and suturing wounds, would get some compensation for "working"

This brings me to another question if I might.
What set of circumstances made you choose to attend medical school in Mexico? I am assuming now that your a USA citizen.

Did you know before hand that a foreign born medical intern in Mexico received no compensation or is this some new policy?

Could you, if you chose to do so, pack your stethoscope and your daughter up and head to UCSD medical center in San Diego where you would break out your medical degree and your long list of intern assigments and settle into a well paying medical career?

EnsenadaDr - 10-20-2012 at 02:31 PM

An intern in the States is considered a doctor, but must complete his residency and his last exam the last year of residency, or he does not have his full license. I did not know that the school did not prepare me adequately and so I am in the process of studying Kaplan videos. I picked the school because I got into it and it was cheap. I cannot work as a physician in the US until I pass my exams in the US. You have to apply to a MATCH program for residency, I doubt being a foreign medical school graduate I will be a first cholce for UCSD. I will have to take my residency wherever they will let me. That will be three years at least, paying about $40,000 a year. I can still freelance as an RN if I get desperate for money. It's a long road, but I don't see any other route for me, and it's what I want.

Geo_Skip - 10-22-2012 at 12:46 PM

Best of luck EnsenadaDr, we need physicians with heads and hearts.

Just to clarify...

thebajarunner - 10-22-2012 at 02:55 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by EnsenadaDr
An intern in the States is considered a doctor, but must complete his residency and his last exam the last year of residency, or he does not have his full license. I did not know that the school did not prepare me adequately and so I am in the process of studying Kaplan videos. I picked the school because I got into it and it was cheap. I cannot work as a physician in the US until I pass my exams in the US. You have to apply to a MATCH program for residency, I doubt being a foreign medical school graduate I will be a first cholce for UCSD. I will have to take my residency wherever they will let me. That will be three years at least, paying about $40,000 a year. I can still freelance as an RN if I get desperate for money. It's a long road, but I don't see any other route for me, and it's what I want.


When you go in the MATCH you list your preferences, but you must take whatever school they assign to you.
And, the $40k per year is paid to you,
you do not have to pay, once you are in the match.

My nephew matched Stanford and his wife UCSF
they each received $60k a year for those couple of years.
(I think that works out to just about minimum wage- given the hours that they must put in)

EnsenadaDr - 10-22-2012 at 03:29 PM

It's not for the money, really. For me it is just a lifelong goal and I enjoy studying medicine, so the slave wages are part of the package.

bacquito - 10-23-2012 at 01:14 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by thebajarunner
I have several local m.d. friends who went through the U of Guadalajara.

I have always admired and envied the Mexican system of sending out the young grads to do community service,
the US could learn much from this system.

But, to fail to protect them- INEXCUSABLE!!

For starters, the gov. needs to inform all communities of the simple rule;

"Fail to protect your med. grad- never (never , ever) get another"

That would be a start, but just a start.

The puebla that knows it is on permanent probation might just take better care of these folks that serve the pobres....


Good idea!

bajaguy - 10-23-2012 at 01:27 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by bacquito
Quote:
Originally posted by thebajarunner
I have several local m.d. friends who went through the U of Guadalajara.

I have always admired and envied the Mexican system of sending out the young grads to do community service,
the US could learn much from this system.

But, to fail to protect them- INEXCUSABLE!!

For starters, the gov. needs to inform all communities of the simple rule;

"Fail to protect your med. grad- never (never , ever) get another"

That would be a start, but just a start.

The puebla that knows it is on permanent probation might just take better care of these folks that serve the pobres....


Good idea!





And I think the government and the University should shoulder some of the responsibility also........however, as mentioned above, "if you can't or won't protect the people we send to help you, then do without"

Good Point

EnsenadaDr - 10-24-2012 at 09:37 AM

Quote:
I don't know who is failing here. It's the same idea with the Mexican economy. Retirees and Americans who have access to American wages and pensions don't feel the heat as Mexicans who have to live on a $5 minimum daily wage. Why don't the people demand change? Because fighting the system will cause a blacklist of the person and they will not be able to get a job altogether...just like government employees demanding change...it is very risky and can backfire on them. Is it retaliation they fear or just plain apathy towards a system that is just plain dangerous for the medical interns?
Quote:
Originally posted by bacquito
Quote:
Originally posted by thebajarunner
I have several local m.d. friends who went through the U of Guadalajara.

I have always admired and envied the Mexican system of sending out the young grads to do community service,
the US could learn much from this system.

But, to fail to protect them- INEXCUSABLE!!

For starters, the gov. needs to inform all communities of the simple rule;

"Fail to protect your med. grad- never (never , ever) get another"

That would be a start, but just a start.

The puebla that knows it is on permanent probation might just take better care of these folks that serve the pobres....


Good idea!





And I think the government and the University should shoulder some of the responsibility also........however, as mentioned above, "if you can't or won't protect the people we send to help you, then do without"

laventana - 10-25-2012 at 08:15 PM

as a general rule you should invite your local intern doctor to your place for meals. I have been known to drop off food on many occasions. They really are that poor even if from a family of decent means. They are great kids... Many I have met in our area their parents are doctors too. The places you get to go to from what I understand are by how you did in school. thus places in southern baja are the most requested. So i assume we have the best interns down here. They seem to rotate schools getting to pick baja.

so literally take a chicken in (cooked) when you go see them and they will be very happy....

I have never had one of them refuse a meal, cookie or invitation for dinner or lunch.

and yes these interns do it all and have been stitched up by a few.

[Edited on 10-26-2012 by laventana]

Not exactly...

EnsenadaDr - 10-25-2012 at 08:28 PM

Interns from Ensenada and Tijuana do not want to go to Baja Sur, usually those spots go last. Interns in general want to be near their family to save money on food and travel back home. So in a sense, if they went to school in Baja Sur, and live near there, they want to do their internship there.
Quote:
Originally posted by laventana
as a general rule you should invite your local intern doctor to your place for meals. I have been known to drop off food on many occasions. They really are that poor even if from a family of decent means. They are great kids... Many I have met in our area their parents are doctors too. The places you get to go to from what I understand are by how you did in school. thus places in southern baja are the most requested. So i assume we have the best interns down here. They seem to rotate schools getting to pick baja.

so literally take a chicken in (cooked) when you go see them and they will be very happy....