And then came the phone call for the MUHC position. When asked if it wasn't unusual for a medical professor to accept the job of principal at a university like Bishop's that has no medical school, Scott smiled. Maybe a training in medicine is a preparation for more than just a medical career. Nobody would say that about law, for instance. The topic of doctors taking on administrative responsibilities is an important one for Scott.
Physicians have to be involved in the running of our health institutes.
He approves of a recent trend in the U.S. in which hundreds of doctors have earned MBAs to accompany their medical degrees. But when you look at every-thing that's happening to health care these days, I think it's essential that doctors take on more responsibility. Otherwise the changes that are made in hospitals and other facilities might only be driven by financial considerations, without proper attention being given to the medical implications of those changes. We're living through a strange period. Clearly there were adjustments that could be made to health care, areas where money could be saved.