Protecting the Future of Medicine—from Themselves

• Infection control
• Physician's role
• Human immunodeficiency virus infections
• Tuberculosis
• Hepatitis
• Risk

The conscientious practice of medicine has always entailed risk. In an era of managed care, this term is attached to sharing the financial peril of capitation and adverse selection, but throughout history, many other hazards have lain in silent or noisy wait for doctors. The most obvious is probably respiratory transmission of infection, with plague and tuberculosis heading the list. At one time, as many as 25% of a cohort of interns might have had to leave their program because of the acquisition of tuberculosis. Many additional hazards come to mind, including stress-induced illness, depression, dangers in battle and natural catastrophes, exposure to drugs of dependence, sleeplessness, and the personal pain of being sued for malpractice. The availability of needles and other medical instruments has added exposure to bloodborne viruses, including the hepatitis viruses and HIV, to this impressive list.

These concerns are familiar to physicians, but why should they affect students? In most university programs, students are not directly involved in the profession or field …