ARNP's and PA's and AI will never replace Physicians

I was asked to put this comment in my blog for wider distribution as a public service announcement for the historical record.

I totally disagree with Bill Gates who says AI will eliminate the need for Physicians.  Years ago testifying at trial in a malpractice case I was cross examined by the opposing attorney who confronted me aggressively asking me how I could testify as an expert on something that was in no medical textbook and there was no supporting evidence in the literature to back up my testimony. My answer was 30 years of training and experience and not everything in medicine is in the literature and textbooks and I just "knew" it was the right answer and in the end my opinion was upheld and supported. Maybe AI might be able to deal with some super easy questions but Medicine will always have an "Art" to it which involves physicians with the training and experience to make the tough calls and diagnosis. For the same reason physician extenders like PA's and ARNP's can never replace fully trained and experienced MD/DO's. I spent a year as the supervising MD's in an ER and 20% of the diagnosis made by PA's and ARNP's were flat wrong and could have harmed the patient. It was not that they were not dedicated, compassionate, and ethical because they were. It was because they lacked adequate training and experience for the task at hand. Ask yourself when you are critical at risk of death who do you want taking care of you and your family? If you don't speak up and take a stand you will get what you paid for and advocated for, with silence being no advocacy and receiving unnecessary and dangerous care.