Aspiring medical students, listen up! It's a great time to begin training to become a general practitioner. The Association of American Medical Colleges predicts that there will be a shortage Of 63,000 doctors by 2015-nearly 24,000 more physicians than they had anticipated two years ago. By 2020, there will also be a shortage of 46,000 surgeons and medical specialists.
A combination of factors are causing the shortage. National
health care reform has helped 32 million Americans become eligible for health care services. In addition, people are living longer (and requiring more medical care); 36 percent of the us population is over the age of 65. Approximately one-third of existing doctors are expected to retire within the next decade-which will further stress the health care system.
Finally, medical students are steering clear of careers in family/general medicine because salaries are less than
those earned by medical specialists (such as oncologists and plastic surgeons). It is estimated that general internists and family physicians make $3.5 million less over the course of their careers than their specialist counterparts. Many students also consider medical specialties to be more rewarding than a career in primary care.
To increase the number of primary care physicians, medical
schools have expanded class sizes, and new schools have been opened. But program graduates often don't have a place to complete their residencies.
Many residency programs are funded by Medicare, which,
in 1997, placed a cap on the number of residencies it funds.
Opportunities for primary care physicians should be excellent in coming years-especially in rural and inner city areas that often have trouble attracting physicians. Nearly 12 percent of the US population lives in a medically underserved area, according to a report from the Kaiser Family Foundation. |
