Almost everyone will agree that the current health care system is in need of some serious TLC, and that things simply cannot continue as they are. A big problem in need of fixing is the issue of physician shortages, particularly in family medicine. At present, it is estimated that there will be a shortage of 40,000 family physicians within 10 years. This figure may grow to 124,000 by the year 2025. There is already plenty of evidence of this fact, as patients clog emergency rooms for want of a family physician. This adds to an already overburdened health care system, wasting precious health care dollars.
Why is there such a shortage? Part of the problem may be that family medicine is not considered “sexy”. Many doctors who graduate from medical school go on to specialize in other areas besides family medicine, drawn by the promise of bigger money. In addition, in the pecking order of physicians, family doctors are not as highly regarded as doctors who specialize in other areas, rightly or wrongly. Family physicians also typically put in longer hours than their specialist counterparts.
What can be done to address the problem? Several measures to increase the attractiveness of family medicine have been proposed. Some of these include:
- Changing the way that family doctors are compensated- Family doctors typically earn much less that their other counterparts. How much do family doctors earn? The average income of a family physician is $173,000; cardiologists, in comparison, may earn as much as $419,000 per year.
- Adding incentives in medical school to attract physicians towards the practice of family medicine- One idea proposed is to offer financial rewards to medical school graduates who choose to practice as family doctors. This could offset the enormous debt that most medical students accrue, and which makes becoming a specialist so attractive to so many.
- Changing attitudes towards the specialty of family medicine- Recognizing family medicine as a specialty onto itself is an important step towards making this specialty more attractive. It has been said that specialists know everything about something, while family medicine physicians know something about everything. Medical schools need to work on changing the bias that exists against family medicine.
- Utilizing more nurse practitioners and physician assistants- Teaming these professionals with doctors in groups would help alleviate some of the burden of the physicians. These professionals are trained to treat minor, everyday health concerns.
- Helping to alleviate the burden of weekend and on-call work- These two factors discourage many who might otherwise gravitate towards family medicine, especially since more and more women are training to become physicians and want to combine a career with motherhood (as well as some men).
It can cost as much as $200,000 for a person to complete medical school. Lowering the cost of medical school and rewarding students who choose family medicine are but two of the things that can be done to help alleviate family physician shortage, stated the President when he recently addressed the American Medical Association.
Related Links:
Health Insurance Premiums to Double by 2016? from Health Guru
2008 Physician Specialty Data from the AAMC
Recent Workforce Studies on Physicians in the US from the AAMC
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