Is US lack of doctors?

[seasurfer]

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I saw somewhere on this forum someone posted a link to a file which contain information from the WHO regarding number of physicians per 100,000 people. US ranked number 4 in the world, with 500+ physicians per 100,000 people. With such a high number of doctors, why is US still recruiting so many foreign doctors? Is there really a lack of doctors in the US? What is the ideal numbers of doctors?

 

[dr.z]

I don't know what the ideal number, but U.S. will be increasing more doctors over next decade (increase enrollment over 10 years). Part of it is because there will be many doctors retiring (baby boomers), and I was also told doctors work less now.

There are also discrepancy in where doctors are (distribution is not so uniform). Many rural and inner-city lack doctors and are underserved.

 

[Ross434]

I don't know what the ideal number, but U.S. will be increasing more doctors over next decade (increase enrollment over 10 years). Part of it is because there will be many doctors retiring (baby boomers), and I was also told doctors work less now.

There are also discrepancy in where doctors are (distribution is not so uniform). Many rural and inner-city lack doctors and are underserved.

*edit* Is the posters in thread lack grammar?

 

[medic170]

What the hell is up with grammar in this thread?

Is you getting annoyed because bad is their grammar?

 

[Law2Doc]

I saw somewhere on this forum someone posted a link to a file which contain information from the WHO regarding number of physicians per 100,000 people. US ranked number 4 in the world, with 500+ physicians per 100,000 people. With such a high number of doctors, why is US still recruiting so many foreign doctors? Is there really a lack of doctors in the US? What is the ideal numbers of doctors?

As the prior poster indicated, albeit in a grammatically awkward manner, there are several reasons why the current level of doctors will not satisfy the future needs in the US. First, as the "baby boomer" generation gets older, their need for medical care increases, and having an enormous number of individuals require increased medical care simultaneously will put a burden on the current level of physicians. Second, doctors are not evenly distributed amongst the population base. While there may be many doctors per person in big coastal cities (NYC, LA), there are huge pockets of underserved population in most of the rest of the country. Finally, I suppose as the prior poster mentioned, as the baby boomer generation gets older, the doctors within that population will be retiring - but I am not aware that there was a greater number of physicians per year during those years, so that really should be a constant.
But, with respect to your original question I am not sure that there is, in fact, a great deal of recruiting foreign doctors, or that foreign doctors have an easy time getting residencies or licensure. What makes you think this is so? (I'm not saying you are wrong, but it is not what I have observed).

 

[Furrball]

The first paper is more applicable but the second does touch on the issue.

Richard A. Cooper
Weighing the Evidence for Expanding Physician Supply
Ann Intern Med, Nov 2004; 141: 705 - 714.

American College of Physicians*
A National Health Work Force Policy
Ann Intern Med, Oct 1994; 121: 542 - 546.

 

[seasurfer]

As the prior poster indicated, albeit in a grammatically awkward manner, there are several reasons why the current level of doctors will not satisfy the future needs in the US. First, as the "baby boomer" generation gets older, their need for medical care increases, and having an enormous number of individuals require increased medical care simultaneously will put a burden on the current level of physicians. Second, doctors are not evenly distributed amongst the population base. While there may be many doctors per person in big coastal cities (NYC, LA), there are huge pockets of underserved population in most of the rest of the country. Finally, I suppose as the prior poster mentioned, as the baby boomer generation gets older, the doctors within that population will be retiring - but I am not aware that there was a greater number of physicians per year during those years, so that really should be a constant.
But, with respect to your original question I am not sure that there is, in fact, a great deal of recruiting foreign doctors, or that foreign doctors have an easy time getting residencies or licensure. What makes you think this is so? (I'm not saying you are wrong, but it is not what I have observed).

Grammatically awkward manner, sorry, I don't really understand what you mean here, may you please elaborate?

It is just only my observation, it seems that a lot of people especially from India, Pakistan etc, work so hard for USMLE to come to US, and it seems that it is easier to come to US compare to Canada. Moreover, it also seems to me that, US is very willingly to accept all these foreign doctors into the country, these doctors, most of them actually contributed to the country's healthcare system, on the other hand, what about those countries that these doctors came from? Won't these countries be in a serious shortage of doctors?

US number of doctor per 100,000 people is comparatively high in the world, yet, it is still getting more doctors from other countries, that is why it made me think that US is lacking of doctors? I mean you probably won't see so many foreign doctors in other countries right? Maybe UK??? I am not so sure about the whole situation, that is why I started this thread, hope that through discussion, I will be able to learn something. Thanks for all the replies. Please continue to post your idea.

 

[dr.z]

Grammatically awkward manner, sorry, I don't really understand what you mean here, may you please elaborate?

I guess I can't write well.

I know that most foreign doctors that come here tend to end up in underserved areas (not all though). They tend to fill in the gaps that the healthcare system has created. Most doctors that come to U.S. prefers to be in U.S. even if they are placed in underserved area rather than to practice in their own country. I believe this creates shortages in their country, but the economy of where they are from cannot attract doctors.

This is what I have been told before.

 

[Mephisto]

Grammatically awkward manner, sorry, I don't really understand what you mean here, may you please elaborate?

It is just only my observation, it seems that a lot of people especially from India, Pakistan etc, work so hard for USMLE to come to US, and it seems that it is easier to come to US compare to Canada. Moreover, it also seems to me that, US is very willingly to accept all these foreign doctors into the country, these doctors, most of them actually contributed to the country's healthcare system, on the other hand, what about those countries that these doctors came from? Won't these countries be in a serious shortage of doctors?

US number of doctor per 100,000 people is comparatively high in the world, yet, it is still getting more doctors from other countries, that is why it made me think that US is lacking of doctors? I mean you probably won't see so many foreign doctors in other countries right? Maybe UK??? I am not so sure about the whole situation, that is why I started this thread, hope that through discussion, I will be able to learn something. Thanks for all the replies. Please continue to post your idea.

UK has lots of Indian doctors...

As far as India goes, I'll say this. India has no healthcare system. The government can't afford one. It's like the old days in this country. Most doctors have home practices that people go to and pay out of pocket (many times, bartering). Also, the reason so many people from India come here is that education in India is top notch as far as medicine goes and the doctors want to practice advanced medical sciences since practicing in India is just not that exciting or rewarding.

 

[UTCobra]

*edit* Is the posters in thread lack grammar?

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Cheney sucks. Just answer the question don't be an a$$ about grammar. Maybe he was in a rush.