Physician shortage

[zoner]

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Is that for real? There are a ton of nps pas and family doc physicians graduating each year. How cann this possibly be?

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[Braun7713]

NPs and PAs don't have to be primary care providers. They can and do go into every specialty out there.

 

[MedicalMBA]

Is that for real? There are a ton of nps pas and family doc physicians graduating each year. How cann this possibly be?

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The physician shortage has been pretty well documented and analyzed. While it does exist, certain areas are obviously more underserved than others. Certain areas are over served, while other areas (mostly rural or impoverished) areas are greatly underserved. Most of the shortage is for primary care doctors (which is why many DO schools have a mission to provide these pcps to these areas). Many economists and healthcare researchers predict that the new Obamacare initiative will lead to a greater volume of patients for basic services, as more and more people become insured. The topic is obviously very complex, but simplified, there seems to be a pcp shortage in underserved areas that will likely be even more exacerbated by current healthcare policies.

 

[Ost3oclast]

We have a distribution problem. Not necessarily a shortage.

 

[cliquesh]

I think there is only a shortage in rural and undeserved areas. There is also probably a shortage of good jobs in desireable places to live.

 

[MedPR]

We have a distribution problem. Not necessarily a shortage.

+infinity

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[Moosepig]

There is certainly a distribution problem but they report a shortage as well. Aren't we supposed to be short 70k by 2025?

 

[felix2929]

There is certainly a distribution problem but they report a shortage as well. Aren't we supposed to be short 70k by 2025?

looking at this financial aid stuff it looks like i'll be short about 250,000 by only 2017

 

[Temperature101]

looking at this financial aid stuff it looks like i'll be short about 250,000 by only 2017

.....................

 

[FakeEmpire]

Its all right here folks http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/shortage/hpsas/index.html At least the goverment's reporting and goals on the subject.

Designated HPSA Data lists the actual statistics and HPSA Designation Criteria, Guidelines & Process lists the criteria.

Some states are by far worse off than others like Nebraska only needs 2 primary care physicians to reach HRSA goals while Texas need 1,400.

 

[gmcguitar4]

Yea there is a huge shortage. Distribution is a problem of course. For example, how many of us want to go into geriatrics? Few to none probably. That will be a HUGE problem for when the baby boomers get another 10 years under their belts. Old people cost a lot of money to take care of and they just get more expensive the longer they don't see a doctor.

The PCP shortage will have a pretty dramatic effect on healthcare in the country. If patients are diagnosed early and treated for minor problems, it saves SOO much money over time. So all of these people without easy access to doctors just let problems go until they are near fatal. I've worked with thousands of people in a volunteer project and witnessed this first hand and it's pretty bad. I understand this is prettttty obvious but it's so true. Overtime it will drain our healthcare system.

 

[Goro]

Concur here but the previous poster is even more on the mark.

Most med school students want to get into the more lucrative specialites not necessarily because they're more interesting, but to pay off their medical school debt, and primary care is at the bottom of physician salaries.

We have a distribution problem. Not necessarily a shortage.

 

[zoner]

A friend in phoenix who runs a very successful clinic tells me hundreds of primary care docs clinics go bankrupt every year

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[coolingglasses]

Concur here but the previous poster is even more on the mark.

Most med school students want to get into the more lucrative specialites not necessarily because they're more interesting, but to pay off their medical school debt, and primary care is at the bottom of physician salaries.

My thoughts exactly.

 

[kgpremed11]

Is that for real? There are a ton of nps pas and family doc physicians graduating each year. How cann this possibly be?

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They said the same thing about nursing and pharmacist. Appparently there is a nursing shortage, but half of new grads can't find jobs.


http://www.forbes.com/sites/alisongriswold/2012/06/18/has-nursing-been-overhyped-as-a-career-choice/

Don't believe everything you hear. Poor pharmacist have to move across the country to work at Wal-mart.

 

[Eiot]

A friend in phoenix who runs a very successful clinic tells me hundreds of primary care docs clinics go bankrupt every year

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lol.

u funny

 

[cabinbuilder]

A friend in phoenix who runs a very successful clinic tells me hundreds of primary care docs clinics go bankrupt every year

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Ya, cuz it's PHOENIX. Try finding a doctor in rural Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Alaska, or Idaho and you will be out of luck. Gotta look at geography before making assumptions

 

[darklabel]

We have a distribution problem. Not necessarily a shortage.

It will turn into a shortage problem. With PPACA, millions of newly insured Americans will definitely put a strain on the current system. Now the problem is the shortage is going to occur for the GP specialties such as FM, Geriatrics, Peds etc Source: http://www.beckershospitalreview.co...pheld-but-what-about-physician-shortages.html

Though an Academic paper even mentions the need for more specialists in certain areas of the country.

Source: http://content.healthaffairs.org/content/21/2/296.short

So while it may be a current distribution problem, it definitely will become an issue nationwide. Also remember that we're in an economic downturn. Should the economy bounce back, imagine how much of a need there will be?

A friend in phoenix who runs a very successful clinic tells me hundreds of primary care docs clinics go bankrupt every year

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I remember an economics teacher saying this is because most doctors don't know the intricacies of running a business.

 

[kgpremed11]

Ya, cuz it's PHOENIX. Try finding a doctor in rural Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Alaska, or Idaho and you will be out of luck. Gotta look at geography before making assumptions

Yeah, and I think primary care doctors are more valued for their expertise than people on this site like to admit. I know I get tired of seeing NP's they seem dumb, unprofessional, they misdiagnose a lot of stuff, I wish I could see an actual doctor, but in rural Mississippi all we have is NP's unfortunatly.

 

[Old_Mil]

1. Schools whose revenue streams depend on attracting students will often put out press releases forecasting a need for their graduates to ensure a steady flow of students.

2. However in the case of physicians many are bailing out leaving plenty of room for a new generation of suc... doctors.

Where I am currently practicing, they are going to lose 5 of 13 physicians this year to other countries, non clinical work, and non medical careers. These are guaranteed losses - people who have committed to leaving - and none are of retirement age. I expect that by the end of 2014 another 3 will be following in those footsteps.

Sort of makes you wonder what practicing physicians have learned about this that premed students don't yet know.

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[NurWollen]

Ya, cuz it's PHOENIX. Try finding a doctor in rural Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Alaska, or Idaho and you will be out of luck. Gotta look at geography before making assumptions

I believe you, but I never had trouble finding a primary care doctor in Idaho in a town of ~30,000. So by rural, I assume you mean smaller than that?

 

[NontradCA]

Sort of makes you wonder what practicing physicians have learned about this that premed students don't yet know.

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So share. Please make this a useful thread. 👍

 

[cabinbuilder]

I believe you, but I never had trouble finding a primary care doctor in Idaho in a town of ~30,000. So by rural, I assume you mean smaller than that?

Rural for me is 5000 or less, To me 30,000 is NOT rural. I currently live in a town of 20,000 and it has tons of doctors. I work in a town of 2000 right now. The smallest town I have been in is 200. I grew up in a town of 500. It's all about perspective.

 

[GUH]

Rural for me is 5000 or less, To me 30,000 is NOT rural. I currently live in a town of 20,000 and it has tons of doctors. I work in a town of 2000 right now. The smallest town I have been in is 200. I grew up in a town of 500. It's all about perspective.

A family doc I was shadowing indicated that in order to stay afloat, a practice should serve 2,000-3,000 patients. How can a rural doc make a living in a town of less than that? Do they run a circuit or something?

 

[cabinbuilder]

A family doc I was shadowing indicated that in order to stay afloat, a practice should serve 2,000-3,000 patients. How can a rural doc make a living in a town of less than that? Do they run a circuit or something?

I don't have a practice here. I work locums. Critical care access hospitals have different funding. Whole different scenario.

 

[jl lin]

They said the same thing about nursing and pharmacist. Appparently there is a nursing shortage, but half of new grads can't find jobs.


http://www.forbes.com/sites/alisongriswold/2012/06/18/has-nursing-been-overhyped-as-a-career-choice/

Don't believe everything you hear. Poor pharmacist have to move across the country to work at Wal-mart.

There Is NO NURSING SHORTage. More things are done outside the hospital, thus there is less need for nurses for hospitals, and that will probably continue--since it's too expensive to keep people in house when you can deal with their stuff for less out of house.

Also, where they could stand to hire more nurses to keep up standards of practice, what's happening is that since 2008 there have been more and more hospital-directed hiring freezes.

The nonsense about nursing shortage is to keep admission moving into schools. Colleges/universities are businesses too. Plenty of nurses are struggling to find jobs and have $60,000 or more in college debt.

People keep hearing that there is job security in nursing. Not so. What's more, where there is the biggest shortage of nurses has to do with distribution as well. North Dakota would love to have more nurses; but a lot of nurses don't want to live there.