What are the top 5 specialties in terms of projected shortage

[Life Sucks]

Fools, Surgery is where it is at!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Chillywilly]

Everyone talks about the top 5% like it's the average. Sure you can make 400k, but in most cases you either have to be in BFE or work well above average hours (average for EM, I mean). 250k-350 is probably a better number to use, and certainly nothing I would turn my nose up to.

Lol I agree. Any salary above 250k is good enough for me I''m not planning on having a huge family (maybe one kid), so that's enough money for me to live on. Another side tid bit: if you earn 250k or more annually, you are considered top 1%.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

I would say neurology and general surgery (true general surgeons not sub-specialists) will suffer severe shortage in the foreseeable future. Neurology due to its low pay and general surgery due to specialization.

I will predict the exact opposite. The population is aging dramatically and neurological problems happen to everyone as they age. Eventually more money will be poured into this field when they realize how heavy of a burden on insurance it will be. General surgeons will always be needed, especially with a growing population.

 

[Postictal Raiden]

I will predict the exact opposite. The population is aging dramatically and neurological problems happen to everyone as they age. Eventually more money will be poured into this field when they realize how heavy of a burden on insurance it will be. General surgeons will always be needed, especially with a growing population.

Exactly and that's is mainly driven by the severe shortage that these two specialties face today and will be facing in the near future. It will take at least a decade or two before the demand is met even if reimbursements go up dramatically.

 

[deleted92121]

FM seems like it will always be in short supply, or at least for the near future. GS will probably also face a shortage when there are other procedure heavy, well-paying specialties out there. I think Neuro is not coveted because it is a lot of "oh look a problem" without a lot of fixing the said problem. I think the smartest field to get into right now is FP or IM with a fellowship in Hospice and Palliative Care. Open up a small 10-15 bed inpatient hospice in an aging community like PA or Florida. There are so many elderly folks you might even have a waiting list, lol. But seriously, the field is a proverbial cash cow just waiting to be taken to the butcher. Now don't enter the field just for money. It is a rough specialty but also rewarding. Do it because you want to.

As far as EM, I like many folks on here (especially non-trads) have been involved in EM for awhile. It has been ten years as a medic for me, three in a busy level II trauma center. EM is a great field in my mind. I love meeting new people and quickly developing a relationship. I also like not having to see them four days in a row like the staff on the floors do. Sometimes there is adrenaline, other times not so much. Usually at least one or two patients in a 12 hour shift are interesting. Even as a medic in the ED I get to do what I am trained for like tubes, lines, etc. I even do the in-house instruction on using US for inserting peripheral lines. But EM has also become the 7-11 of medicine. Stop in, get your percs for that terrible toothache that has been going on for 17 minutes and out the door. BTW, here is your PG form to determine bonuses and how we stack up against our competitors. Seriously, I think there should be a Holiday Inn sign attached to our building. That is my biggest beef with EM; we are more beholden to the almighty customer satisfaction score than a lot of other specialties or departments. But because of all this, I think EM will continue to be in high demand come the match. Maybe in ten or twenty years you will see over saturation but I also think that with an increase in ED visits you will see a need for more attendings in the department at one time. So perhaps is will balance out.

 

[Postictal Raiden]

FM seems like it will always be in short supply, or at least for the near future. GS will probably also face a shortage when there are other procedure heavy, well-paying specialties out there. I think Neuro is not coveted because it is a lot of "oh look a problem" without a lot of fixing the said problem. I think the smartest field to get into right now is FP or IM with a fellowship in Hospice and Palliative Care. Open up a small 10-15 bed inpatient hospice in an aging community like PA or Florida. There are so many elderly folks you might even have a waiting list, lol. But seriously, the field is a proverbial cash cow just waiting to be taken to the butcher. Now don't enter the field just for money. It is a rough specialty but also rewarding. Do it because you want to.

As far as EM, I like many folks on here (especially non-trads) have been involved in EM for awhile. It has been ten years as a medic for me, three in a busy level II trauma center. EM is a great field in my mind. I love meeting new people and quickly developing a relationship. I also like not having to see them four days in a row like the staff on the floors do. Sometimes there is adrenaline, other times not so much. Usually at least one or two patients in a 12 hour shift are interesting. Even as a medic in the ED I get to do what I am trained for like tubes, lines, etc. I even do the in-house instruction on using US for inserting peripheral lines. But EM has also become the 7-11 of medicine. Stop in, get your percs for that terrible toothache that has been going on for 17 minutes and out the door. BTW, here is your PG form to determine bonuses and how we stack up against our competitors. Seriously, I think there should be a Holiday Inn sign attached to our building. That is my biggest beef with EM; we are more beholden to the almighty customer satisfaction score than a lot of other specialties or departments. But because of all this, I think EM will continue to be in high demand come the match. Maybe in ten or twenty years you will see over saturation but I also think that with an increase in ED visits you will see a need for more attendings in the department at one time. So perhaps is will balance out.

I hope you are right about EM. I, too, like this specialty. A lot.

However, the number of residency positions allocated for this specialty is increasing dramatically every year. Just look at the AOA numbers. The number of positions increased from 230ish in 2013 to 270ish this year. That's ~15% increase in influx in one year! Add to that an ever increasing number of NP's and PA's entering field. If this trend continues it won't take long before the field is flooded with practitioners.

 

[deleted92121]

I hope you are right about EM. I, too, like this specialty. A lot.

However, the number of residency positions allocated for this specialty is increasing dramatically every year. Just look at the AOA numbers. The number of positions increased from 230ish in 2013 to 270ish this year. That's ~15% increase in influx in one year! Add to that an ever increasing number of NP's and PA's entering field. If this trend continues it won't take long before the field is flooded with practitioners.

Oh I am not discrediting the fact that the number of EM residencies is growing. Also within the past ten years, there have been a substantial number of emergency departments that have closed their doors. That certainly doesn't help the job market. But like I said, the remaining departments will be flooded with patients, especially with the aging of the baby boomers. Expect to see a record number of COPD, CHF exacerbations, MIs, CVAs, and so on. So if we are not increasing the number of physical locations, the only way to manage the increasing numbers of patients is by increasing the number of attendings per shop. Instead of two, maybe three or four attendings during the busy hours which is roughly 1000-2200. Also take into account the number of FP docs working in EDs that were grandfathered in. They are closer to the end of their career then the beginning so spots will be opening up. And we know that specialty selection is cyclical. But I see EM on the upward trend for at least the next ten to twenty years.

 

[cabinbuilder]

As far as EM, I like many folks on here (especially non-trads) have been involved in EM for awhile. It has been ten years as a medic for me, three in a busy level II trauma center. EM is a great field in my mind. I love meeting new people and quickly developing a relationship. I also like not having to see them four days in a row like the staff on the floors do. Sometimes there is adrenaline, other times not so much. Usually at least one or two patients in a 12 hour shift are interesting. Even as a medic in the ED I get to do what I am trained for like tubes, lines, etc. I even do the in-house instruction on using US for inserting peripheral lines. But EM has also become the 7-11 of medicine. Stop in, get your percs for that terrible toothache that has been going on for 17 minutes and out the door. BTW, here is your PG form to determine bonuses and how we stack up against our competitors. Seriously, I think there should be a Holiday Inn sign attached to our building. That is my biggest beef with EM; we are more beholden to the almighty customer satisfaction score than a lot of other specialties or departments. But because of all this, I think EM will continue to be in high demand come the match. Maybe in ten or twenty years you will see over saturation but I also think that with an increase in ED visits you will see a need for more attendings in the department at one time. So perhaps is will balance out.

This is so true. I am currently doing locums in a larger ER (40) bed in Texas. I will say I cannot wait for the end to come when this assignment is OVER. I will take anything goes in the Wilderness over this behemoth. Ungrateful patients who use the ER as their personal doctor. The ER director states his goals focus around patient satisfaction, not the quality of the medicine. It's 2 minutes with the patients and 50 minutes on the computer with charting and being my own secretary. I totally hate it and would NEVER willingly go into ER as a career. If the money wasn't so great I would have walked out after the first day. I keep telling myself to keep my eye on the prize and this too had an end date.