I have blogged before on matters of medical education. As I am both an internist and an infectious diseases specialist, as well as a medical educator, I found this WSJ Blog and original Archives of Internal Medicine publication relevant.
In brief, we have a projected physician shortage. We need more primary care doctors to manage the health and prevention needs of an aging population. Many primary care doctors are internists but not all internists are primary care doctors (as many choose hospital based practices or subspecialties). Many medicals students have positive perceptions of internal medicine but not primary care.
With growing medical education debt, long hours, high stress and lower reimbursements (than that of procedure based specialists, dermatologists etc), it is difficult to attract students to primary care. The shortage of primary care physicians has no apparent end.
Other than coercion, which, I do not favor, meaningful incentives must be made available to lure medical graduates into primary care. Otherwise, who will take care of me when I am old?
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| Source: WSJ |
With growing medical education debt, long hours, high stress and lower reimbursements (than that of procedure based specialists, dermatologists etc), it is difficult to attract students to primary care. The shortage of primary care physicians has no apparent end.
Other than coercion, which, I do not favor, meaningful incentives must be made available to lure medical graduates into primary care. Otherwise, who will take care of me when I am old?
