“Doctor or a lawyer.”

It’s a knee-jerk expectation for youth who project superior intelligence, confidence, and the ambition to apply both. Families put a lot of pressure on young overachievers to choose a high-paying, high-profile career that will fulfill society’s expectations for their capabilities. Doctor or lawyer are the most common two.

Yet despite these demands from society, families, and a population of increasing median age, one of the most common concerns among practicing physicians is an apparent impending shortage among their ranks.

Demand for MD’s and their skills is expected to outstrip supply by 80,000 doctors within the next decade. By most standards, this would qualify as a healthcare crisis. A number of issues contribute to this growing storm, among them, an increasingly litigious US population, compensation falling behind inflation, and the ever-larger specter of physician burnout, which has been covered several times in this blog.

Things like increasing administrative burdens take away doctors’ time with patients, and since caring for patients is the reason they entered the field, the work environment in many specialties is becoming increasingly unfulfilling. This is no idle threat that can be dealt with in 10 years, because the AMA estimates that in rural areas, up to 90% of counties already lack access to critical specialties.

The author of this blog would encourage everyone reading to take a moment and read “The Price of Medicine” by following this link. It will explain the physician’s perspective on this issue in way that you have never considered it.

Understanding is the primary key to solving any problem, and if a problem lies firmly within a life that you and I do not live, then understanding the inside of that life is the only way we can begin to help.

And yes, we do need to help.

One might say, “physician, heal thyself,” but without physicians, not many of us would be healed at all, would we?

Thanks for reading,

                   Transonic Systems, Inc.

                                      The Measure of Better Results

References:

1. AMA President highlights growing crisis facing U.S. physicians