Fewer medical students going into primary care
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Aug 19th, 2009
Fewer medical students going into primary care
A doctor shortage is proving problematic as fewer medical students go into primary care, according to a recent story in USA today.
"The number of U.S. medical school students going into primary care has dropped 51.8% since 1997, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). Considering it takes 10 to 11 years to educate a doctor, the drying up of the pipeline is a big concern to health-care experts. The AAFP is predicting a shortage of 40,000 family physicians in 2020, when the demand is expected to spike. The U.S. health care system has about 100,000 family physicians and will need 139,531 in 10 years." Currently, only about half the necessary number "needed to meet demand" are pursuing this specialty.
In Kentucky, 77 of 120 counties and 4 urban regions are designated as Health Provider Shortage Areas by the US Department of Health and Human Services. The Commonwealth has 2.5 primary care physicians per 3,500 population, substantially lower than the national ratio of 3.7.
Read the full story here.
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