Looking for a sure-fire vocation: Go into health care.
The Affordable Health Care Act (Obamacare) is scheduled to expand Medicaid to millions of now-uninsured Americans by 2014. Thousands of additional physicians will be needed to give them care. Even if that program is repealed, the aging of the baby boomers will increase the Medicare population and also put pressure on health care providers.
The Association of American Medical Colleges estimates that in 2015 the country will have 62,900 fewer doctors than needed and that number will more than double by 2025.
Even without the health care law, experts estimate that the shortage of doctors in 2025 would still exceed 100,000.
Considering that it takes about 10 years to train a physician, that 2025 need should be addressed now.
Part of the need can be met by expanding the use of nurse clinicians, who can be trained more quickly. Having physicians and nurse clinicians work in teams can increase efficiency in clinics and provide more primary care to more people at a lower cost.
The U.S. shortage of physicians is now being lessened by welcoming well-trained physicians from other nations as immigrants. India and other Asian nations have educated many physicians and medical technicians who are now working in the U.S., where they earn much more than they could in their native lands.
But the best way to meet our nation’s need for additional physicians, nurse clinicians and other health care specialists is by increasing the number who can be trained in U.S. medical schools — and by encouraging U.S. high school students to set their sights on medical careers.
— Emerson Lynn, jr.
