Physician Shortages
Dr. Adelaide Nardone is an obstetrician-gynecologist practicing in New York, and Rhode Island. Dr. Nardone specializes in women's health including all aspects from adolescent gynecology to menopausal management and everything in between. As a Board Certitied OB-GYN, Dr. Nardone can diagnose and manage most health... more
Many patients may be having difficulty finding and getting appointments with physicians across all fields of medicine these days. Here are some examples:
We are all aware of "medical desserts" whereby there are no medical facilities of many miles.
In some busy cities there are 70-100 people waiting to be seen in an ER.
Just this week I tried to see my PCP (who I've been going to for 20 years) for a routine annual exam and I have to wait 6 months for such an appointment!
In my field of expertise, Obstetrics and Gynecology (Ob/Gyn) this issue is particularly evident.
A day does not go by that physician recruiters are posting very enticing job offerings in this field. Some days I get up to 10 alerts for various openings in Ob/Gyn across the US.
There are many reasons for this physician shortages, but I will delineate a few which I perceive to be contributing to this growing problem:
1. The cost of medical school is prohibited and the ability to make back the debt is diminished.
2. The road to becoming a fully trained MD is long and grueling, so much so that many people do not want to sacrifice their youthful years doing so.
3. Many doctors are becoming "specialized", hence there are less "generalist" in all fields including Ob/Gyn
4. Individuals choose the medical field because they feel it's "a calling" and an altruistic way of serving society. However, once employed by a hospital or large medical system they soon learn that medicine has become a "business" and like any business one's productivity is aligned with profit. This changes the dynamic of patient care in many respects.
5. Furthermore, the busier a physician is the more work he/she creates for herself. While the Electronic Medical Records (EMR) are designed to "streamline" medical documentation, it also creates a system whereby providers are always "attached" in some way to patient care. Even when MD's are off duty and at home they often are logging back on to the EMR to complete charts, reply to view alerts, check labs etc. Hence the expression: "pajama rounds". Certainly this impacts one's quality of life which leads to the next issue:
5. Burnout. More physicians are retiring earlier and/or changing careers as the pace and expectations are not sustainable.
6. Fear of being sued in a litigious society is real. And the list goes on.....
I ponder why no one in government or the private sector has brought these issues front and center and offered realistic resolutions to a growing "crises" in a country that prides itself with "the best medical care in the world" ????
Thank you,
Adelaide G. Nardone MD, FACOG
