A push to train more primary-care doctors (LA Times)

[pinto]

Interesting "big picture" piece ~ pinto


A push to train more primary-care doctors

The pay is relatively low, the hours are long, the need is great and, students are finding, the rewards can be immense.

By Anna Gorman, Los Angeles Times
February 19, 2012

First-year medical student Hannah Segal sees the same patients and finds herself managing the same ailments during her frequent visits to a community health clinic on downtown Los Angeles' skid row.

It's not the most glamorous or desired duty among her USC classmates, many of whom aspire to prestigious, high-paying medical specialties. But her work on the front lines of patient care has helped Segal find her passion. "I'm always really excited to come here," she said. "I get to really problem-solve over time."

The program that brought Segal to this clinic is part of a new nationwide push to address a chronic problem: the U.S. is failing to produce enough family doctors to meet current and future needs.

To address the shortage, new medical schools are opening with an emphasis on primary care and others are changing their curricula to boost the number of graduates interested in the field. Medical school professors are pairing students with family doctors and assigning them to community clinics so they see firsthand what it's like to practice preventive care and manage chronic diseases.

http://www.latimes.com/health/la-me-primarycare-20120219,0,250503.story

[Vincardog]

1. The shortage is by design. The AMA has always maintained a shortage of US Doctors.

They turn away twice as many more qualified students than they accept.

[pinto]

2. The focus here is on med schools, established and new, promoting primary care.

Not sure what role the AMA has in that. Or what role they play in med school acceptance policies.

[Vincardog]

3. I am in favor of doubling the number of med schools.

[cbayer]

4. The ama has nothing to do with medical school acceptance rates.

The ama is quite concerned about the shortage of primary care physicians in this country.

This is an old fable you are repeating.