Why Does America Have So Few Doctors?

We’ve heard for years that America is facing a shortage of healthcare workers and, more specifically, doctors. It sounds like an easy fix, right? We just need to train more physicians. Well, as with most things in life, it’s not that simple. Here are 5 reasons why America has so few doctors.

TIME STAMPS:
00:00 Introduction
00:26 Length of Training
02:03 Cost of Training
03:27 Limited Number of Residency Spots
05:55 Limitations on Importing Physicians
07:25 Aging Population

LINKS FROM VIDEO:

#doctor #doctorshortage #medicalschool
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Disclaimer: Content of this video is my opinion and does not constitute medical advice. The content and associated links provide general information for general educational purposes only. Use of this information is strictly at your own risk. Kevin Jubbal, M.D. and Med School Insiders LLC will not assume any liability for direct or indirect losses or damages that may result from the use of information contained in this video including but not limited to economic loss, injury, illness or death. May include affiliate links to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate, I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases made through them (at no extra cost to you).

[BrockMDol]

AAMC: "America has a doctor shortage! We need more doctors!"

Also AAMC: * makes just applying to medical school so ungodly expensive every year that potential doctors from lower income households are discouraged from applying *

[scholaroftheworldalternatehist]

Haven't watched yet but probably has dollar signs somewhere in there

[silence-is-bliss]

Medical school expense despite a Doctor shortage is one of those things that make little sense.

[camadams]

Tbh I've always viewed this as a remarkably simple issue: The AMA and AAMC deliberately lobby for policies that keep medical care expensive. Institutionally, the American medical system is singularly focused on maximizing profits.

As such, limiting the supply of doctors is a logical action. Producing a small pool of doctors gives you control over supply. Making sure they have crippling debt means they won't rock the boat. Seems pretty basic to me

[Vendemiair]

I'm a medical doctor who spent 4 years in a college degree and 10 years in medical training to become a subspecialist. The system in the U.S. is weird with regard to residency because hospitals should be the one paying resident trainees for the huge amount of work that they do. In my country, residents are always employees of the hospital, albeit temporary ones, and get a regular salary. It's quite low relative to the hours spent but it's high compared to most other positions in the hospital.

[tiffanyostovar-kermani]

Thank you for posting this video. Thousands and thousands of us are unmatched and have no place to train despite being massively qualified. The critical part not mentioned in this video is the existence of many unmatched U.S. IMGs (Ross, UAG, SGU, other Caribbean schools, India, Pakistan, UK, Poland, Germany, Ukraine, UAE, etc.). Unfortunately, there remains a high stigma of U.S.-IMGs attending school outside the country. It makes no sense. Fortunately, the Missouri Assistant Physician and Arizona Transitional Training Permit were developed for some of us to keep our clinical skills sharp as we feverishly prepare ourselves for subsequent Match Seasons. Yes, seasons. The year of graduation residency programs set for interview criteria puts us in a significant chokehold. Not only do previously unmatched American medical graduates apply, but the scores of fourth years, previously unmatched, and new applicants of well-established physicians across the globe apply. The number of residency spots does not match the number of applicants yearly. Regardless, they still gladly accept everyone's money during application season.

Furthermore, many of these unmatched physicians come from underrepresented and marginalized communities. Of course, if you have no data to show this, it is like commanding the winds to cease blowing. The fact is that 119, 000K+ physicians in the U.S. have gone unmatched since 2010. The organization I am a part of has met with Congressional offices and Senators across the United States over the past two years, asking them to increase the number of GME slots via H.R. 2256, the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021, including opening training programs in rural areas. At best, they are astonished about the number and the pathway to becoming a licensed physician in the United States. Any of you can call up the offices of your state reps and request that they endorse this bill. It is a start because we need all the help we can get.

[wayneenterprise]

Because this is America. Here, we solve problems by creating more problems. Cost our students more. Create bottle-neck at the top so that medical school does not have enough residency seats for graduate even IF our medical school takes more students. Bag as much money we can. Then turn around with the audacity to call it a "doctor shortage". Then we allow foreign doctors to come into our country to practice instead focusing on improving the process of creating American doctors. We have made medicine a field that only a selective few can access.

[Calcifurr]

My dream once was to become a veterinarian. After learning tuition would cost me $70k a year, a vet’s salary isn’t as highly paid as MD, and veterinarians have the highest suicide rates I didn’t pursue it.

A lot of the doctors I worked under were overworked, burnt out, and overwhelmed.

[min_nik]

As a person who just finished high school and planning on becoming a physician, the most critical factors for me are time and money. It is scary to realize that in my 30 I’ll only reach attendance level with 300k dept behind me

[jeatificar]

with all these limitations on medicine, the government's continued reach into medical practice, greedy hospital administration that cares more about profit than care I wouldn't be surprised if the shortage of physicians doubles by 2034. It's sickening what medicine has evolved into.

[BurntToast]

It's all greed. Greed from the medical schools continuously increases tuition costs, even though everyone and their dog ACTUALLY learn medicine using 3rd party resources. Greed from the government limiting the funds to train more residents. Greed from our OWN doctors thinking about their own salary instead of the future of their profession and going against more physician training. Don't even get me started on how Residency itself is basically free labor for hospitals. Hiring a resident is cheaper than an RN. Do the math on the hours they work + how much their salaries are, and they barely make over minimum wage, or even below it sometimes. It's a no-brainer how so many people quit after years of being abused by the system, and then that system turns around and makes a surprised Pikachu face at the physician shortage.

[ZarelidT]

I haven’t even started this video yet. But I grew up poor and not very well educated. All I knew was getting into the health department was extremely expensive, and wait list were incredibly long. Now I’m in my 30s and went through a traumatic experience that has driven me too become a paramedic. The world doesn’t encourage you to be a doctor or anything like that anymore. This will not change anytime soon either.

[paulfraszczynski]

There's no shortage of applicants. Funding however.

[rochi]

I decided not to Persue medicine because I’m not willing to take so much debt. They ask for 1 million requirements and even then you’re not guaranteed to get in. Fuck the med school system in this country.

[Kevin-]

It’s pretty irritating when I want to become an anesthesiologist, but need 14 years of schooling. Most of which is bs classes that have nothing to do with medicine or anesthesiology. Meanwhile, my Gf is a registered Vet Tech that did a 2 year program at community college and is an anesthesiologist for dogs. Like wtf is this? The exact same biological processes, even harder for animals because you have to figure out every last thing because they can’t talk. But because an animal can’t sue you, it some how justifies another 12 years of schooling and $300k of debt. America 🇺🇸

[certifiedlover]

This is why many people are going into nursing or physician assistant route shorter training and still make good money.

[michellekaiser]

I relate to this a lot! My SO did a foreign medical degree, with the intention of doing Step 1 and residency here. But he's already found a job that he likes! If there was a better training system here, he'd be a great candidate to work at low income clinics off and on. (He grew up poor and is very interested in volunteering.) As is, there's too high of a cost to take a pay cut and have those horrible residency hours.

[Fred]

The other problem with recruiting foreign doctors that people don’t mention is called the ‘brain drain’. We’re taking all the professionals from poor countries who really need those professionals. I’m not saying we shouldn’t take foreign doctors, but it’s another point to think about that wasn’t mentioned

[Ghost-Toast]

I have wanted to be a doctor since I was a kid. I hope things change cause it will make this dream of mine that much more attainable.

[mahanpourfakhr]

I really don’t understand why we need a 4 year degree first considering you can even apply with an art degree