Fewer graduating doctors choosing primary care

This won’t come as a surprise to those who’ve followed my coverage regarding a looming primary care physician shortage, but a new report published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association says only 2 percent of graduating medical students say they plan to work in primary care internal medicine.

This is a 7 percent decline from 1990, when 9 percent of graduating students said they planned to go into primary care.

2 Comments

  1. ictBest
    Posted September 11, 2008 at 9:30 pm | Permalink

    Most likely so they do not get stuck in the ditch of Nationalized health care, where they would be forced to provide care to everybody that seeks it.

  2. mcs7584
    Posted September 15, 2008 at 3:09 pm | Permalink

    Right, because what’s wrong with that? It would be laughable, if it weren’t so true, that many in this country can’t afford to be sick. I’m not suggesting that doctors aren’t worth what they’re paid. But it’s inexcusable that walk-in clinics in Walgreens is this country’s answer to affordable health care.