Welcome to the UGA Health Workforce Update. This blog will follow developments and trends in the health workforce across Georgia and the United States.
As recently (July, 2007) reported in the Chronicle for Higher Education, the US could face a shortage of 24,000 doctors and nearly one million nurses by 2020. This study is based on a report that was produced by PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Health Research Institute. That means that if you are in high school or college now, becoming a doctor or nurse might be a good idea. Ah, but what kind of doctor should you aspire to be. David Goodman from the Medical College of Wisconsin reported that pediatricians per child will increase by 50% by 2024. On the other hand, a gal from the Rheumatology Association in Atlanta I spoke with yesterday told me that Rheumatologists were not in that situation. More are needed.
But are the medical schools ready? According to the Chronicle article, applications to nurses programs are rising, but the number of qualified students being turned away has increased even more—in some places it has grown six fold. Bottom line, the schools need to be able to increase their capacity.
Another factor that the statistics don’t accurately explain is where these doctor shortages actually will be. For example, Massachusetts currently has a surplus of doctors whereas Mississippi has a shortage. In Athens, Georgia just down the street from the University of Georgia, a doctor from California moved here to work in our Neighborhood Clinic. This blog will look at incentives that have and will be proposed to get needed doctors in out of the way places where folks may not want to go.
The shortage isn’t just limited to doctors though. Recently, the US House appropriated almost $100 million for 10,000 health care information technology grants that would be administered through the National Science Foundation.
Health Workforce is a serious concern for all us, and worthy of our time and interest.
4 comments:
As those baby boomers retire, Americans will feel the crunch in so many ways. Historically, health workers remained in geographic proximity to thier birthplace. I'll be very interested to learn of creative incentives to lure doctors and nurses to more remote, less desireable areas. I wonder what the doctor shortage like in South Georgia? Very interesting blog!
I'm glad your blogging about this topic. I'd heard there was a shortage of OB/GYN's and nurses. But didn't realize that there was a broader healthcare provider problem developing.
Does Athens qualify as one of those "less desirable" areas? Are there shortages in particular specialties here? These are great questions to investigate over the coming months.
I have noticed with increasing frequency that my friends are focusing on medical fields and becoming nurses -- I don't know so many pre-doctors -- and it seems like a great field to enter. One thing that troubles me is the quality of education if these health professionals get turned away from prestigious institutions and go towards "the next available thing." An increase in doctors and nurses is only as good as the quality of both.
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