1. There is a cap on the number of doctors that the US can churn out since Medicare funds most of their training. That number is 140,000. This inherently limits supply. This is the biggest issue.[0]
2. There are limited spots in certain residency programs due to how competitive they are. Ergo those specialties are artificially more lucrative. Dermatology is a good example.
3. Becoming a doctor is temporally arduous: 11 to 15 years! Why the hell do people need to spend four years of time and money on a bachelor's degree instead of entering a medical program directly?
4. Becoming a doctor is financially arduous. You will be in debt for four years of undergrad, then four years of medical school, and then you'll be paid garbage for 3-7 years of residency. High interest rates exacerbate this.
5. Residency is hell.
6. Working in a hospital is often hell. Burn out is very real.
7. There are many, many professions which provide a far better standard of living.
Agreed. There are a few schools now offering accelerated Baccalaureate-MD programs in as little as 6 years so expanding those to more schools would be a relatively simple way to cut education costs.
We can also expand access to affordable primary care by shifting routine services to physician assistants and nurse practitioners. Physicians should be reserved for more complex or higher risk cases.
2. There are limited spots in certain residency programs due to how competitive they are. Ergo those specialties are artificially more lucrative. Dermatology is a good example.
3. Becoming a doctor is temporally arduous: 11 to 15 years! Why the hell do people need to spend four years of time and money on a bachelor's degree instead of entering a medical program directly?
4. Becoming a doctor is financially arduous. You will be in debt for four years of undergrad, then four years of medical school, and then you'll be paid garbage for 3-7 years of residency. High interest rates exacerbate this.
5. Residency is hell.
6. Working in a hospital is often hell. Burn out is very real.
7. There are many, many professions which provide a far better standard of living.
[0]: https://www.aamc.org/news/press-releases/new-aamc-report-sho...