In an alarming survey published this month, The Doctors Company found that nine out of 10 physicians would not recommend becoming a doctor. The nation’s largest provider of physician and surgeon insurance asked more than 5,000 members whether they would recommend their profession to someone looking for a career.
The results are especially troubling because the healthcare industry faces huge shortfalls in workers in coming years, thanks in large part to the “bubble” of aging Baby Boomers who will be reaching peak years of medical care as they age.
Current legislation that could have a dramatic effect on medical professionals is cited in the survey as the biggest concern among working doctors today.
We may be on the verge of a sea change in how medicine is practiced and delivered in the U.S. as the nation learns to deal with the crises of health insurance, the aging population, understaffing in hospitals and clinics, legislation and regulation, and scrutiny of the fee-for-service model that has dominated U.S. medicine for decades.
More Americans are looking for alternatives to traditional medicine, whether it’s in the herb and supplement aisle at the grocery store or in the self-help section of an online tool like Virtuwell.