Find Your Perfect Program:
Medical Schools Work to Increase Interest in Primary Care Careers
By Chris Hassan
Posted February 10, 2012 03:47 PM
For patients with certain health plans, a visit to a primary care physician is often required before they can see a specialist, according to HealthDay. However, this can be difficult if there are fewer of these doctors working.
The U.S. is currently facing a shortage of primary care physicians, HealthDay reports. In fact, the number of these healthcare professionals working has been dropping for two decades now, according to the findings of a study that was conducted by Mark D. Schwartz, an associate professor at the New York University School of Medicine, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
While a strong primary care system has been linked to better health outcomes and lower costs, the results of the study reveal that interest in this field has dropped. In 1999, there were 575 medical students who chose residency training in primary care, whereas in 2008, there were only 264.
To
Medical schools aim to stop primary care physician shortage. reverse this trend, the University of Maryland School of Medicine plans to use a $877,000 grant from the federal Health Resources and Services Administration to increase interest in primary care specialties among its medical students, according to a press release from the institution.
In an effort to grow the nation’s primary care workforce, faculty from the school’s family medicine, pediatrics and internal medicine teams will collaborate on the Primary Care Track. Over the course of students’ four years in medical school, this academic program will provide them with hands-on experience in rural and urban communities, connect them with primary care physicians and create opportunities for mentoring.
"Our goal is to get students excited about primary care early in their careers," Nikkita Southall, assistant professor in the school’s Department of Medicine, said in a statement. "We were fortunate to have mentors while in medical school to help guide us into our current specialties. We hope that this grant will provide a robust clinical experience for students to help them understand what primary care is all about."
Meanwhile, Linda Lewin, associate professor in the school’s Department of Pediatrics, said that addressing the need for primary care services plays a role in containing healthcare costs.
The University of Maryland is not the only institution committed to halting the primary care physician shortage. In the summer of 2011, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine announced its new family medicine accelerated track, according to a press release. The medical degree program’s three-year format will allow students to graduate sooner, and, as a result, begin their careers in primary care.
