Anatomy of Physician Shortage
By Christine Whitmarsh, RN, BSN In 1960’s America the government and health advisory groups were concerned about an imminent surplus of physicians. They wondered how the nation’s health care system would be able to accommodate the coming onslaught of doctors. They cited studies that supposedly supported their data and ignored the reports from recruiters and hospitals that were already starting to have trouble attracting...
Increased Access: Healthier Americans?
By Christine Whitmarsh, RN, BSN Politicians, lobbyists, special interest groups and consumer advocacy groups in favor of a more “universal” health care system for America, are quick to make what would appear to be an “undeniable” connection – more access to health care means healthier consumers. A telephone survey by two groups called Statistics Canada and the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics,...
Is Malpractice Risk Contributing to Shortage?
By Christine Whitmarsh, RN, BSN There were scattered groans and boos at the recent AMA conference in Chicago, when our usually popular president announced that he was not in favor of putting caps on malpractice insurance awards from lawsuits (his background is legal, not medical after all). The full realization of the liability involved in medicine – or in nursing in my case – hit me in the form of sticker shock, when I...
Examining Canadian Health Care and Shortage
By Christine Whitmarsh, RN, BSN Canada currently utilizes many of the principles of universal medicine that American lawmakers are working to emulate. Whether you agree, disagree or are on the fence about these principles, it only seems right to look at Canadian health care as our own lawmakers try to see into the future and figure out a solution to America’s health care challenges. -Canada’s current national health care...
Shortage Looming at Both Ends of Age Spectrum
By Christine Whitmarsh, RN, BSN The growing shortage of physicians, particularly those in primary care roles, is being affected by both ends of the age spectrum. On one end, we have an aging population of primary care physicians who are either reluctant or unable to retire due to the shortage. This of course cannot last forever. These doctors will eventually have to hang up their stethoscopes. Statistics show that 4,500 of...