For decades the AMA and doctors kept admissions to medical schools low in order to keep their own salaries high. Very effective gatekeeping. It is their own fault there aren’t more doctors and they are overwhelmed .
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Need to see a doctor? 3 month wait to get in as a new patient. If you’re an established patient? Maybe 2 weeks. We need more physicians. Shouldn’t have to wait that long.
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Agree with @Vertigo75
Been a nurse for over 25 years. ICU for the first half including years of travel nursing. (assignments in NYC, San Fran, San Diego, Los Angeles, all over Florida) Last half with home care where I currently am.
There are positives with nursing along with many negatives.
Positives: Was able to work, yet be a full time mom. I provided a good second income without too much disruption to my family unit. I LOVE my patients and am completely fulfilled by advocating and caring for my patients. Most of my patients are like family to me and I treat them so. My coworkers are also the bomb!
Negatives: As I get older (currently 50) if I were honest with myself, Im slowing down. Not because I want to but because that is where I am physically. Nursing is not what is used to be. Insurances and Medicare have changed the playing field and continue to do so each and every day. THEY call the shots. Yes, I see the big money assignments that are offered right now, but I know what that means. You will get the hardest patients (COVID, Cdiff, MRSA, VRE pts and be in isolation garb all day), will not be treated as one of the staff because you are contract, and will likely be in a unit with little ancillary support. At my age, its not worth it. In my 30’s, maybe.
As @Vertigo75 states “We are also seeing big sign-on bonuses to start a new job elsewhere when our current employers cannot even provide a COL raise that can keep up with inflation.” That is the truth. Worked for the same company for the past 13 years and I think its been 7 or 8 years without a raise, yet now we are on computers and the work takes longer. It also doesn’t make you feel valued when you receive a lunch bag with the companies name on it for Christmas. When I asked for a hot spot for the iPad that I am required to use so I dont have to synch up at a Starbucks where there is free wifi, I was told they would not provide one. Seriously? I now purchased my own. In healthcare today, Its about the bottom line $$$!
As life progresses, you start to think about how many years you have left in the field.
I find that at 50 years old that this is the first time that I have looked at jobs that are NOT in healthcare and am even open to making less money. Im just tired… (COVID didn’t help)
Would I do it all over again? Yes
Is my daughter going into this field? Yes
Merry Christmas
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The big thing here where we live in Southern California is concierge doctors. There were good docs fed up with the system and now charge a yearly fee for pts to have full access to them. The docs can take fewer patients which helps them provide better care and the docs can make a living. Its an interesting concept though not attainable for people who cant afford the yearly premium. It makes total sense for older patients who have a long list of maladies. Doesn’t make sense for those who are heathy though.
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Good friend of mine flies for a major airline, had gotten furloughed after 9-11, went to med school, became an anesthesiologist, back now to flying. Much less stress, pays better (when you include all the insurance costs). Far more days off. Still moonlights a little on the side, but only when he wants to. A couple days a month max.
He’s a pilot who works a little on the side as an anesthesiologist?
Exactly.
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Yes. I was just talking last night with an ER physician who said much the same thing about corporate medicine.
It’s hard to blame them. Student loan debt is so atrocious that it’s more cost effective to look for work that pays more.
From my data point, it has nothing to do with that. It has everything to do with being overworked and, since those who tend to be in the hospital with Covid now are those who don’t believe in vaxxes, medical folks are getting pestered for Ivermectin and other such things. Then too when they go out of the hospital they were getting harassed by protestors (that went away with cold weather fortunately). On top of this they’re seeing people needlessly die knowing there’s nothing they can do about it. The tears of loved ones or the “close to me” age of some definitely have an effect.
Those not there for Covid aren’t pleased with the wait times and conditions - like being in a room without a bathroom, because they’ve had to create rooms to try to accommodate everyone. Not all “other” rooms were designed to become hospital rooms. They don’t like that there can’t be many visitors as before. All blame for everything goes to doctors, nurses, and other staff. Why aren’t they the center of the universe? They have needs.
God forbid someone makes a mistake of any sort.
The public used to be thankful for all they were doing. Now it’s almost like they’re the enemies.
You still think it’s all about money? Those who went through the schooling, etc, knew about the money. They loved the profession. It was a calling. Now they’re being tossed to the wolves by too many (not everyone, but those are the stories being relayed, so they’re making an impression).
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My mother was in the hospital for 3 weeks in March. Almost every day she had a new crew of RNs, PTs, techs, aids, etc. Many of the nurses were traveling nurses from other states. They were making more than $10k per month with most expenses (room, travel to the hospital, some meals, paid time off and travel home) covered. All said they were making a lot, saving a lot, and doing this for about a year. We met a married couple who were planning on saving $200k to buy a house at the end of their terms.
I think many will change from hospital nursing to less stressful jobs when their terms end.
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And that is a huge problem with staffing when there is new staff caring for the same patient every day. No continuity of care, less familiarity with the patient, increased risk of errors.
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There is a seemingly endless supply of those who want to go into those professions. But the supply is limited by the educational and residency capacity. Limited educational capacity means that admission to these programs is highly competitive because the number who can be educated is limited.
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This is a sign of the rising rate of burnout among healthcare workers. Physicians and nurses are under a lot of pressure to treat an increasing number of patients with fewer resources. Burnout occurs as a result of the doctors and nurses’ inability to adequately care for the escalating number of patients due to this pressure. In addition, according to a survey conducted by the Academy of Medicine, 60% of doctors say they cannot find the time to provide the care they feel is required.
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If the AMA supported the opening of more medical and nursing schools and the adoption of a single payer system, many of these complaints would go away.
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Also, add in there if the AMA would agree to support the expansion of NP practice in states where it is limited, it would help ease the burden of having enough PCP’s available for those seeking primary care. This, in turn, would help to decrease the amount of patients going to ER’s seeking treatment for primary care issues; as well as increase the amount of providers looking to help fulfill the healthcare needs of underserved populations.
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Just to say not all PAs could not get into med school. My future daughter in law had near perfect credentials and experience undergrad but decided that she preferred to be a PA. She did well on the MCAT too just realized what she wanted wasn’t med school and med school debt, and the time it takes to become one. Several people in her school were the same.
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How likely is it that a labor union or similar organization will support lowering the barrier to entry of its profession or professions that could substitute for it, which would increase the competition from new entrants that existing members will face in the labor market?
I see both sides of this. I have several friends who are physicians (in their 60’s, close to my age) who have had personal experiences with a misdiagnosed disease/issue/trauma resulting from a NP or PA operating outside their scope of practice.
I push back of course- we ALL know people who were misdiagnosed by MD’s-- in some cases very experienced MD’s who had the benefit of multiple diagnostic tests, fancy equipment, help from tenured specialists, etc. Being misdiagnosed is not a reason to prevent the expansion of NP practice-- it’s a reason to continuously evaluate professional development at all levels of the health care industry. And perhaps to increase the frequency of recertification to make sure that everyone in primary care has kept up with new treatments, newer viruses, etc.
But truth be told- if I had been told that my lower back ache was a sprain, use a heating pad and ibuprofen until it goes away-- and it turned out to be a massive kidney infection (one of the scare stories my friend tells) I guess I’d be pounding the table too.
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The AMA does not consider itself a labor union. It claims to be a professional organization dedicated to improving public health. Regardless, one shouldnt complain about overwork if one has actively prevented new hires, either md or np, from easing the workload. Since health professionals should expect demand for their services to increase as the population ages, and they can not control that demand, their rational response would be to increase the supply of professionals to meet the demand. It is possible to do so through both domestic and foreign talent, so no sympathy for failure to respond to their situation. They chose to artificially restrict supply.
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