Where are the Doctors? ESSAY 2 Danny Moss

 Danny Moss

John Horgan

HST 401

Where are the doctors?

Becoming a doctor is no easy job. According to B&F Advisors, It can take 11 years to become a doctor. The average age a person earns the privilege of being a physician is 29.5 years old. However, despite this difficult task, Medschoolinsiders says 60% of medical school applicants are rejected, even if the student has “exceptionally hard metrics.”

Using an opportunistic mindset, I would wonder why we just don’t open up more universities and get that sweet tuition money while also benefiting the world with more qualified doctors to treat the sick. But reading into that question, I learned a hard truth—we have a severe lack of doctors. During the 2020 pandemic, Public Health Report’s study of 625 hospitals, 61% of hospitals had overcrowded ICUs. 80% of acute treatment hospitals stated that they were understaffed. By the year 2036, the Association of American Medical Colleges expects a shortage of over 40,000 primary care physicians.

This especially hits home for me, as this problem has discouraged me from pursuing an M.D. Despite the fact that medical topics interest me, the issues with becoming a physician made me turn my sights to master's and Ph.D. programs instead to further my education in helping others.

To begin, I want to start with my own personal experiences with becoming an M.D. First off, it is extremely expensive. medical school alone costs $60,000 a year for four years, a total of $240,000 according to the Education Data Initiative. But that also requires a bachelor’s degree, which averages $40,000 per year according to another study by the Education Data Initiative. So $160,000 + $240,000 = $400,000 to become a doctor. Not to mention the loss of opportunities if the student instead pursued other work and invested the amount.

Luckily, in my personal experience talking to a physician’s husband, who I cannot name, some hospitals will completely reimburse a doctor’s tuition simply by working for the medical care center after a certain period of time. Hearing that took a weight off my chest, but I was told that this only applies to hospitals that are in well-funded cities like New York or San Francisco. In other words, smaller towns and states do not have access to the same medical professionals due to the steep cost and time required to pursue this field.

Cost is not the only reason. In 1997, the United States Congress passed a law limiting the number of resident physicians who can provide Medicare treatment. Knowing that Medicare is purely reserved for lower-income and disadvantaged citizens, it is a tragedy that this limit is still preserved to this day. Moreover, residency funding was also limited with this law, effectively harming the entire medical field in the process, according to cleveland.com.

This data is especially alarming, as the percentage of doctors under 60 years old has decreased from 2010 to 2022. This data is taken from Statista. Before, 16.3% of doctors were 60–69 years old. Now, they are 18.9%. 8.9% of doctors were older than 70, and now they are 12.6% of doctors. While 25.4% of doctors were 50–59 years old in 2010, they are now 21% of doctors. This alarming statistic for the aging population of doctors is serious, as their ability to work around the clock will not be as possible as before.

And that brings me to my next point—burnout. In 2021, American Medical Association stated 62.8% of physicians reported having burnout. 40% of physicians in 2021 and 2022 stated they were interested in leaving their practice in two years. The average doctor works 50–60 hours a week, which is much higher than the average worker. Moreover, these shifts can last for as long as 20 hours, stated by Zappia.

I return to another personal experience as to why people are not interested in the medical industry. Even if you are not interested in becoming a doctor but a medical staff member like a nurse, there is one more important detail: being a doctor is depressing. Talking to medical professionals personally, they have stated that when you are in a hospital, you are going to see death. It can be terrible to see someone lose an important family member, whether it is from a disease or a freak accident. Whenever someone is wheeled into the Emergency Room, just know that it will not be a pretty sight. From a personal experience, a nurse whom I consider to be very “thick-skinned” described her experience of crying an entire night after watching a patient succumb to their complications. It still holds a deep grasp in her memories.

The worst part about all this is that being a doctor is the most fulfilling job in the world. The simple thought of saving a life and helping others while also pursuing knowledge of the human body is an amazing feeling. But reality is often far from ideal. From the rising investment cost to the overwhelming hours, the government red tape, the sheer time commitment, and the depressing sights, there need to be better systems in place to address the serious issues affecting the lack of doctors in our country. To be in the operating room is not something that anyone can do, but advocating for better rights for doctors and other medical staff is within everyone’s power.





Sources:

How many hours do doctors work? - Zippia

Zippia Team. "How Many Hours Do Doctors Work?" Zippia, 30 July 2023, https://www.zippia.com. Accessed 10 Feb. 2025.


The Lengthy Workweek: How Many Hours Physicians Really Work | Decent

Lim, Heidi. "The Lengthy Workweek: How Many Hours Physicians Really Work." Decent, 9 July 2024, https://www.decent.com. Accessed 10 Feb. 2025.



Physician burnout rate drops below 50% for first time in 4 years | American Medical Association

Berg, Sara. "Physician Burnout Rate Drops Below 50% for First Time in 4 Years." American Medical Association, 2 July 2024, https://www.ama-assn.org. Accessed 10 Feb. 2025.


Age distribution of licensed physicians U.S. | Statista

Yang, Jenny. "Age Distribution of Licensed Physicians in the U.S. 2010 & 2022." Statista, 20 Aug. 2024, https://www.statista.com. Accessed 10 Feb. 2025.


U.S. doctor shortage is entirely avoidable and demands action - cleveland.com

Elmaraghy, George A. “U.S. Doctor Shortage Is Entirely Avoidable and Demands Action.” Cleveland.com, 25 Nov. 2024, https://www.cleveland.com/letters/2024/11/us-doctor-shortage-is-entirely-avoidable-and-demands-action.html. Accessed 10 Feb. 2025.


Average Cost of College [2024]: Yearly Tuition + Expenses

Education Data Initiative. "Average Cost of College & Tuition." Education Data Initiative, 26 Dec. 2024, Average Cost of College [2024]: Yearly Tuition + Expenses. Accessed 10 Feb. 2025.


Average Cost of Medical School [2024]: Yearly + Total Costs

Hanson, Melanie. "Average Cost of Medical School." EducationData.org, 9 Nov. 2024, Average Cost of Medical School [2024]: Yearly + Total Costs. Accessed 16 May 2024.


Shortage of primary care doctors in U.S. comes down to money — and respect - CBS News

Freyer, Felice J. "Shortage of primary care doctors in the U.S. comes down to money — and respect." CBS News, 9 Jan. 2025,



Hospitals that are Understaffed for Infection Prevention and Control Have Higher Rates of Infection, Study Says - APIC

Bartles, Rebecca, et al. "Hospitals that are Understaffed for Infection Prevention and Control Have Higher Rates of Infection, Study Says." Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, 10 Oct. 2024, https://apic.org/news/hospitals-that-are-understaffed-for-infection-prevention-and-control-have-higher-rates-of-infection-study-says/. Accessed 10 Feb. 2025.



Get into Medical School - 6 Reasons for Rejection | Med School Insiders


Jubbal, Kevin. "Top 5 Reasons You’ll Be Rejected From Med School This Year." Med School Insiders, 14 Dec. 2024,

Get into Medical School - 6 Reasons for Rejection | Med School Insiders. Accessed 10 Feb. 2025.



Emergency Department and Intensive Care Unit Overcrowding and Ventilator Shortages in US 

Sandhu, Paramjit et al. “Emergency Department and Intensive Care Unit Overcrowding and Ventilator Shortages in US Hospitals During the COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020-2021.” Public health reports (Washington, D.C. : 1974) vol. 137,4 (2022): 796-802. doi:10.1177/00333549221091781


Hospitals During the COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020-2021 - PMC

Sandhu, Paramjit et al. “Emergency Department and Intensive Care Unit Overcrowding and Ventilator Shortages in US Hospitals During the COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020-2021.” Public health reports (Washington, D.C. : 1974) vol. 137,4 (2022): 796-802. doi:10.1177/00333549221091781

Average Age to Become a Physician | Blankinship & Foster

What is the Average Age that Someone Becomes a Physician?"

Blankinship & Foster, 28 July 2023, https://www.bfadvisors.com/average-age-become-physician-2/. Accessed 10 Feb. 2025.

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