Academic Medicine Open Forum

Weekly Welcome Wagon
I want to send a warm welcome to some of our newest members: @Stephanie White, @Hyacinth Mason, @Rachael Bacchus, @Vincent Rhodes, @Allison Otu, @Kristin Anderson, @Heather Holcomb, and @Erik Boone - just to name a few! We're excited to have you in the AAMC Communities network, and we invite you to join our regular "Question of the Week" discussions. You can reply to this thread to join the conversation, or search for other topics and discussion threads you may want to contribute to.

Question of the Week
By 2033, the United States could experience a shortage of 21,400 to 55,200 primary care physicians, part of an overall projected shortage of 54,100 to 139,000 physicians, according to AAMC data. In rural areas, the problem is already acute. Last week was National Primary Care Week, so we're introducing a discussion here about a longstanding issue: students' lack of interest in primary care specialties.

Data show that the low interest in primary care careers is not due to lack of residency training program opportunities. And it's not due to debt load/salary. Many suspect this is a problem of perception. That primary care is being painted as less challenging or less rewarding as other specialties. 

We want to hear from you: Does the primary care specialty have a "perception" problem?

Weekly Welcome Wagon
I want to send a warm welcome to some of our newest members: @Stephanie White, @Hyacinth Mason, @Rachael Bacchus, @Vincent Rhodes, @Allison Otu, @Kristin Anderson, @Heather Holcomb, and @Erik Boone - just to name a few! We're excited to have you in the AAMC Communities network, and we invite you to join our regular "Question of the Week" discussions. You can reply to this thread to join the conversation, or search for other topics and discussion threads you may want to contribute to.

Question of the Week
By 2033, the United States could experience a shortage of 21,400 to 55,200 primary care physicians, part of an overall projected shortage of 54,100 to 139,000 physicians, according to AAMC data. In rural areas, the problem is already acute. Last week was National Primary Care Week, so we're introducing a discussion here about a longstanding issue: students' lack of interest in primary care specialties.

Data show that the low interest in primary care careers is not due to lack of residency training program opportunities. And it's not due to debt load/salary. Many suspect this is a problem of perception. That primary care is being painted as less challenging or less rewarding as other specialties. 

We want to hear from you: Does the primary care specialty have a "perception" problem?