The news shows that currently, there are around 20 million people older than 75 in the US, and there are about 7,000 practicing geriatricians in the US today, which means there is one geriatricians for 3,000 people who are over 75 in the US.
Hafners mentioned that it is difficult to have interest in taking care of older patients for young students.
Lacking of geriatricians, however, does not increase its salary to attract more people to study geriatrics. According to the Medical Group Management Association, geriatrics is among the lowest-paying specialties in medicine.
This is actually a serious problem and I don't know why government did not make some policies for geriatricians, such as rising their salaries.
http://www.businessinsider.com/the-lack-of-people-taking-this-job-should-worry-all-of-us-2016-2
I also think it is strange that with an aging population in America that more people are not taking advantage of being a part of the field. I'm curious why their are not more within the field. I wonder if the low salary is the only deterrent or if other factors such as working hours play a role. Whatever the factors our government should look into this issue so that the elderly can be cared for. If this market is explored more GDP will surly rise due to increased government expenditure and as well as an increase in the consumption component. Hopefully this issue can be resolved soon.
ReplyDeleteI believe this situation will remain in gridlock until a change is made. With the price of education rising, a geriatrician is not a compelling position to gain when students are paying that much for school and getting a smaller return in their profession. On top of that, although very important, being a geriatrician is not the most glamorous job to have, which I believe is why less students are striving to become one. I believe the salaries must be increased to make the position more attractive.
ReplyDeleteI honestly don't think that the government needs to step in to make policies regarding geriatricians. I completely agree that it is not a very glamorous job, but it is important to note the amount of elderly in the United States.
ReplyDeleteRight now the average age of the baby boomer population is 65 years old. In the next few years they will reach the age in which they need the care provided to them by geriatricians. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are about 76.4 million baby boomers. This is a huge increase from the current population of elderly people, so I believe that with this increase in demand, wages will ultimately rise and more people will become geriatricians.
It will be interesting to see how these doctors respond. With the upcoming demand I wonder if there will be a spike in the price? With that would the increased salaries motivate more people to pursue a career in the field of geriatricians?
ReplyDeleteIt will be interesting to see how these doctors respond. With the upcoming demand I wonder if there will be a spike in the price? With that would the increased salaries motivate more people to pursue a career in the field of geriatricians?
ReplyDeleteI think this is touches on the issue of healthcare in the marketplace, and its impact not only on economic policy, but the overall political landscape. Should every elderly person be guranteed with their healthcare provider a geriatrician? How do we fund that? It adds another layer onto the healthcare debate that is prevalent in today's election rhetoric, and if brought to light will become an important topic in human rights, economics, and policy reform in the near future as leading countries populations continue to age.
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