RSS FeedShould Some Doctors Be Required to Work Full-Time?
20 October 2011Part-time physicians are a growing trend. Just in time for the physician shortage, many doctors are choosing a more balanced lifestyle of blending part-time medical practice with family time or other personal pursuits.
MD News poses an interesting question: should physicians be required to work full-time for a certain number of years upon completion of training?
If that sounds like a completely ridiculous idea, consider this:
Many residency and fellowship programs are partially funded by taxpayers and government monies via Medicare training allocations.
Additionally, the MDNews.com article notes, a physician shortage could ultimately be a public health issue. As professionals who provide such a critical service to the public, and many of whom benefit from federal and state grants and loans, would it make sense to require full-time practice for at least a few years after graduation?
Or, would that only reduce the number of otherwise qualified people who pursue physician careers, particularly women (who are statistically more likely to practice part-time than male doctors)?
It’s very understandable why more doctors prefer to work part-time. That being said, each time a newly minted doctor calls in, who only wishes to work 20 hrs per week, it’s difficult not to think about that fact that there is one less half a doctor for the country… Furthermore, even a “half” doctor takes up a full spot in medical school and in residency training, all of which are highly competitive and limited in capacity, and some of which are funded by our tax dollars.
Perhaps a better answer would be to increase the number of residency training slots and medical school spots… but that is not an easy proposition either. There has been some slight growth but not much in the past few years, and it’s not enough to train enough new doctors for future demand… which is why the physician shortage is an issue that will not be solved easily or quickly, if it is solved at all.
What are your thoughts? Do you think that physicians who benefit from federal or state-funded loans, grants, or tax-payer funded training programs should be required to work full-time?
Read the full story at MDNews.com and then share your thoughts below!
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February 9th, 2012 at 10:44 pm
As an extension of your reasoning, since congreesional salaries are funded by tax revenues, our representatives in Congress, along with the president, should be at the top of the list of people with a “debt” to society.