It's schadenfreude: enjoyment obtained from the troubles of others. That's where I find myself as I observe the surfeit of specialists juxtaposed to a dearth of primary care docs.
As Dr. Pauline W. Chen said in "Where Have All the Doctors Gone?"—"I [don’t] envy Mr. Obama.... Any attempt to make health care more accessible will be doomed to failure without an adequate number of primary care physicians and a strong primary care system."
Internal medicine is one of the lowest paying post-residency choices with an average annual salary "approximately $5,000 less than the debt most med students carry upon graduation. The average radiologist salary is twice [that]” Medical students are "turned off by the possibility of caring for chronically ill patients, and the amount of red tape and paperwork general internists have to grapple with." Foreign medical graduates seek the subspecialties—no wonder! Who is going to do the primary care grunt work?
- Rubin R, New doctors avoiding most-needed, worst-paid field: general practice [Last accessed 12/8/08].
Further, see:
"What Does It Mean, Economically to Be a Front-line Primary Care Physician? Managed Care 101 in 2010 (Part IX)" – Originally published Monday, December 29, 2008