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Issue 1:  "Are women doctors at the root of our decline in number of medical doctors?"

By Curt Graham

          The dramatic influx of women medical doctors into our health care system is enough to impress anyone. It's estimated that about 56% of all medical students in U.S. medical schools now are women.

          Domination of the medical profession by male doctors is a thing of the past, and has resulted in a flooding wave of acceptance in our society, especially among women patients.

          You can think of hundreds of reasons for American males to drop out of the medical profession over the last 4 decades. Decline in number of medical doctors in medical practice and the number applying to medical schools is a national embarrassment.

          A conservative doctor shortage might be put at 10%.

          The gamut of reasons begins with financial causes and ends with the physician's personal insecurity embedded in the medical care system problems.

          Uncontrolled (outrageous) malpractice cases and awards will scare anyone away from the profession---at least those in their right mind.

          So, do we assume that women have filled in the gap caused by the males avoiding the medical profession?  That certainly is part of it.  The rest of the gap resulting from the decline in number of medical doctors is filled with foreign medical doctors who train here and then decide to stay and practice in the United States.

          Maybe there's another reason that women are migrating to the medical profession.  Are they less likely to be sued then men?

          Women's status and image in business and other professions have been suppressed for years compared to that of men. Are women just focused on "competing with men" for medical school slots and winning, leaving trumped out men to find another profession?

          Are women now accepted as better medical patient advocates? If this is true, then one must consider the consequences of it.

Consider these consequences:

• Women commonly quit practice much sooner then men. A male in a medical school slot would practice about 20 more years than a woman physician usually does.
   

• Women have an easier "out" when it comes to confrontations and the major causes that result in their leaving the profession. They simply evolve back into the family role supported by husbands in the majority of cases. Men doctors on the other hand are forced into the lifelong commitment of battling the healthcare system and being the breadwinner no matter how bad it gets.
   

• In order to handle the children and household that traditionally they assume responsibility for, women commonly resort to part time medical practice. Here again is the issue of a male doctor in that slot in medical school who normally will practice full time— and consequently would reduce the doctor shortage.
   

• Assuming most women doctors are married, have families and children, and take on the household functions for the most part, then consider all of the disruptions of her medical practice each day, like phone calls from or about the kids, arranging baby sitters, changing appointment schedules of patients to accommodate family necessities.
   

• Part time medical doctors cause other problems for patients. Patients see different doctors in the office on every visit as a consequence.  So the consistency of quality of medical care is an issue.  Working part time means women physicians are not always available to follow up on the same patients---so patients see other doctors.

          Examining these consequences closely will reveal many of the factors that not only are shortchanging patients, but also directly reduce the numbers of full time doctors available in the country.

          Harvard University President Lawrence Summers has taken this issue well beyond the medical profession. Women in all professions make different choices than men when it comes to the career-family issue tradeoff. He suggests that women's educational investments are inefficiently used.

          Economically then, Summers throws the solution for the divergent ambitions of professionals back on the institutions.  Institutions should create career paths that will accommodate the work-family responsibilities so that this valuable growing source of talents is not lost.

          Translating these concepts to the medical profession leads to a simple question in my mind. Is there a health care need, practical use of, or targeting plans for the large group of part time women doctors within our health care system?

          Or might it be part of the evolution of medical care being turned over to mid-level providers, called non-physician providers?

          Whatever thoughts you have, they should entertain a consideration of those "would have been" doctors you probably have already met in other professions.

The author, Curt Graham, is a retired medical doctor who has written extensively over his 35 plus years in active medical practice.  He is a published author in Modern Physician, and is credited as an expert author by web article directories and many self help websites including selfgrowth.com. Want to learn the strategies and tactics anyone can use to get top medical care?  Go there now!         http://www.HealthCare-Toolbox.com Please feel free to copy, send, or distribute this article as long as the article is not changed, and the resource box is included as written.                           © 2006 L & C Internet Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

References:

1. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06097/680272-l 14.stm

2. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi? cmd=
Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12373637&dopt^Abstract

3. http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/
articles/2005/01/23/summers_is_right/

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Word Count = 922

Keywords = healthcare system, women doctors, decline in number of medical doctors, medical profession, medical practice, medical schools, medical care system, patient advocate, quality of medical care