Category: Health Reform

Have you ever wondered why it’s so hard to get an appointment to see a primary care physician? It’s partly because many doctors don’t work in primary care. The push to specialize starts early in medical school. A physician told me as much. He wanted to be a primary care physician but his mentors in medical school told him he really didn’t. The truth was he wanted to see a variety of patients with a variety of different health problems, but his professors pushed him to specialize. From talking to him I got the impression that there was also a subtle coercion. It was like the professors were saying, “if you want me to mentor you then you will take my advice.” His professors considered specialties to be more challenging, more interesting, but it’s also that many specialties come with higher pay.