Contributing Factors to the Primary Care Shortage

Title

Contributing Factors to the Primary Care Shortage

Authors

Presenter(s)

Luke Samuel Adams, Mackenzie S. Gross

Comments

Presentation: 1:15 p.m.-2:30 p.m., Kennedy Union Ballroom

This project reflects research conducted as part of a course project designed to give students experience in the research process.

Course: MED 480

Files

Description

Across the country, there is a considerable shortage of primary care physicians (PCPs). A 2021 article from the Journal of Primary Care & Community Health noted, “the country is projected to have a shortage of primary care physicians between 21,400 and 55,200 by 2033,” (Srikrishna et al., 2021). There are multiple reasons for this shortage, including the well-known crisis of Medical School debt, as well as the average salaries of PCPs and length of residency. For example, initial research shows that from 2020 to 2021, average medical school debt increased from $207,003 (“What Is the Average Medical School Debt?” 2021) to $241,600, making average medical school debt more than the average salary of a PCP (“What Is The Average Medical School Debt in 2021?” 2021). The New York University (NYU) Grossman School of Medicine may have a practical solution. Beginning in 2018, the NYU Grossman School of Medicine began offering a full-tuition scholarship to each student that matriculates into their Doctor of Medicine (MD) program (Affordability & Financial Aid for MD Students, 2022). The scholarship program essentially reduces the financial burden associated with medical school, hopefully removing the financial disincentive to pursue a career in primary care, a field of medicine that makes on average $100,000 less than a specialist per year (Harris, 2018). The purpose of this poster is to show the multiple factors contributing to the PCP shortage beyond medical school debt, including range of specialty income, length of residency, and lifestyle. It also explains the potential limits of NYU’s scholarship program in alleviating the PCP shortage. Ultimately, NYU’s program may not increase PCPs because of other contributing factors. The final result is yet to be determined because the program is so new.

Publication Date

4-20-2022

Project Designation

Course Project

Primary Advisor

Nancy Gilles Romer

Primary Advisor's Department

Premedical Programs

Keywords

Stander Symposium project, College of Arts and Sciences

United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

Quality Education

Contributing Factors to the Primary Care Shortage

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