The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services projects that by 2020, we’ll be over 20,000 physicians short to meet the country’s primary care needs. It recommends we start to look to the potential of NPs and PAs in addition to MDs to address this growing shortage.
This problem has a specific solution, one that will be possible to address over time, thanks to public awareness regarding this subject. The PCP shortage is common knowledge today.
What about caregiver problems in the medical field that are less than common knowledge? What if something threatened the wellbeing, even the lives, of medical students and practicing MDs? What if the U.S. could take steps to help these caregivers?
The last night of Hanukkah when I was twelve years old happened to coincide with my father’s birthday. My dad, a beloved MD/PhD, OB/GYN, and the light of my life, was 49. That evening, my mother told me through tears that there had been an “accident,” and that my father might not be alive by the next morning.
Research has shown that mental illness, including depression, as well as burnout, all impact medical students and MDs at higher rates than the general populace. When factoring in just the rate of suicide in physicians, the data is staggering, indicating an extreme risk in these practitioners.
Common drawbacks of MD life include things like long hours, and missing out on home life. I remember my father having to leave to go deliver babies frequently, even on holidays and birthdays. (Until I was about seven or eight, I myself had the misconception that doctors lived at hospitals.)
What leads educated people to avoid seeking help for their mental problems, even while they know their own positions can be grueling? It turns out to be the same thing that prevents anyone else from stepping in the door at a psychological professional’s office.
Stigma against those in treatment for mental health issues is not just reserved for the general public. The recent New York Times article addressing this crisis discusses how especially in med school, high levels of competition motivate students to avoid revealing any perceived weakness.
I can attest firsthand to the consequences of our failure as a nation to seriously acknowledge and address these problems. My father’s suicide changed everything for me and my family.
My zayde (grandfather) had been an MD, and when my father followed in his path he became the pride of my bubbe’s (grandmother’s) life. The procession at his funeral was very long and full of patients he helped, even those whose lives he saved.
Could his death have been avoided if he’d chosen another career path? I like to think that if changes were made for MDs and medical students, he would not have had to avoid his calling to avoid his fate.
To confront this problem, we need to start at the very beginning, with public awareness, and funding for research to more directly address how to move forward. Our caregivers deserve as much for all they do to improve the lives of others every day.
Featured Image By jfcherry Via Flickr Under CC-By-SA-2.0
