Primary Care vs. Specialist

The way our society is going and following the health trends across the world, it is absolutely necessary to have specialists.  There has been huge advancements in technology that has allowed medicine to go to high levels of care and treatment. I feel like many medical students are leaning towards specializing because it is almost necessary to maintain that high status and prestige that was associated with being a doctor.  Now a days, some nurses, PA’s, or Nurse Practioners can make the same amount of money as a Pediatrician or Primary Care Provider.  In most cases, the nurses, PA’s, and NP are working less hours and have less stress. So I totally understand the whole trend that medical students are specializing. Sometimes, I feel like some medical students believe just being a Primary Care Physician is not enough (in our society), it is just being an average doctor.  I mean, when you think about it, most people who enter medical school…they just don’t want to be average.

While I do think that there is a high demand for specialist,  I also feel like there is also a huge demand for Primary Care Physicians.  I also feel like Primary Care Physicians do need to screen their patients more and improve the way patients are receiving care.  I understand that a huge barrier to this is the current health care system, but we are finding that a lot of illness can be prevented with appropriate screenings and education that could possibly be provided by a primary care doctor. More people will see a primary care physician than a specialist because that is the way our health care system works.  So what we really need right now is a lot of really dedicated primary care physicians who will be willing to educate and screen their patients.  But again,  insurance companies expect doctors to only spend like what..ten minutes per patient?  I think to really get medical students to want to choose to become a primary care physician, we really need to fix our health care system and make changes that allow for better primary and preventive care.