A look at Physician Demand and Supply Trends

You have put considerable amount of time and money in order to gain proper medical training and are looking for physician job opportunities now. But, before you start exploring the market, you will have to make sure that you study the current supply and demand trends of physicians in order to gain a fair idea of the market you are entering. This will also help you in knowing if certain physician specialties are preferred over others and if you need to specialize in any one of these areas to obtain a better job opportunity. Before you decide all this, explore more about the supply and demand trends of physicians.

 

Increased Demand Trends

·         Demographic Changes: The demand for physicians is increasing due to the demographic changes. The population is rapidly aging, which is why, more and more physicians are required.

·         Economic Factors:The economic ability of the patients to pay for physician services has increased. Though, the economic conditions have been sluggish, the patient still has the ability to afford proper medical care.

·         Improper Physician Distribution: Physicianshortage in the rural areas has always been a problem. Most of the physicians are employed in the metropolitan areas and people living in non-metropolitan areas face physician access problems.

 

Decreased Supply Trends

·         Practice Styles: physician practice styles have changed over the period of time. Today, physicians seek a proper balance between work and family and spend appropriate amount of time with their patients. On the other hand, older physicians often required of themselves to work often at the expense of time with their family. Thus a supply gap is created.

·         New Entrants: The number of physicians entering the market has increased in the past few years; however, the number of trained physicians has remained stagnant. The government needs to remove the cap on federal spending and residency training in order to increase the number of trained physicians.

·         Shortage of Physicians: A study published in the Jan/Feb 2002 publication of the Health Affairs journal states that the United States will be facing a shortage of about 200,000 physicians by 2025. The factors driving the shortage have only been accelerating, thus there is a dire need for qualified physicians in the market.

 

Not confident about entering the market? Need more advise? Contact Marsh Recruiters. With expertise in physician recruitment service, they take care of physician permanent placement. Click herefor more information.