tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143719926358099859.post5943911638384002967..comments2023-10-26T08:08:43.486-07:00Comments on Dr. Mintz' Blog: Residency Match Results Bad for Primary Care (Again)Dr. Matthew Mintzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01058182168282244996noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143719926358099859.post-25415420784251139882015-02-07T11:51:04.723-08:002015-02-07T11:51:04.723-08:00Julia,
Thanks for reading my blog. Great questio...Julia, <br />Thanks for reading my blog. Great questions. More importantly, glad that you interested in Primary Care. <br />I will try to answer your questions. <br />First, the comment was not that PA's/NP's not having the ability to fill the primary care gap, but the fact that they likely won't because they are choosing to go into sub-specialty as well. Political pundits will often talk about PA's and other allied health professionals filling the Primary Care gap given both the shortage and our medical students not wanting to go into Primary Care. However, they often incorrectly make the assumption that all PA's go into primary care. While a greater percent of PA's go into primary care than medical students, the number is still low. This is because PA's can work in medical sub-specialties, the hospital, the ER, surgery, etc. They are choosing sub-specialty for the same reasons as our medical students. <br />As far as funding, the difference is that the allied health professionals don't have to do a residency like medical students. Once you graduate medical school, you can't practice medicine without a residency. NP's and PA's can practice upon graduation. Medical residencies are funded by Medicare, which is why this is a policy issue. Dr. Matthew Mintzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01058182168282244996noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143719926358099859.post-41485554724131342822015-02-07T08:23:46.700-08:002015-02-07T08:23:46.700-08:00Hi Dr. Mintz,
This is Julia, from the GW Class o...Hi Dr. Mintz, <br /><br />This is Julia, from the GW Class of 2018. I went to your blog because I wanted some inspiration for starting my own, and ended up taking great interest in your most recent posts, since IM/primary care is at the very top of my list of potential specialties. One thing that I would love to hear more about is the comment you made at the very end about PAs/PTs not having the ability to fill the primary care doctor gap. How does policy affect the number of PAs/PTs (e.g. where does their funding come from?)Is it more difficult, less difficult, or equally difficult to widen the pool of primary care physicians than PAs/PTs? I hope your heart does not sink at me asking this question, or that I'm not poking my finger into a hornet's nest -- I do not mean deflecting attention away from the primary gap shortage, but rather, simply trying to get a better understanding of all the forces at play in our goal to provide sufficient primary care to the US population, especially since I am in the Health Policy Track, and since I have heard this suggestion come up in conversations before. <br /><br />See you around Ross Hall! <br /><br />JuliaJulia Elisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11574147998909972493noreply@blogger.com