My ex just retired from the medical profession. Young people may no longer be as motivated to go into medicine because of the cost of medical school being so prohibitive. In addition, I read in the NY Times a number of years ago how medical schools themselves keep the number of admissions artifically low to limit the number of doctors they graduate. Ditto the number of residencies given out. Just because someone graduates medical school doesn't guarantee a residency. Assuming a successful residency in a specialty, the doctor can now go out and earn a living, if they can find a practice. Can't afford to start one alone. Unless the doctor lives in a big city, she/he may not find a job. If you go where doctors are needed in this country, it's difficult to make a living. If you have a specialty, you have a begtter chance of earning a decent living than if you are a family physician, general practioner or internist. Specialists command more $$$. If you ask why there are so many foreign-born doctors in general practice, that's one of the reasons. They are sought out because they carry much less debt than an American-trained physician. I learned an awful lot putting my ex through school. (as an aside, he still carries debt; I'm retired!)
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