New doctors shy away from pediatrics
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Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
Not enough new doctors are going into pediatrics, experts are warning.
Why it matters: Without a sufficient number of pediatricians throughout the country, kids may miss out on necessary health care that is key to improving overall health in the country and ultimately lowering the cost of care.
- "We need immediate action to address this crisis and find ways to attract more graduates to pediatrics," Aaron Carroll, a pediatrician and president of health services research group AcademyHealth, wrote in a New York Times op-ed published Monday.
- "Our children are the future, but we sure don't act like it when it comes to health care."
By the numbers: The number of medical school graduates who applied to pediatric residency programs this year declined by more than 6% compared with 2023, according to an essay from two pediatricians in STAT news.
- Although 99% of pediatric residency spots offered this year eventually filled up, 252 positions went unfilled during the initial matching process, according to the National Residency Matching Program.
- That's up from 88 unfilled spots during the 2023 matching process.
- The American Academy of Pediatrics called the number of unmatched positions "concerning" when the data first came out in March.
Zoom in: Doctors' interest in pediatric subspecialties is also waning. A report published last year by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine found "substantial disincentives to pursuing a career as a pediatric subspecialist."
- As with the shortage of doctors specializing in elderly health care, young doctors may turn away from pediatrics because the pay is less than in other specialties.
- The NASEM report recommended policymakers increase funding for pediatric specialty loan repayment programs, ensure equitable federal funding for pediatric training programs and allow for shorter training pathways to attract more people to the field.
Between the lines: A pediatrician shortage is bad for the overall economy, Alexandra Schumm, vice president of research at consulting group Chartis, wrote in April.
- Increasing the number of doctors going into pediatrics could "prevent astronomical healthcare costs down the road," she wrote.
