There will never be a prolonged physician shortage as long as there are an infinite number of IMGs who would like to practice in this country.
This comment lacks any type of insight to have real meaning. In point of fact there is not an 'infinite' number of IMGs waiting to enter this country. It may sometimes seem that way, and there are certainly more ready to start work than available slots, but I assure you that number is indeed finite, especially when you limit this to the more reputable foreign institutions.
All it really takes is just opening up more residency spots, and almost all hospitals would like more residency spots because residents make good cheap labor.
Another knee-jerk answer to a question that was never asked. This comment fails to fully appreciate how the residency system actually operates, but lets not facts get in the way of a perfectly good and mindless diatribe. Hospitals like residents because they are reimbursed immeasurably for ready source of slave labor. They will not simply 'increase' slots on a whim. These new potential employees need to be payed, and without government support, 'new slots' will never EVER appear.
Further, even when and if the government starts to fund new residency slots, it will take an enormous amount of time to meet the current shortage. In case you were wondering, it takes many years beyond medical school to become a fully trained physician. Simply adding slots doesn't address the critical shortage we face TODAY. You can thank a subterfuge propogated by innacurate and deceiptful government funded studies for this. These 'studies' indicated a surplus, something that has never ever materialized. The government tried to dupe would be medical students into thinking there is some great shortage of PCPs when in reality, it was a location problem. There still remains an abundance of underserved areas in primary care. Finally, almost the entire country is underserved when it comes to surgical and specialty care.
The same thing happened in the 50's-80's, there were not nearly enough medical schools to fill the ranks of physicians that this country needed so they just opened up more spots which were picked up by IMGs.
This comment reads like a government mantra of medical care. I bet you believe everything you read in newspapers too
I could see that being the case sometimes, most IMGs are probably better then the bottom of the classes at the US schools because they have to be in order to get a spot.
Another mindless assertion devoid of any real meaning. Comparisons of this sort are sabotaged by a lack of evidence. I would contend that even bottom of the barrel US grads are outstanding physicians. They recieve education that is unmatched on this planet, and given the sheer rigor of entering a US med school, they are certainly equipped with the scholastic acumen to succeed. IMG's while often bright and stellar, in many cases, attended schools with real issues regarding educational standards. Being able to perform well on the USMLE for example doesn't validate a good medical school education. It simply means you took kaplan course or the like. There are often real deficits in medical education that would never appear on a test of this nature. Some strides have been made with tools like the CSA exam, but there is clearly a big problem that remains.
They are starting to go abroad to look for nurses now, but they will need a constant influx of nurses forever to keep up with the shortage unless this country's citizens change their attitudes about pursuing nursing as a career.
I'm not sure how some of these disjointed comments are to fit together, but you again have failed to see the big picture. Nursing resources have always been in flux. In fact several studies suggest that the shortages and surplus follow the economy. I'm not certain I agree with this completely, but to conclude we 'need a constant influx' intermanibly is somewhat purblind in my view. Clearly there is a shortage now, and it is detrimental to patient care. But to peg the blame squarely on a lack of nursing resources is shortsighted. We are clearly suffering from a critical physician shortage TODAY. With baby boomers and octagenarians the fastest segment of the population growing, it is likely to get much worse. Residency slots will not be able to keep pace with the shortage, as that is a solution that requires time. It may be a place to start, but it will be years before the benefits are fully appreciated.