When will demand for Cards start to dramatically increase due to boomers?

[FunnyDocMan1234]

There's a lot of talk about how saturated the job market is right now for cards. However, there's also the much-discussed elephant in the room of the outsized baby boomer population that is beginning to enter CV disease age. Also, the cardiologists that make up the baby boomer generation will start retiring or at least reducing productivity.

So, when do you guys predict these forces will start to outweigh the large number of fellowship spots and result in graduating Cards fellows becoming in great demand again. Will desirable areas remain impossible to break into or will the retiring docs open up some good jobs? Or, do you think that there are simply too many fellowship spots and the field will remain saturated even with these forces?

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[RustBeltOnc]

to answer your question: probably never. compensation continues to decline, so it will be diminishing returns to "break into" desirable areas.

 

[nope80]

bump

 

[EaglesPA]

If the baby boomers don't materialize, you can always supplement with the 20 year olds with palpitations and syncope or the pre-op eval for cataract surgery

 

[PTCA]

There's a lot of talk about how saturated the job market is right now for cards. However, there's also the much-discussed elephant in the room of the outsized baby boomer population that is beginning to enter CV disease age. Also, the cardiologists that make up the baby boomer generation will start retiring or at least reducing productivity.

So, when do you guys predict these forces will start to outweigh the large number of fellowship spots and result in graduating Cards fellows becoming in great demand again. Will desirable areas remain impossible to break into or will the retiring docs open up some good jobs? Or, do you think that there are simply too many fellowship spots and the field will remain saturated even with these forces?

20 years ago

 

[Rocher]

There are a LOT of cardiologists over the age of 60, I predict that the market will open up some as these people retire.

Also, with the shift towards mid level driven primary care, I suspect cardiology referrals will increase and may create additional demand for at least general cardiologists. This isn't going to happen super fast though. It is also possible that cardiologists will hire NPs to deal with the increase in low level referrals, however.

 

[CCM-MD]

Cardiology fellowship positions have increased significantly over the years. So although there are many cardiologists over 60, there are more that are in their 30s, 40s and 50s.

Interestingly, I have noticed more mid level driven subspecialties than primary care. I know for a fact that many closed ICUs have NPs and PAs to help intensivists. I have noticed that surgical subspecialties and procedural medical specialties like GI and Cardiology have been utilizing mid levels more frequently than ID, nephrology or hospital medicine.

 

[Rocher]

Cardiology fellowship positions have increased significantly over the years. So although there are many cardiologists over 60, there are more that are in their 30s, 40s and 50s.

Interestingly, I have noticed more mid level driven subspecialties than primary care. I know for a fact that many closed ICUs have NPs and PAs to help intensivists. I have noticed that surgical subspecialties and procedural medical specialties like GI and Cardiology have been utilizing mid levels more frequently than ID, nephrology or hospital medicine.

I haven't noticed as many NPs and PAs in GI or cards but I'm also at a large academic center with lots of fellows so I may be biased in that sense. Our surgical subspecialties do have lots of mid levels though so I can definitely see how GI and cards would do the same. Times they are a-changin'.

 

[bronx43]

I haven't noticed as many NPs and PAs in GI or cards but I'm also at a large academic center with lots of fellows so I may be biased in that sense. Our surgical subspecialties do have lots of mid levels though so I can definitely see how GI and cards would do the same. Times they are a-changin'.

I'm also at a large academic center, and our cards division has hired a rather large group of NPs. The GI division has a few, but not nearly as many as cards.

 

[bronx43]

I haven't noticed as many NPs and PAs in GI or cards but I'm also at a large academic center with lots of fellows so I may be biased in that sense. Our surgical subspecialties do have lots of mid levels though so I can definitely see how GI and cards would do the same. Times they are a-changin'.

The big difference there is that surgeons make their money from the OR, so having midlevels to do their scut work doesn't take away job market from new grads. General cardiology, on the other hand, makes most of their money from non-procedural work so having midlevels seeing consults or clinic visits directly impacts the market share for new cards grads.

 

[CCM-MD]

The big difference there is that surgeons make their money from the OR, so having midlevels to do their scut work doesn't take away job market from new grads. General cardiology, on the other hand, makes most of their money from non-procedural work so having midlevels seeing consults or clinic visits directly impacts the market share for new cards grads.

I anticipate that midlevel involvement is only going to increase. Recent US Gov report shows a massive oversupply of PAs and NPs which is probably going to make things worse. What I find most interesting is that midlevel organizations emphasize the role NPs and PAs play in primary care when pushing for autonomy, but in reality a majority of these so called "family" NPs end up working in subspecialty areas.

Probably smarter for cardiology grads to subspecialize.

 

[bronx43]

I anticipate that midlevel involvement is only going to increase. Recent US Gov report shows a massive oversupply of PAs and NPs which is probably going to make things worse. What I find most interesting is that midlevel organizations emphasize the role NPs and PAs play in primary care when pushing for autonomy, but in reality a majority of these so called "family" NPs end up working in subspecialty areas.

Probably smarter for cardiology grads to subspecialize.

Everyone talks a sweet game when it comes to "entering into primary care," but it's nothing more than lip service to get political support. No one actually goes into primary care for a variety of reasons. From the NP standpoint, it's much easier to learn enough about one narrow subject to be functional than to know something about all of medicine.