Boston, Raynham, Andover, Elder Law Attorneys Discuss Shortage of Geriatricians.

America is facing a shortage of health care professionals. Looking deeper into this looming crisis, and we see a shortage of geriatricians. A geriatrician is a doctor who has specialized in the treatment of the older folks of our society. As reported by the NY Times, there is a shortage of health care professionals with experience in treating older patients: geriatricians, nurse-practitioners, social workers, and geriatric psychiatrists. The Institute of Medicine and the American Geriatrics Society agree that such a shortage exists.

Geriatricians are the least paid of all medical specialists, boston elder law Attorneys can help with special needs planning

Students are not specializing in geriatrics or gerontology. They are reluctant to specialize for perceptual and financial reasons. Younger students find the thought of working with the elderly as depressing. They are also aware that they will make less money than their peers despite an extra year of training to become a geriatrician. Geriatricians are the least paid of all medical specialists. A geriatrician right out of school can expect to earn about ten percent less than their fellows.

Geriatrics Specialists are Not Included in The National Health Service Corps debt relief program, boston elder law attorneys can help with special needs trust.

Many health professionals face a mountain of debt after school. The average physician owes more than $150,00 after completing education. The National Health Service Corps has a program in place to help professionals with some of this debt. Health car professionals that agre to work in rural or inner cities can earn $30,000 for one or two years of service, and up to $170,000 for five years. However, geriatrics specialists are not included in the federal law that funds this program. The National Service Corps has recently been able to include the specialists because the secretary of human health and human services, Kathleen Sibelius, stepped in and made it happen. This is not a permanent solution and future secretaries could just as easily reverse her decision.

The Eldercare Workforce Alliance is a group made up of consumer, health care, care giving, professional, and governmental groups. They have proposed a bill modifying the legislation that governs the National Service Corps. It would include geriatrics specialists and would require no additional expenditures. The bill is framed well with the title Caring for an Aging America Act and it short and concise, it only contains 29 words. It seems like an easy decision, but the political climate is not good. A previous version of the bill died and the last congress, and hopes are not high that it will pass with this congress.

What we are left with is one medical specialist for every 2,000 Americans over the age 75. Nancy Lundebjerg, chief operating officer of American Geriatrics Society and co-organizer of the Eldarcare Workforce Alliance asked the question, “Can we keep the shortage of people with training from getting any worse?”