Ophthalmology resident Rachel K. Sobel pens an open letter to the President-elect in the Philadelphia Inquirer:
Where have all the primary-care doctors gone? Today’s young doctors are buried in educational debt. They have a huge incentive to skip poorly paid primary care and choose more lucrative, procedural-based specialties.
In the 1980s, the median amount of debt was $27,000 for private-medical-school students. Now that figure is $135,000.
It’s children who get hurt the most from our undervaluing primary care. Doctors who focus on pediatrics are among the least compensated despite the important role they play.
Wouldn’t you want the best and the brightest taking care of our children, the future of this country?
The average starting salary for a general pediatrician is $125,000; compare that to the average starting pay for a radiologist: $350,000.
What would you do?
Well said. And kudos to this specialist sticking up for her primary care brethren.
