Pennsylvania Physicians: More Are Older, Female, or Foreign Trained
It isn’t just the general population of Pennsylvania that’s getting older.
According to “The State of Medicine,” 2007 edition, published by the Pennsylvania Medical Society, more than half of all Pennsylvania physicians are now 50 or older, including a substantial number of physicians in vital specialties.
Specialties staffed largely by older physicians include: oncology, pulmonary medicine, pathology, psychiatry, thoracic surgery, urology, orthopedic surgery, cardiology, vascular surgery, plastic surgery, neurology, general surgery, child psychiatry, neurosurgery, otolaryngology, and ophthalmology.
Meanwhile, there are fewer younger doctors. Physicians under the age of 35 in the state have dropped from 15 percent in 1991 to less than 8 percent in 2006. Pennsylvania has one of the lowest percentages of physicians under the age of 35 of any state.
“This does not bode well for patients in Pennsylvania in the next 10 years or so,” said Bruce MacLeod, MD, chair of the Pennsylvania Medical Society Board of Trustees. “We are not recruiting or retaining enough new physicians to replace physicians who are retiring.”
The geographic distribution of younger physicians by county shows marked differences. The percentage of young physicians is high in Philadelphia, Northampton, Lebanon, Columbia, Potter, Franklin, Elk, Jefferson, Butler, Crawford and Erie counties.
Age isn’t the only changing physician demographic. More than a quarter of all physicians in Pennsylvania are now female. That number will continue to grow, considering that about half of all medical students are now female.
International medical graduates (IMGs), physicians trained in medical schools outside the United States, also make up a larger percentage of Pennsylvania physicians. IMGs are a particularly large portion of physicians in rural areas.
“Diversity among the medical profession is a positive development because it means you can find a physician who really meets your needs,” said Dr. MacLeod.
More physicians are choosing to work part-time or fewer hours than their predecessors as time for family and other priorities compete with patient care time.
Last Updated: 8/1/2008