Future Doctors and Nurses Don’t Want to See Patients
Students in healthcare are choosing different paths for understandable reasons
How medicine is practiced 12 years from now will vary greatly from how it was practiced 12 years ago when I started medical school. The reasons for this are numerous and include technological advances and staffing shortages created by the COVID-19 pandemic. By understanding what the expectations of future nurses and doctors are before they enter the healthcare workforce, it may be easier to understand the limitations of our current medical systems.
Elsevier Health recently did a study with 2000+ students in 91 countries to see their opinions on the changing landscape of medicine. A whopping 63% of medical students and 59% of nursing students in the United States agree with the statement, “I see my current studies as a stepping-stone towards a broader career in healthcare that will not involve directly treating patients.”
WOW.
At first, I thought this was just a USA issue, given that we have traded health outcomes to help insurance CEOs own multiple boats. But it turns out that the issue is global. Indian students share the sentiment, with an equal 63% agreeing. The UK, Middle East, and Europe hover closer to 54–57%.
