Doctor shortage

I've read this article in USA today.
It says that there'd be shortage of family/general practitioners that in time, there'd be a tsunami of patients.. waiting in a long line to be attended by a doctor, ERs will be crowded.

From the article:

GENERAL PRACTICE: New doctors avoiding most-needed, worst-paid field

SURGEONS: U.S. is short on them, too

ONCOLOGY: Cancer doctor shortage expected

DOCTORS' STARTING SALARIES 2007 averages: Radiology: $350,000 Anesthesiology: $275,000 General surgery: $220,000 Otolaryngology: $220,000 Emergency: $178,000 Neurology: $177,500 Psychiatry: $160,000 Internal medicine: $135,000 Family medicine: $130,000 Pediatrics: $125,000 Source: The Journal of the American Medical Association

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It's pretty hard to be one... To be a doctor, aside from the millions you spend to earn the degree, you'd go through a lot of stress.. of different kinds. It's mentally and physically exhausting.. emotionally too.

Of course, when you're at the point of deciding what your subpecialty would be, one prime consideration is the salary. Not that you want to be filthy rich but because you want to pay your parents back.. at least some of it. or more.

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Grey's anatomy and ER might have influenced people to go into surgery... not just because it's cool... I think because these just made people see that ORs are exciting.. hehe, unlike clinicians who would wait in their, well, clinics (like an OPISINA, ba.. /hehe) for patients to be seen and prescribed with medications.

Anyway, I'm in my 3rd day in dermatology rotation. As early as now, I'm confirming that it wouldn't be among my list of considerations in the future...