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Hey, Governor Shapiro: recruiting more doctors won’t work

You can’t fix a leaking pipe by forcing more water into it

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Late last month, Governor Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania posted this on Threads:

We’re facing a critical shortage of healthcare professionals — especially in our rural communities.

But we have the power to fix this.

Let’s come together to strengthen our health care workforce pipelines by expanding loan repayment for doctors and nurses who agree to serve our rural communities.

Now, this sounds like a good plan on its surface: a dearth of healthcare professionals, so let’s recruit more healthcare professionals.

Simple, quick, targeted.

Right?

Unfortunately, if the last decade has taught us anything, it’s that Governor Shapiro’s solution isn’t going to work—and it may actually backfire.

Before I explain why, two important facts. According to the National Center for Health Workforce Analysis, we’re recruiting new doctors just fine. The number of medical school entrants has increased nearly 6% since 2019:

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Mark Shrime, MD, PhD
Mark Shrime, MD, PhD

Written by Mark Shrime, MD, PhD

Author, SOLVING FOR WHY | Global surgeon | Decision analyst | Climber | 3x American Ninja Warrior Competitor

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