Julie Phillips is a family medicine physician at MSU Health Care and chair of MSU College of Human Medicine’s Department of Family Medicine.
During my third year of medical school, I was on a rotation with a sports medicine doctor, when a patient with an injured knee came in for a follow up appointment. The knee was better, the patient said, but she complained of depression. I suggested the patient should be prescribed an antidepressant.
“We don’t do that here,” the sports medicine doctor said.
I knew then I wanted to be the kind of doctor who does that. I wanted to be a physician who treats the whole patient, adapts to my patients’ needs, develops long-term relationships with them, keeps them healthy, and addresses whatever problems arise.
That is why I became a family physician.
As the chair of Family Medicine at the MSU College of Human Medicine, I encourage our students to help fill a looming shortage of primary care doctors in Michigan and nationwide.
Toward that goal, the Michigan Academy of Family Physicians and the Michigan Association of Osteopathic Family Physicians have declared March 18 Michigan Family Medicine Advocacy Day. Family physicians, family medicine residents, and medical students will attend events that day in Lansing, including an advocacy seminar and meetings with state legislators and their staff to discuss policies to improve access to primary care.
In 2018, eight national family medicine organizations set a goal for 25 percent of medical school graduates to enter family medicine residencies by 2030. We are far from that goal. By 2024, only 12.8 percent of medical school graduates had been accepted into family medicine residency programs.
The Association of American Medical Colleges predicts that the national shortage of primary care physicians will be between 20,200 and 40,400 by 2036. The federal government has designated most Michigan counties as primary care Health Professional Shortage Areas, meaning residents must drive long distances for primary care or go without.
By 2030, a mere five years from now, Michigan is projected to be short more than 800 primary care doctors. Studies have shown that people who don’t have access to primary care are more likely to develop serious illnesses, such as diabetes and high blood pressure, and die earlier than they otherwise would.
Family medicine physicians help their patients stay healthy by catching illnesses early or preventing them altogether. Primary care doctors also save money by helping patients avoid high-cost services, like emergency care and unnecessary specialty care.
Michigan has two programs to encourage medical school graduates to fill the growing shortage. MIDOC is a state-funded program that offers $75,000 in student loan repayment to medical residents who agree to work for at least two years in medically underserved areas. The Michigan State Loan Repayment Program offers up to $300,000 in student loan repayment for physicians who agree to provide primary care in eligible nonprofit clinics.
Student debt is one reason many medical students choose more-lucrative specialties, since family medicine is among the lowest paid. Insurance reimbursement for primary care is improving nationally, but Michigan still lags. Increasing pay will help draw more graduates into family medicine. Federal loan repayment programs, like the National Health Service Corps and Public Service Loan Forgiveness programs, help make the specialty more financially attractive.
Newcomers will discover what I know about family medicine. I love the long-term relationships that I have with my patients. I love knowing I can help them stay healthy. I love being the kind of doctor who does that.
This story was originally posted on the College of Human Medicine website.
