Young people are rushing to apply for medical school. There's been an 18 percent jump in applications this year. Experts say part of that is due to the downturn in the economy, and part of it is due to the pandemic.
The Association of American Medical Colleges finds the number of medical school applications is up 18 percent year over year. Even with the 2020 spike (which some have attributed to the “Fauci Effect”), experts predict the United States will still have a doctor shortage in the next decade.
“As the population gets older and lives longer, we know that we’re going to need not only physicians within primary care, but also non-primary care specialties,” AAMC admission expert Dr. Geoffrey Young told KTRH.
Dr. Young predicts healthcare demand will continue increase in the years (and decades) to come. He says the AAMC predicts by 2033, the country will face a shortage between 54 to 139 thousand doctors.