It has been reported that only 2 percent of Internal Medicine residents pursue a career in primary care. That’s a grim statistic considering that primary care will be needed more than ever as the Medicare population is set to explode.

Why? Aside from money, which is a significant reason, here are some other factors. I’d like to highlight this one:

You got an MD, rather than an MBA. Primary care medicine requires understanding the intricacies of practice financial management, insurance companies, marketing, HR, and ambassadorial level negotiating skills. Last time I checked, this wasn’t included in the standard medical school curriculum.

Running a successful primary care practice requires savvy entrepreneurial skills. In fact, I’d argue that the business side is just as important as the medicine.

After all, you can’t practice medicine if you’re bankrupt. Read the rest of the post, and you’ll understand why the majority of medical students actively avoid primary care.

topics: primary care, business