Aging workforce of United States physicians – something to ponder

The inflamed dilemma of physician burns out, constantly evolving healthcare industry, growing stressors of reimbursement, health information technology and surfeit of compliance requirements all are placing the millennials and post-millennial physicians under a tremendous strain. It is probable that such an exposure to high intensity stressors lead to premature exhaustion of physician workforce manifesting in sub-standard care delivery and poor health outcomes at the population level. Having a pro-active approach to look at some of the challenges faced by the graying workforce will benefit the entire physician cohort of the future. In this article, I take the stance that we need to engage in a comprehensive dialogue towards policy making of how to best manage the challenges of graying physician, how population health will be affected, how we can preserve a valuable experienced physician capitol and best utilize it to meet the demands of patients without compromising safety. Senior physicians bring valuable clinical expertise and life experiences acquired through years of practice however at the same time, we must acknowledge the limitations accrued with natural aging process. It is imperative that we keep our focus on high quality care and not just on quantity of care delivered.