Having a 4.7% response rate for an unsolicited survey of this nature isn’t bad. In fact, it can be quite a good number in some cases. That said, there are a number of flaws in this survey that invalidate it, especially compared with the
2008 Health Tracking Physician Survey.
For one, the demographics are not representative of the US population of doctors. 80% of respondents say they belong to a single doctor or small practice, however upwards of 50% of medical practices are now in hospital or other large practices and only one third are in single doctor or small practices and another 15% were in 3-5 member group practices. In addition, the years in practice are not representative of the general physician population; in this study only 8.3% of respondents were in practice less than 10 years whereas 29.3% of US physicians report this level of seniority.
The survey’s questions are completely loaded. The first question is “How do current changes in the medical system affect your desire to practice medicine?” which might be a valid question, however the only responses are “I’m re-energized,” “I’m thinking about quitting,” and “no opinion.” Where’s the option for folks who are half-heartedly going along with it? There’s a huge gulf between being re-energized and thinking about quitting that isn’t reflected on the survey. While the survey reports that 82% of docs are thinking about quitting, it doesn’t provide any explanation for why that is when the 2008 study showed 43% of physicians where somewhat satisfied with their careers and 39% were very satisfied. Can we really assume that all of those doctors are now thinking about quitting when the majority of the ACA reforms haven’t even come into effect yet?
The findings of the survey are equally spurious. The survey’s authors highlight that two thirds of the respondents report “just squeaking by or in the red” in terms of their practices’ finances. First off, we have to question whether the ~20% of respondents who are part of large practices are even in a position to know how well their practices are doing. Secondly, an examination of the actual question shows that 32.5% of respondents say their practice is “in the black” full stop, 37.3% that their practice is “in the black, but just squeaking by,” 12.3% are “breaking even” and only 14.5% report that they are in the red. That may seem a little damning, but that doesn’t mean that doctors themselves are going broke. It is the responsibility of a practice, even a single-doctor private one, to pay out doctors’ salaries, so any practice that is in the black, squeaking by, or breaking even is still paying its doctors with no significant problem. Suggesting that two thirds of the doctors are squeaking by or worse ignores the fact that ~70% are operating in the black. Similar chicanery of findings is used on other issues as well.
In short, this survey isn’t worth the paper it was printed on.
I for one will not consider entering medical school at all, with the new healthcare system evolving.
If you have any concerns about becoming a doctor then don't do it. Apart from national Romney-care, medicare issues, and all that national stuff, the training, education, and personal investment required to become a doctor is so significantly high that it is not worth doing unless you are wholly committed to medicine. Being a doctor isn't just a job, it is a vocation and if you aren't feeling the call then don't bother.
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