Apparently doctors have left their jobs too

I need to see a doc for some ongoing health issues. I have been going to the same practice for five years and the two docs I have seen just disappeared in the past year or so. I tried to make an appt with one of the nurse practitioners and was told that it would be at least three weeks. They said if I needed help sooner just go to the ER. So...I began looking for another practice here in town and got the same story at every single one - at least three weeks or longer to see anyone. None have MDs any more - just nurse practitioners and PAs. It is kind of a scary feeling to not have a provider of some sort. I wonder if this is going on in other regions.

Interesting. I wonder where they are going.

If you are a travelling doctor or nurse willing to treat covid patients you can jump around to the hotspots and make big bucks - twice what you were before, all the travel is covered, they pay to put you up in a hotel and all your meals are free.

Yes medical personnel are leaving. If they are doctors and older where they might just go is retirement. And why not? Doctors earn very high incomes generally of course, and often work well past the point they could retire, and often enjoy doing so, but after the pandemic that might not be so appealing.

But what about everyone who can't afford to retire? Yes, but after the pandemic there are easier ways to make a decent living than say something like nursing by far. If it's a calling, then thank you, but if it's not then anyone can see there are easier ways to bring in the Benjamin's than being a nurse in a horrific pandemic where people won't even vaccinate etc..

We were very happy with our nurse practitioner yesterday. It was just an annual visit. And yes, it took over 3 weeks but it was no emergency and we have been patients for well over 20 years. They do triage visits by need and keep some appointments for the really sick. They have now gotten two new doctors on staff so it might loosen up a bit.

Indianapolis has a huge medical presence with nine+ various big hospitals within 2 miles of my house and these are just the downtown ones. One of the reasons we like living here.

I thought Nurse practitioners had to be connected with Dr.'s? They can do a lot, but isn't there some stuff they still have to have the doctor sign off on?

How it can work is there is a doctor at that practice, but you never really see them, it's all nurse practitioners, physician assistants etc.. Which isn't always bad, they can often give every bit as good medical care.

I go to a big practice that has a couple dozen offices around the Bay Area. Since I don’t have any health issues beyond HBP I have a PA as my primary. I actually like that since appointments are easily available and he isn’t in a rush the way every doctor I’ve ever been to is. If anything comes up where the PA needs assistance there is a doc available either immediately for them to consult or for a followup visit with the doc directly.

Yesterday I had a doctors appointment and as planned, saw her nurse practitioner. Our appointments are easier than average to get because I pay for a direct care physician. When I signed onto the service there was no nurse practitioner. I don’t consider it a Switcheroo but I suppose some people could consider it a Switcheroo. Mine was just a typical annual show my face, get my blood pressure medicine renewed, take blood for blood test.

I haven't had a dr. in some years; I see a PA and she's great.

But that is concerning about the loss of doctors; I suspect the traveling. I have read locally about the traveling nurse phenomenon and the strain on care that causes.

We have actually had several homes bought up by investors nearby to be used by traveling nurses. I don't mind seeing PAs and NPs but preferably after they have had more than a year or so of experience.

Thought some more about this. Wondering if there maybe haven't been the new MDs graduating to replace the number retiring. I mean, how hard would it have been the past several years to be in med school and getting through all the requirements?

What we have noticed here is that almost all the doctors are D.O.s. Never even heard of those living elsewhere.

For family practice, they should be approx. the same. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-l...e/faq-20058168

Yes, a significant number of older doctors, nurses (and teachers, too) are retiring early. COVID has been especially hard on these professions, in many ways, while bureaucratic rules, regulations, paperwork have increased and respect and dignity for professional status have decreased.

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Interesting first post...

I had three of my doctors retire during the last two years. I think the whole pandemic situation caused them to reassess the way they were able to comfortably practice and they decided to step back. All were close enough to retire to jump if they wanted or stay if they were happy. One of them turned her patients over to a PA. There is another Dr in the practice to watch over. Another I have not been able to find a replacement for and with the third, I was bumped over to somebody else in the practice.

Thanks, Alan, for your diligence.

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Originally Posted by pinkytoe

I need to see a doc for some ongoing health issues. I have been going to the same practice for five years and the two docs I have seen just disappeared in the past year or so. I tried to make an appt with one of the nurse practitioners and was told that it would be at least three weeks. They said if I needed help sooner just go to the ER. So...I began looking for another practice here in town and got the same story at every single one - at least three weeks or longer to see anyone. None have MDs any more - just nurse practitioners and PAs. It is kind of a scary feeling to not have a provider of some sort. I wonder if this is going on in other regions.

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My doctor has gone on sabbatical and it's not clear if he's coming back. No dentist either. I lost my dental insurance so I tried a local clinic that takes a sliding scale. They also have no dentist.

A lot of us take having a doctor or dentist for granted. I did until I had a friend in rural Iowa that had to travel 2 hours one way to a cancer specialist and for treatment. If she did not stay overnight, it was a 4 hour trip each day of treatment.

Interesting topic. I now have health insurance through my job and I've used it a few times with an open mind. It's been OK overall but I never see a doctor either, only an NP. So my.take is for anything minor, insurance or herbal medicine. For anything serious but not life threatening I'll go to Mexico where I can afford to see an actual MD. For anything immediately life threatening, I'll stay in the US and use my insurance.

No way am I giving up on Mexican health care. My experience has been that not only is Mexican health care much less expensive - it's also more humane.

As to doctors leaving their jobs in the US - I can't say as I blame them. Insurance companies are their true bosses and that's gotta suck as much as waiting tables and having guest perceptions automatically equating with reality. We need doctors but we also need to get insurance companies out of the equation. Rob

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Originally Posted by sweetana3

A lot of us take having a doctor or dentist for granted. I did until I had a friend in rural Iowa that had to travel 2 hours one way to a cancer specialist and for treatment. If she did not stay overnight, it was a 4 hour trip each day of treatment.

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I'm very fortunate in that Mexico has been there for me when the US has not - no way could I have had dental work done at US prices. As for doctors, for many years getting sick auto-equalled crossing the border. Years ago I actually resented being forced to cross into Mexico for health care - now as life in the US gets more and more expensive, I'm very comfortable with offshoring all that I can.

My point? More and more people will be forced to offshore too given cost of life vs. wages in the US. I'm an early adapter in this respect and I love giving recommendations on who to see in Algodones and Nogales. Rob

It is a bit of a drive from the midwest especially when planes are not an option. I just continue to pay for really good health insurance.

Not apparently, fact. 334,000 healthcare workers have left the workforce since 2021.One year ago, my wife was fired after 23 yrs of service over jab compliance. We both still think it was best decision for us not to take jab. No regrets.

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Originally Posted by cx3

Not apparently, fact. 334,000 healthcare workers have left the workforce since 2021.One year ago, my wife was fired after 23 yrs of service over jab compliance. We both still think it was best decision for us not to take jab. No regrets.

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my brother and sister-in-law were here over Thanksgiving. They’ve been in healthcare for decades. They’re not getting any more the Covid shots. My sister-in-law just retired. My brother will work for a few more years but he does not do direct patient care, so he doesn’t need the Covid shot. He had a weird little heart incident after his last one so he’s concerned about any more of it.

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One year ago, my wife was fired after 23 yrs of service over jab compliance.

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Yeah that threat was given to the mother of one of my kid's friends, a surgical nurse of many years. Except she died of covid before she could be dismissed for refusal to comply. Didn't work out so well for her.

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Originally Posted by cx3

NOne year ago, my wife was fired after 23 yrs of service over jab compliance. We both still think it was best decision for us not to take jab. No regrets.

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Good luck with that.

Compliance with our vaccination and protective gear protocols has been a condition of my employment for > 10 years now. It seems quite prudent.

I can remember when anti-vax thinking was mainly the province of affluent white moms. Now with Covid it seems to have gone down-market.

But why all the concern over one particular set of vaccines? I don’t remember people quitting their jobs over vaccines for TB or Shingles.

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Originally Posted by LDAHL

I can remember when anti-vax thinking was mainly the province of affluent white moms. Now with Covid it seems to have gone down-market.

But why all the concern over one particular set of vaccines? I don’t remember people quitting their jobs over vaccines for TB or Shingles.

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Because these vaccines were rushed. One of them was not tested on any humans, only eight mice, and all the mice died.

People have lost the ability to think critically.

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Originally Posted by bae

People have lost the ability to think critically.

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How else can we explain Modern Monetary Theory, dogecoin or the NCIS franchise?

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Originally Posted by LDAHL

How else can we explain Modern Monetary Theory, dogecoin or the NCIS franchise?

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You could write for Carlin. Unfortunately, he is dead.

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Originally Posted by LDAHL

I can remember when anti-vax thinking was mainly the province of affluent white moms. Now with Covid it seems to have gone down-market.

But why all the concern over one particular set of vaccines? I don’t remember people quitting their jobs over vaccines for TB or Shingles.

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pandemic

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Originally Posted by bae

Good luck with that.
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Thank you bae. Good luck to you also.
It was a tough decision for us, after all it cost us 70% of our income by not taking the experimental gene therapy concoction, many refer to as a vaccine.
Money is much tighter for us these days, but I do like having a stay at home wife, as does she.

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Originally Posted by cx3

Thank you bae. Good luck to you also.
It was a tough decision for us, after all it cost us 70% of our income by not taking the experimental gene therapy concoction, many refer to as a vaccine.

Money is much tighter for us these days, but I do like having a stay at home wife, as does she.

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Does your wife have an RN degree? If so there are many jobs she could get that do not require The Jab.

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Originally Posted by iris lilies

Does your wife have an RN degree? If so there are many jobs she could get that do not require The Jab.

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I know a woman fired by a hospital over this recently hired as a school nurse.

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Originally Posted by Yppej

I know a woman fired by a hospital over this recently hired as a school nurse.

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My sis in law has worked part time for the Medical examiner’s Office and also for the hospitals system doing transfers. Neither job requires Covid vaccine.

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Originally Posted by iris lilies

Does your wife have an RN degree? If so there are many jobs she could get that do not require The Jab.

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Her degree is in cytotechnology. Basically, she screens (mostly pap smears) for cancer.
She's keeping her options open and considering career change. I talked her out of welding school, thank goodness. We've lived our 31 yrs of marriage with a YMOYL mindset, so I'm fine with her not working. Not sure she feels the same, she's a getter done gal.

My wife's former employer has dropped the "vaccine" mandates, but won't hire back the ones fired for non compliance.