More Geriatrics Specialists: A Smart Idea

In this New York Times Health News blog, Paula Span writes about the looming shortage of health care professionals in all specialties, but especially geriatrics. According to Span, nowhere is the shortage more problematic than in this area, with the rapidly aging U.S. population. Christopher Langston, program director at the John A. Hartford Foundation, says that part of the problem stems from the fact that fewer students choose to specialize in geriatrics or gerontology, with  the chief reason being the lack of financial resources to complete the fourth year of training required to become a geriatrician. So to remedy this problem, Span offers up a smart idea—the National Health Services Corps’ (NHSC) loan forgiveness program. NHSC was established to increase the supply of primary care practitioners. But, not so fast—geriatrics specialists are not currently included in the federal law governing eligibility for the NHSC. Given this limitation, Span writes that consumer groups and others who work with the elderly have been actively encouraging Congress to add geriatrics specialists to the corps’ governing legislation, but without much success. So for now, due to intervention by Secretary of Health and Human services, Kathleen Sibelius, the corps allows geriatrics specialists to participate in its program. Learn  more here.