Have you had a hard time finding a primary care doctor or had to wait months to get an appointment? You are not alone. It’s no secret that there is a physician shortage, but the latest numbers show it’s only getting worse. The Association of American Medical Colleges estimates a shortfall of about 40,000 primary care physicians by 2036.
Boston 25 News reached out on social media to see who was having a hard time finding a primary care doctor, and viewers answered. We received countless comments on social media saying it took months to find one, and even longer to make an appointment. And the problem is not going away.
“I think we’ve known for a long time that there is going to be a shortage of physicians,” said Dr. Michael Collins, the Chancellor of the UMass Chan Medical School in Worcester.
As the population lives longer, there is naturally a need for more physicians, but the supply isn’t keeping up with the demand. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, Massachusetts had the third-highest number of primary care physicians per 100,000 population at 137. That’s compared with Utah, which only had 67 per 100,000.
“I think Massachusetts is a great example of how bad the shortage really is because if you look at the data, Massachusetts has amongst the nation’s highest concentrations of physicians, even primary care physicians, yet you don’t have enough,” said Michael Dill, the Director of Workforce Studies at AAMC.
Dr. Collins says one reason the supply is shrinking: The hassle for primary care doctors, such as typing in patients’ medical notes during a visit and responding to hundreds of messages on charts at the end of the day. Another--the pay discrepancy compared to other specialties.
“It is a challenge to know that you work this many hours taking care of this patient,” said Dr. Collins. “But because you don’t have some of those technical things, you’ll be paid a percentage, a much smaller percentage.”
With a smaller salary compared to other specialists, it takes longer for the PCP’s to pay off their school debt. The UMass Chan Medical School, which is known for producing primary care doctors, is working to ease some of that burden.
“If they come to our medical school and they’re from Massachusetts, they would pay about half, say roughly $40,000 in tuition,” said Dr. Collins.
UMass Chan also created an accelerated MD program, allowing students pursuing careers in family medicine to complete the program in three years instead of four. It’s more than doubled its class size. It has also added new clinical affiliates at UMass Chan Baystate in Springfield and UMass Chan Lahey in Burlington. But adding more resources won’t help overnight. The AAMC says it takes about ten years to train a new physician, and the shortage of PCPs has long-term consequences.
For the 3-year medical school program, the students commit to a residency in family medicine, pediatrics or internal medicine
“It you can’t get care, you’re likely not going to get better,” said Dill. “Ultimately, that’s going to impact more than just the health of the population of Massachusetts or the nation. It’s going to affect the health with the communities, the health of the economy, and it’s going to drive up health care costs.”
That’s why Dr. Collins says its important to respect the work that primary care physicians do to prevent burnout and make it a desirable career.
“I think that many of our learners will be very happy if they have a few more colleagues, some better technical support, a little more remuneration, and support within the profession that says it’s great for you to be a primary care practitioner,” said Dr. Collins.
UMass Chan was just named one of the best graduate programs in the country, according to US News and World Report. About 43% of its graduating class will be moving on to internal medicine, family medicine, and pediatrics.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
©2025 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/7QOJU3BNCJERBNKJC5LWTBYFLU.png)
