NORFOLK, Va. — Sick of being sick? Tired of waiting to see a doctor? You're not alone. WTKR News 3 has covered the nation's growing physician shortage in detail in recent years. In 2024, we met Jon Woodard, a Chesapeake man who has been frustrated at long wait times to get health care.
"On average, just about three months to see my primary care manager," Woodard told us.
Woodard, like many in neighborhoods across Hampton Roads, has struggled to land an appointment to see a primary care doctor.
"Three, four months down the line, you're not going to be sick," he said. "You're sick today, not tomorrow," he added.
So what's causing this shortage? There's not just one reason, but experts point to pandemic burnout, aging patients, more doctors retiring, and lower pay as factors. Looking at pay, an average primary care or family physician can bring in an annual salary of approximately $272,000, according to 2024's Medscape Physician Compensation Report. Doctors in specialties like orthopedics, obstetrics and gynecology can earn significantly more.
"Primary care in general is the lowest paid or one of the lowest paid specialties, but the education costs are the same," says Dr. Steven Pearman of Sentara Health.
The Association of American Medical Colleges expects the U.S. will be short of up to 86,000 physicians within the next 10 years, much of those openings being in primary and family care. While schools like Norfolk's EVMS work to crank out reinforcements, hospitals are searching for solutions too. Sentara is using artificial intelligence to write clinical notes in an effort to prevent burnout.
"It's challenging to use someone with a clinical certification to do this kind of task when they could be doing clinical care," Pearman told News 3.
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While those moves can help with doctor burnout, what about the burnout patients feel as they wait for care? I hopped on a call with Catherine Roberts, Senior Health Writer at Consumer Reports, for ways to cut the wait.
She suggests putting your name on a waiting list. Doctors’ offices often get last-minute cancellations. So book the appointment you’re offered, but ask to be put on a waitlist, especially if you can be flexible about dates and times. You can also ask if someone else in the practice is available sooner. If there is a nurse practitioner or physician assistant, you may find that you can get an appointment with one of them pretty quickly. Also, ask about an e-consult. Telehealth is being used more often, especially for simple diagnoses. It could also be useful, depending on your situation, if you're looking to see a specialist sooner.
Remember John Woodard? He found telehealth to be the best remedy for him.
"It works out really well for me, because I get to do it on my time," he said.
