With an exploding elderly population, you might think geriatrics would be an attractive, promising field for upcoming medical professionals.  This AP article from the Fayetteville Observer explains why this isn’t the case.

From the article, “Caring for elderly people”:

Just 12 percent of the U.S. population was 65 and older in 2005, about 36.7 million people. By 2030, that number is expected to jump to nearly 20 percent, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates. By then, more than 71 million Americans will be senior citizens.

Currently, there are about 7,000 geriatricians in the United States. The need is more than five times that, Murphy said. Fewer geriatricians are renewing their certification, too.

“We’ve been talking about this for a long time. What’s happening now, is it’s becoming a crisis,” Murphy said.

Experts say that a range of issues are to blame, from a health-care market that compensates specialties, such as cardiology, more, to a society that worships youth, to lower Medicare reimbursements, to the complexity of caring for people who have multiple health problems.

Click here to read the entire article.