Help Train More Medical Professionals
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A Good Day To Advocate for Better Healthcare
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Shortage of Medical Providers
We have discussed the shortage of doctors and nurses several times. Medical providers of all classifications are not happy with the direction medical care has taken in the last 10 years or so and are leaving the profession in droves.
The rise of private investment in healthcare and the squeezing of the system to generate cash is forcing cuts to staffing levels, increased stress levels and a dystopia for many that they cannot give the care to patients for which they trained. Don’t forget that there is also a significant rise in workplace violence. Ugh.
According to a survey by the American Medical Association (AMA), 40% of doctors plan to leave their current position within two years. In 2021, around 117,000 doctors left the workforce, and one in five doctors say that they plan to leave in the coming years. 32.6% of academic physicians, or 5,177, reported a moderate or greater intention to leave. This intention to leave varies by age, with 40% of physicians 60 and older reporting intention to leave compared to 29.3% of those between 40 and 59 and 32.5 percent of those 39 and younger.
According to a 2022 survey, a quarter of nurses plan to leave the profession over the next five years, and by 2030, one million nurses are estimated to retire. The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) surveyed 335,000 registered nurses and licensed practical/vocational nurses in 2022, and more than one in four respondents intended to leave nursing by 2027.
The reason for this discussion is that we need safe environments for medicine, with safe staffing levels and we need enough professionals willing to do the job. It is, of course, complicated.
While trolling through congress.gov, I found an interesting piece of legislation worthy of our support. It is S.4031 - PRO-HEAL Act of 2024. It provides grants to schools that train doctors, nurses, physician assistants, etc. to increase their class size and train more people. It has a proposed budget of $215 million up to 2029 for that purpose.
More teachers is a good thing. I know from one of our readers, who used to be a nursing professor that there is a distinct lack of sufficient training for nurses (think 4 year).
It isn’t a fix for everything, but it’s a start. Let’s ask our Senators to get on board.
ACTION
Contact info for our Senators is in the Resources section. Let’s let them know we need to train more medical professionals and that S. 4031, the Pro-HEAL Act will help do that.
Or on your cell phone you can text SIGN PEESCR to 50409 to send this message with RESISTBOT. Link to the RESISTBOT site to learn more and here is a good overview by Jess Cravens.
“I am your constituent and I want you to know that there is a shortage of doctors, nurses, medical professionals of all kinds. There are a lot of complicated reasons like unsafe understaffing by firms seeking to squeeze money out of the system, workplace violence, and much more.
Having a way to train more professionals is a start to fixing the problem and S. 4031, the PRO-HEAL Act will help. It provides grants to increase the bandwidth of medical training facilities so that more doctors, nurses, PAs etc. can be trained. The proposed budget is $215 million to 2029. Please cosponsor and enact S. 4031. The get Single Payer Universal Healthcare going, like HR 3421. Thank you.”
Resources
Healthcare Advocacy (Us)
Website
Our Newsletter resources including reproductive healthcare
Healthcare Advocacy Reading List
Find My Elected Officials
Contact the White House https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
Contact State and Federal Representatives
By phone: (202) 224-3121
By email: democracy.io
Important Healthcare Resources
League of Women Voters Healthcare Reform Toolkit
Organizations to Contact
National Nurses United Medicare4All
Physicians for a National Health Program
One Payer States
Healthcare Now
Reproductive Health
NARAL - Pro Choice America
Charley. chatbot abortion resource - make sure to use a secure incognito browser if you live in a state that has banned abortion
Planned Parenthood
Miscarriage and Abortion Hotline has references about where to procure abortion medications. They also assist women in the process of self managed abortion or miscarriage by phone or text and will respond in an hour. Details and hours of operation at their website.
United State of Women Reproductive health page (bottom of the page) has important resources such as medical support, access to Telehealth, prescriptions by mail, and legal support references.
Practice careful communications - The Digital Defense Fund has a number of tips to keep texts, calls, and internet use private. Here is their site.
If you need financial help with an abortion try abortionfunds.org
Claims Denials and Appeals & What to Do
Appeal a Healthcare Decision
Appeal/Negotiate a Hospital Bill
Disinformation Management
Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency
Save Democracy
Chop Wood, Carry Water by Jessica Cravens
RESISTBOT
Link to the RESISTBOT site to learn more
Link to Chop Wood, Carry Water RESISTBOT write up
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Done!✅ Thanks for the HCP shoutout! 📢