Division of Nephrology and Transplantation, Maine Medical Center, Portland, Maine, USA.
Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. 2011 Jun;6(6):1501-6. doi: 10.2215/CJN.01290211. Epub 2011 May 5.
Interest in nephrology as a career is declining and has been on the decline for nearly one decade. From 2002 to 2009, all internal medicine subspecialties except geriatric medicine increased the number of available fellowship positions. However, only two subspecialties attracted fewer United States medical graduates (USMGs) in 2009 than in 2002: geriatric medicine and nephrology. This drop occurred at a time when demand for nephrologists is increasing and when the specialty is having a harder time benefiting from the substantial contribution of international medical graduates (IMGs). Today's USMGs possess fundamentally different career and personal goals from their teachers and mentors. Medical students report receiving minimal exposure to nephrology in clinical rotations, and they perceive that the specialty is too complex, uninteresting, and lacks professional opportunity. Meanwhile, the demographics of kidney disease in the United States, as well as recent national health policy developments, indicate a growing need for nephrologists. Efforts to improve the educational continuum in nephrology and enhance mentorship are essential to restoring interest in nephrology for USMGs, maintaining its appeal among IMGs, and developing a workforce sufficient to meet future demand for renal care.
对肾病学职业的兴趣正在下降，并且已经下降了近十年。从 2002 年到 2009 年，除老年医学以外的所有内科专业都增加了可用的奖学金职位。然而，只有两个亚专业在 2009 年吸引的美国医学毕业生（USMGs）比 2002 年少：老年医学和肾病学。这种下降发生在对肾病学家的需求增加的时候，也是该专业更难以从国际医学毕业生（IMGs）的大量贡献中受益的时候。如今的 USMGs 与他们的老师和导师有着截然不同的职业和个人目标。医学生报告说，在临床轮转中很少接触肾病学，他们认为该专业过于复杂、无趣且缺乏职业机会。与此同时，美国肾脏病的人口统计学特征以及最近的国家卫生政策发展表明，对肾病学家的需求日益增长。努力改善肾病学的教育连续性并加强指导对于恢复 USMGs 对肾病学的兴趣、保持其对 IMGs 的吸引力以及培养足够的劳动力以满足未来对肾脏护理的需求至关重要。
