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Physicians diagnose patient disease and injuries. They prescribe
treatment and coordinate a plan of care for their patients,
working with other members of the health care team. Physicians
typically specialize in an area of care and focus on a particular
population of patients. For instance, primary care physicians
provide regular health checks and treatment for illnesses and
injuries, while oncology specialists focus on cancer patients.
Numbers
While the number of physicians in Washington state currently
appears to be about average, some trends point to an imminent
shortage. Nearly 11,000 patient care physicians were active
in Washington state in 1998.56 With 193 physicians per 100,000
population, Washington was close to the national ratio of
198 physicians per 100,000.57 Washington had 64 active primary
care physicians per 100,000 population in 1998, slightly
higher than the national average of 59. A labor market analysis
indicates that the demand for physicians in 2008 will be
high, due in part to low replacement of currently practicing
physicians. An estimated 300 openings for physicians will
be available in that year. As indicated earlier in this
report, Physicians Insurance reported a three-fold increase
in the number of physicians leaving its rolls between 1985
and 1999.
Pipeline
The University of Washington School of Medicine is the
only medical school in Washington. It also serves as the
sole medical school for Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho.
In 1997, it graduated 150 new physicians. Washington state
graduated 2.7 new physicians per 100,000 population, less
than half the national average of 6.6. It ranked 43rd lowest
among the 46 states with medical schools in graduates per
capita. The percentage of Washington state medical school
graduates per 100,000 population dropped 27 percent between
1988 and 1998.
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