Which job are medical students avoiding?

The U.S. physician shortage is a well-known fact. But as it turns out, the U.S. is lacking one specific physician specialty more than the rest.

America is short on geriatricians, who focus on the unique problems of elderly and senior citizens, reports The New York Times. Because the human lifespan is consistently increasing, the need for these specialists is also going up.

The U.S. Census Bureau projected that in 2014, there were approximately 20 million individuals over the age of 75 in America. According to the report, this number is only expected to reach a total of 31 million by 2030.

There are around 7,000 geriatricians currently practicing, according to the report. The distribution of geriatricians varies from state to state. In Oregon, there is approximately one geriatrician for every 3,000 seniors. The American Geriatrics Society estimates that to meet the growing need for geriatricians, medical schools around the country would have to train a minimum of 6,250 additional geriatricians — or 450 per year more than the current rate — between now and 2030.

But many medical students simply aren't interested. "Part of the reason aging has such a negative connotation is this sense that you can't cure older people's problems," said Kenneth Brummel-Smith, MD, a geriatrics professor at Tallahassee-based Florida State University College of Medicine.

On top of that, geriatrics doesn't pay as well as other specialties — in fact, it's one of the lowest-paying specialties. According to the Medical Group Management Association, the 2014 median yearly income for a geriatrician in private practice is $220,000 — less than half of a cardiologist's annual salary.

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