ABSTRACT
Given the number and complexity of manpower problems, it is not surprising that there is no single, simple solution. Complex problems require complex solutions. Univariate answers to multivariate questions are unfailingly misleading. With specialty choices determined largely by issues of income and lifestyle, fewer students are choosing careers in primary care. All students in the primary care track have faculty mentors assigned upon entry to medical school, and the teaching roles of primary care physicians are expanded by their inclusion in other courses and clerkships. All students in the primary care track have faculty mentors assigned upon entry to medical school, and the teaching roles of primary care physicians are expanded by their inclusion in other courses and clerkships. The effectiveness of this approach is being assessed as experience accumulates. Service in the National Health Service Corps, which provides loan repayment for practice in underserved areas, also addresses the geographic distribution of physicians.
