Challenges Facing the Field of Medicine in the US Today (Essay Sample)

Challenges Facing the Field of Medicine in the US Today Author’s name Institutional affiliation Challenges Facing the Field of Medicine in the US Today The field of medicine in the United States is facing serious challenges. Agreeing with this statement, Pastorino et al. (2019) assert that the healthcare system experiences significant challenges due to the aging population, high citizen expectations, and high technological development. This paper presents the three greatest challenges facing the field of medicine in the U.S. including, limited insurance coverage, physician shortages, and stigma and bias within the medical community. The United States medical field is facing increased insufficiency in insurance coverage, which encourages delayed treatment and a high mortality rate. Accordant with this sentiment, Seifi et al. (2021) posit that the insurance coverage for the majority of American citizens is limited, leading to delayed treatment, negative health outcomes, and high mortality. Moreover, Seifi et al. (2021) indicate that in a 2019 Gallup poll, 25% of citizens experienced a delay in treatment for crucial conditions due to insufficient costs. Therefore, there is a need to change health insurance policies to better accommodate working-class citizens. Physician shortage is highly prevalent in the United States medical field. Concurring with this assertion, Zhang et al. (2020) acknowledge that the availability of physicians is limited in the U.S. due to aging and population growth, and is one of the central challenges affecting the satisfaction of all patient needs in the United States. Essentially, the shortage of physicians is increasing steadily, thus there is a need for beneficial policies to address the current shortage, which negatively affects patient outcomes. Stigma and bias in the United States medical community are dominant due to various reasons such as sexual identity, race, and gender. Consistent with this argument, Nyblade et al. (2019) propound that the high stigma in health facilities affects diagnosis and treatment. The authors further ascertain that stigma and bias stem from a lack of awareness, negative attitudes, beliefs, and fear (Nyblade et al., 2019). Therefore, there is a need for spreading awareness in the medical community regarding the negative effects of stigma in healthcare provision. Moreover, Stangl et al. (2019) maintain that stigma in the medical fraternity compromises health-seeking behaviors and physician engagement. Overall, addressing stigma and bias in the medical field is essential to the delivery of high-quality healthcare, and equitable treatment of all healthcare professionals. As a Physician Assistant (PA), I plan to face the challenge of insufficient insurance coverage, by providing relevant information to patients regarding the most effective insurance plans. In this way, patients can choose the best plans based on quality, price, and benefits. In alleviating the physician shortage problem, I plan to be active and competent in acquiring patient histories, performing medical examinations, and interpreting laboratory results. This plan would be helpful to address the problem since I would assist physicians in reducing the workload. In dealing with stigma and bias, I plan to educate myself regarding how stigma manifests and affects others. Based on this knowledge, I would be cognizant of the effects of stigma and refrain from it by engaging in positive attitudes, better communication, and proper listening skills. Moreover, I plan to be active in fighting against stigma by partici...