<p>I think you are asking about a future that nobody knows exactly what will happen. If you look at the trend over the part several years, the overhead costs of running a practice: rent, utilities, office salaries, insurance… etc, have been going up while reimbursement is going down. Many changes, such as codes for diagnoses and payment set according to codes have been implemented since the 80s and these have changed the business side of medicine. Electronic medical records is another change.
More hospitals are hiring doctors on salary which relieves doctors of the time and expense of running a practice, but they also lose some autonomy. A parent who wishes more regular hours might welcome these changes, while the old time solo practitioner will not.
I don’t think doctors will starve any time soon, however the potential for medicine to be very lucrative has been declining since the 80’s. Many will tell you that they are getting paid less for what they bill than they did ten years ago. Some are having to see more patients in less time than they used to, It isn’t just about salary. Even if paid fairly, some older doctors enjoyed the way medicine was practiced. They liked the autonomy, the time spent with patients. being self-employed.
The next generation of doctors will need to be happy with what is to come, not what used to be. It isn’t just about salary. The question you need to answer is if this is for you.</p>