A commenter with residency experience at a VA argues Veterans Affairs facilities already help fill gaps, especially in rural areas, and offers on-the-ground examples of services and outcomes.
The commenter reports firsthand experience training at a VA and observing that many physicians choose VA practice.
VA facilities can extend care into rural areas through creative service delivery, including ambulance and helicopter emergency transport.
Individual experiences at VAs described include high patient volumes with reasonable wait times and sustained home-based care for elderly veterans.
# What this reader comment says
A clinician who did part of a residency at a VA responds to the article about the national doctor shortage by pointing to how Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities are already contributing to access. The comment is grounded in personal experience and specific examples rather than theory.
# Firsthand VA experience
The commenter notes they completed part of residency training at a VA and observed a steady stream of physicians choosing to practice at VA facilities. That practitioner-level presence matters because VA employment can absorb clinicians who might otherwise not be available to serve particular populations.
# VA reach into rural areas
# Patient experience examples
The commenter shares personal visits to a Long Beach VA emergency department, describing many patients but not long waits. They also describe an elderly veteran—a 102-year-old mother-in-law—who continues to live at home because of VA healthcare services. Those examples are meant to illustrate two points: VA hospitals can manage heavy caseloads efficiently, and VA programs can support long-term independence for elderly veterans.
# How this comment fits the broader shortage discussion
The original article lays out projections and structural drivers of a physician shortage, such as residency caps, financial pressures on new doctors, and burnout. This comment does not dispute those drivers. Instead, it highlights an existing part of the system that supports access: the VA network. The commenter treats the VA as an operational part of the current supply of clinicians and services that helps fill gaps—especially for veterans and in some rural settings.
# Practical implications for readers
If you are trying to understand where care remains available despite broader shortages, the VA can be a significant resource. For veterans and their families, the comment suggests checking local VA offerings, including transportation and home-support programs. For policymakers and health system planners, the comment is a reminder that government-run health systems can be mobilized to address geographic and population-specific access shortfalls.
# Limitations of the comment
The comment provides direct observations and examples but does not supply systematic data or broader evaluation of VA capacity across regions. It is an experiential supplement to the original article's data-driven projections, not a quantitative counterargument.
# Bottom line
The VA is presented here as an active, practical contributor to healthcare access that can soften the effects of physician shortages for veterans and some rural residents. The value of the comment lies in its concrete examples of services that keep patients connected to care.
With applications at a record level and enrollment the same it appears there will be more practicing physicians not less The current favorable income for physicians continues to keep physicians in the workplace; with continued EMR advancements and organizational improvements showing some burnout statistics being reduce
By EMANUEL SARKEES Most people assume that when they need a doctor, a doctor will be available. That assumption is getting harder to hold onto. Right now, more than 83 million Americans Continue reading...
Every projection here assumes demand is rising, or at least holding. The AAMC (yes, the trade association of organizations that train physicians) and HRSA models take current per-capita utilization and just multiply by demographic projections. Neither has a variable for changes in demand. They basically define demand a
As an internal medicine physician and chief medical officer at Hawaii Medical Service Association (HMSA), I care deeply about healthcare access in Hawaii. Last Sunday’s Star-Advertiser story on the state’s doctor shortage was a painful reminder that this problem is not new, and that it’s getting harder to ignore (“ Pat
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