Too many doctors, and more on the way

Spring is the season when senior medical students' minds turn to jobs. On 20 March the 45th annual “match” was held, a day where senior students receive envelopes telling envelopes that will tell them where they will spend their years as junior doctors. This March was also a month when researchers confirmed the policy makers' belief that America has too many doctors. For the first time this century, America's senior doctors face the real threat of unemployment.

The good news came from the youngest decision makers: the senior medical students. In increasing numbers they are choosing to enter primary care, where experts say there is still a need. Of the 14539 US students who will take junior posts, 54.4% chose primary care specialities: family medicine, internal medicine, and …