1. a) What is a 'primary-care' physician? (first mentioned in para. 4)
b) Define residency as used in para. 9.

2. List the following statistics on doctors in the U.S.
a) number of doctors in the U.S. today
b) number of primary-care doctors in U.S. today
c) number of primary-care physicians needed by 2020
d) how much of a shortage of doctors overall will there be in the next 15 years

3. How will a shortage of primary-care and other physicians affect Americans in the future?

4. What is causing this sharp increase in the shortage of doctors?

5. From paragraph 8, four new medical schools enrolled approximately 190 students, and 12 established medical schools raised their enrollment by a total of 150 slots. Do you think this is a good start toward solving the expected doctor shortage? Explain your answer.

6. What problem exists that will prevent an increase of students in medical school from solving the doctor shortage problem?

7. Re-read the last paragraph of the article. Then read the commentary "It's Hard to Make a Doctor" for an explanation of why some students considering medical school might re-think their plans. What do you think about entering the medical field today? Be specific.