AI will Help Physicians, but Not Replace Them
Since the Industrial Revolution, workers have always been concerned about job security whenever a new technology is developed. When the automobile came out, the buggy whip sales people had significant concerns about the new disruptive technology, but the folks that were in the transportation-by-horse industry who were able to pivot to the automobile industry had significant growth opportunities.
As a medical school dean, I talk with all sorts of people (prospective medical students, practicing physicians, healthcare executives, and I frequently hear from concerns that AI is going to displace jobs for physicians. I have even had physicians tell me that they are questioning whether folks should even go to medical school anymore.
This argument is not new to me. In fact, I have heard for over 20 years about how “Dr. Google” is going to replace physicians. However, the demand for physicians is great than ever. One thing that I always like to mention is that demand correlates with the economy. Moreover, physician demand closely correlates with Gross Domestic Product. It has also been shown that as we increase technological advances in medicine (e.g., CT Scans, MRIs, LASIK procedures, cosmetic surgery, etc.), the demand for physician services actually increases.
AI in medicine is not a new concept. In fact, it has been here for nearly 50 years. For example, ECGs have had automated reads since the 1970s. Automated ECGs have actually increased demands for cardiac care (e.g., early detection of arrhythmias, etc.).
When the electronic health records (EHR) use was commonly implemented about 16 years ago, there were concerns that “cookbook medicine” was going to take over. However, EHRs have not negatively impacted physician demands. In fact, new fields, such as the Chief Medical Informatics Officer (CMIO) have been created and probably every healthcare system in the country now employs a physician in that capacity.
New fields in medicine are already being created as a result of AI. For example, all of the major hospital systems around OCOM now has a Chief of AI, a physician job that didn’t exist just a couple of years ago. The practice of medicine will likely change with AI, but the key is to not complain like the buggy whip sales people, but adapt to the change and embrace the exciting changes coming to medicine in the years ahead.
I have a 15-year-old daughter who wants to go to medical school (she wants to go to OCOM). While I don’t push her to any career, I continue to tell her that a career as a physician is something that will always be in demand and is probably the closest thing to a job guarantee that a young person can go for.
