Why is geriatric medicine so unpopular & why is it a problem?
- MedSpeak
- Jul 23
- 3 min read
Medicine is thought to be a profession with extreme benefits. Saving people, good pay, and the work is fulfilling. Geriatric medicine(mostly) goes against the conventions of medicine. It focuses on the treatment of older people who likely have multiple health issues and diseases. There is a succinct answer to why geriatric medicine, the treatment of senior citizens, is considered unpopular among doctors: it doesn’t pay well and it isn’t well regarded. But why is it a problem?
Why is it viewed so poorly?
First, an overview of why geriatric medicine is viewed so unfavorably in the medical community. The work is deemed unnecessary; since patients are already nearing the end of their lives, what’s the point? Another viewpoint of geriatric medicine that makes it unfavorable is slightly counterintuitive. Patients have many problems, so many so that medical students choosing a profession find it extremely overwhelming and unattractive.
Geriatric medicine has a unique, enormous problem: they simply cannot “fix” their patients. The entire point of medicine seems to be to cure patients of their ailments, but geriatric medicine is about helping patients deal with their conditions, not fix them.
On top of all the work complaints of being a geriatric specialist, there are training and financial concerns. The five years to become a geriatric specialist mean five more years of racking up loans and struggling to make ends meet. And then, when the doctors are certified, they receive a median income of $226,886 per year, an extremely lucrative salary compared to the median income of $37,585.
However, when we zoom out, is it really that much money? Obviously, geriatric specialists can and do live comfortably, but their income will be cut down by the massive student loans they need to take. The years of schooling reduces the years they can work, so it is beneficial to make more. In addition, compared to other doctors, geriatric specialists are much worse off. The median salary for a surgeon is $300,000, giving them much more freedom after leaving medical school and residency.
Why isn’t geriatric medicine well regarded?
Geriatric medicine is the treatment of elderly people, but it is often disrespected in the medical field. While no medical field would be outwardly disrespected, the statistics show a shocking story: geriatric medicine is the among the least popular specialties. Of the US seats for geriatrics, only about 44% were filled in 2025. This is a huge problem because of the rapidly growing number of old people; the age cohort of retirees is one of the fastest growing in the US and world as life gets safer.
One of the main reasons geriatrics has become unpopular is the looming fear of doctors to be stuck in a health problem with no clear cut solutions. Older people generally have many health problems that all need consideration, and geriatric doctors often cannot do anything to help them but make their quality of life better. Being a geriatric doctor means making choice that will not have as severe as an outcome.
This work may seem unattractive to students who want to focus more on saving lives. Even if a condition is treatable to geriatric doctors, they have to deal with the fact that many of their patients will die soon, no matter what they do. Added onto the low pay, geriatric medicine has become a disrespected profession within the medical community.
What are the effects?
Throughout the next decade, many physicians are expected to retire with the lasting strains of the COVID-19 pandemic. The limited number of medical seats are not expected to fulfill the many incoming retirees. This issue will be exacerbated for geriatrics as not many medical students choose to pursue it anyway. With many of the geriatric doctors declining as well as interest declining, the field seems to be dying. Geriatric care will soon worsen as a result and many patients will not receive adequate care.
How do we fix the problem?
Even though the future of the field appears bleak, there are some ways it could have a potential resurgence or comeback. Geriatrics need to be promoted more, especially by medical schools. Without the attention of pre-med or med students, geriatrics will never have an increase in attention and likely doctors.
In addition, better pay needs to be a priority. While no doctor goes into medicine just for the money, it is a huge second priority, and doctors need to be handsomely rewarded for the good work they are doing. Higher pay is bound to attract more candidates. Lastly, all physicians need to have some role in geriatrics and the care of older people. Even if the field eventually cannot sustain any more doctors, other doctors knowing how to deal with these patients could prove invaluable.
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