Pulmonary Disease Manpower Survey

Report of the Joint Committee, American Thoracic Society, American College of Chest physicians

The Committee believes that the data from the survey present an accurate but depressing picture of the status of professional manpower in pulmonary diseases in the U.S. Clearly there are significant shortages of chest physicians practicing in hospitals and clinics, and teaching and carrying out research in medical schools and other institutions. Furthermore, not enough chest physicians are being trained to fill the existing vacant positions and those anticipated during the next two years. The National Institutes of Health, especially the NHLI, have recognized and attempted to alleviate the manpower deficiency, and through expansion of programs now support nearly half of all the trainees and a copsiderable proportion of the medical school faculty members concerned with chest disease-related teaching and research in the U.S.

The proposed elimination of Federal support for biomedical training —Including pulmonary— will have a disastrous effect on the specialty with far reaching implications that are certain to affect the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and investigation into the basic causes of pulmonary diseases. Each person concerned with any aspect of lung disease should make every effort to persuade the Government to restore funds for pulmonary disease training in order to preserve and improve the level of respiratory care available to the American public.