NJ docs turn to med schools to close family-practice gap

Of NJ doctors, only 7% practice family medicine, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians. The state is tied with MD for the fourth-lowest percentage in the country. The NJ Academy of Family Physicians has made encouraging more medical students to choose family medicine as one of its priorities in dealing with state officials. The effort may lead to additional legislation, but their primary goal is encouraging medical schools to make the specialty a priority. They are wary of putting the entire burden on medical schools, noting that outside factors like the higher pay that subspecialists receive play a large role in the career decisions of highly indebted medical school graduates.