Tucked among the cornfields, windmills and water towers of Littlefield, in west Texas, Dr. Isabel Molina treats one patient after the next at Lamb Healthcare Center.

Littlefield is a small, dusty town of about 6,500 people, but Molina’s two-doctor practice draws from a much larger area. She and her partner serve a total population of about 15,000, she estimates. To keep up with her patient load, Molina regularly works 13-hour days without stopping to eat.

“I usually eat breakfast over charts. I usually eat lunch over charts while I call patients back and take care of my dictations,” says Molina, 38. “I do love what I do, but it is getting a lot harder to do this.”

The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) estimates that there is a shortage of up to 20,000 physicians and that the deficit will grow to 100,000 physicians in the next decade…read more here.