Rural areas across the United States are feeling the strain from the lack of doctors, especially general surgeons, and before long experts say the shortage will creep into every hospital in America.

"One, two, three, four procedures and two surgeries." A rather busy day for any surgeon by two in the afternoon. It's a rather typical day for Dr. Gerald Bechamps. 

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"The general surgeon is kind of the bread and butter of the emergency room." The 70-year-old surgeon has spent the last 37 years at Winchester Medical Center going from the emergency room, which is the 4th busiest in the state, to patient's rooms to the operating room. 

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Courtesy: Journal of AmericanCollege of Surgeons

He had hoped to retire years ago, but there just aren't enough doctors and general surgeons, in particular, willing to come to a rural area like Winchester. Bechamps didn't want to leave the hospital shorthanded when others moved on. "It left a shortage of manpower. I was pretty healthy. I enjoyed what I did, so I stayed and helped my partners out while we recruited more surgeons."

When asked how long it took to fill those position, Bechamps said, "Over three years. We just hired a surgeon two weeks ago."

"75% of rural hospitals are seeking surgeons or surgical specialists to cover their emergency rooms," said Dr. Stephen Evans. An American College of Surgeons fellow, Georgetown University Doctor Evans says medical experts underestimated the need for doctors so med school enrollment was capped in the 80's and 90's, complicating the issue.
A 2007 Maryland study found the farther from Baltimore and D.C., the greater the shortage of medical specialists. Doctors said it's going to get worse. "We'll have general surgeons covering 2 or 3 hospitals and when that happens that's when real critical issues occur. That's when people will start slipping through the cracks."

Currently, only about 20% of those who complete training as general surgeons every year continue on that track. While medical schools have begun raising enrollment, experts worry it won't be enough because it takes about 10 years to train a surgeon.