The Emergency Medicine Physician Workforce: Projections for 2030

COVID–19 driven decline in emergency visits: Has it continued, is it permanent, and what does it mean for emergency physicians?

“…Finally, there has been substantial consolidation within the emergency physician market with the emergence and growth of large for-profit companies gaining much larger control of contracts with hospitals for the provision of hospital-based emergency services [ 20 ]. The combination of these factors could result in greater pressure to reduce compensation to hospital-based emergency physicians and the emergence of large physician management.…”

The Challenge of Addressing the Rheumatology Workforce Shortage

“…12 A notable exception is emergency medicine, which now projects a surplus, in contrast to the physician shortage that was predicted in 2005. 13,14 This surplus has been driven by dramatic growth in the number of residency programs, which doubled from 133 in 2005 to 265 in 2019, and an increase in the associated advanced practice provider (APP) workforce by 66%. 14 In comparison, over the last 5 years, multifaceted efforts have led to an additional 40 matched applicants per year in adult rheumatology, which now offers 272 slots, though there were no real changes in pediatric rheumatology-matched applicants.…”

“…13,14 This surplus has been driven by dramatic growth in the number of residency programs, which doubled from 133 in 2005 to 265 in 2019, and an increase in the associated advanced practice provider (APP) workforce by 66%. 14 In comparison, over the last 5 years, multifaceted efforts have led to an additional 40 matched applicants per year in adult rheumatology, which now offers 272 slots, though there were no real changes in pediatric rheumatology-matched applicants. 15 The major barrier to increasing fellowship-trained adult rheumatologists is the limited number of funded training positions, so further efforts to increase the available Match slots may be useful.…”

“…Further, the effect of such interventions on demand for rheumatology is uncertain given the experience in emergency medicine, where a rapid rise of urgent care clinics has not translated into fewer emergency department visits. 14 Given the challenges of increasing supply of fellowship-trained rheumatologists and reducing demand for subspecialty consultation, the most impactful intervention to address the rheumatology workforce shortage may be to increase the number of APPs in our specialty. Rapid growth in APP utilization has been demonstrated in the US, including within oncology, gastroenterology, and nephrology, all of which face similar workforce challenges.…”

From intern to “accepted”: A guide to preparing for fellowship in emergency medicine

“…Fellowship training has become increasingly important for securing a job for both individual physicians as well as departments. With respect to individual emergency physicians (EPs), the recent expansion of the number of EM residencies is leading to an increasing supply of EPs, 4 which likely will make professional differentiation more important. Additionally, for EPs desiring to establish careers in competitive locations, completing a fellowship gives the EP a “leg up” on other applicants where there may be multiple high‐quality applicants 5 …”