According to new projections published today by the AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges), the United States will face a physician shortage of up to 86,000 physicians by 2036.
“Given the new findings, it is clear that both sustained and increased investments in training new physicians are critical to mitigating projected shortfalls of doctors needed to meet the health care needs of our country,” said AAMC President and CEO David J. Skorton, MD. “Most importantly, if additional investments critical to increasing the supply of physicians fail to materialize, projected shortfalls of doctors will be larger than presented in this latest report.”
The new study, The Complexities of Physician Supply and Demand: Projections From 2021 to 2036, was conducted for the AAMC by GlobalData Plc. This analysis was conducted in 2023 and includes multiple supply and demand scenarios. It was updated with the latest information on trends in health care delivery and the state of the health care workforce, such as data on physician work hours and retirement trends.
By comparison, the shortage projected in the new report is smaller than the findings demonstrated in […]
We definitely need more GOOD physicians, especially in my home town of Altoona, Pa. I have a stupid “Doctor” who will not refill my prescription for pain medication , even though I have proven to a Federal Judge that I AM permanently disabled and cannot do anything without this medication. He cut me off for a whole week and I could not even do necessary chores around my organic gardens because of what he did. The problem is that I can only get 100 pills and take 4 per day and that leaves me with not enough medication for the whole month, so I have to get another prescription every 25 days. This doctor I have would not give me a new prescription for an entire week, so I was unable to do anything in my garden, or even in my own house! I do not know what his problem is! My previous Dr. named Dr. Joseph had no problem getting a new prescription when I needed it, but this new younger doctor just does not understand the needs of older folks like me (I am 77 years old). I am looking for a new doctor, but am not sure where to find one! So I KNOW first hand that we do need more doctors, who know that older people sometimes need certain prescriptions, just to survive! I was in a lot of pain for the last week and finally got my prescription filled and do feel better, but with much more work to do in my gardens. Most of my food comes from my organic gardens (about 70 % to be precise, is food from my garden).