Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

U.S. medical school graduates aren’t enough to fill the physician shortage

Heidi Chumley, MD, MBA
Education
May 9, 2016
373 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share

Every year around Match Day, medical and pre-med students alike worry about a rumored “residency cliff.” The theory is that the number of new medical school graduates will soon outstrip the existing inventory of residency positions, and the overflow applicants will be left in professional limbo.

While that picture seems scary, it’s time for some good news. I’ve believed for years that this concern is more phantom than real, but now there is empirical evidence in the form of a data analysis by a respected source in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).

Dr. Fitzhugh Mullan, a longtime observer of physician workforce trends, published a report in the NEJM examining recent and projected growth of U.S. medical school enrollment, compared to the rate of increase in residency program positions. Mullan concludes that while the number of graduates has begun catching up with the number of available positions, this gap is narrowing very slowly. In 2024, the number of available residency slots will still exceed the number of U.S. medical school graduates by around 4,500. That means an ample supply of postgraduate training positions for new MDs from not only U.S. schools but deserving international medical graduates as well.

Put another way, residency positions are gradually becoming more competitive, but this is no reason to abandon a dream of becoming a physician; especially not when we as a nation face a growing shortage of physicians.

A 2015 study puts this physician shortfall at as many as 90,000 doctors by the year 2025. This number helps put America’s health care problems into perspective. While U.S.-based medical schools are slowly increasing enrollment, they cannot alone make up the gap in the physician workforce. So do we then look to recruit doctors away from Africa, Asia or Latin America, contributing to the “brain drain” from less affluent countries? Thankfully we don’t have to.

Many strong candidates are turned away from U.S. medical schools due to a lack of capacity and the resulting arbitrary cut-offs. International medical schools like mine — with a student body made up of mostly of U.S. citizens planning to practice in the U.S. — are doing their part to address the physician shortage by making more room for qualified American applicants. Many of my school’s graduates go on to become primary care physicians or to care for underserved populations — and some do both.

Detractors of Caribbean medical schools have often exploited pre-med students’ residency anxiety to frighten them away. Mullan’s important report in NEJM should help lay that to rest.

Heidi Chumley is executive dean and chief academic officer, American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

The proctor seized during a USMLE Step 3 test. See what this doctor did next.

May 9, 2016 Kevin 6
…
Next

How a patient gave this doctor his first coaching session

May 10, 2016 Kevin 0
…

Tagged as: Medical school

Post navigation

< Previous Post
The proctor seized during a USMLE Step 3 test. See what this doctor did next.
Next Post >
How a patient gave this doctor his first coaching session

More by Heidi Chumley, MD, MBA

  • Proposing solutions to end bias in the medical residency selection process

    Heidi Chumley, MD, MBA
  • Who gets to succeed in medical school: Improving medical student outcomes that matter

    Heidi Chumley, MD, MBA
  • Who gets to graduate from medical school?

    Heidi Chumley, MD, MBA

Related Posts

  • End medical school grades

    Adam Lieber
  • International medical graduates ease the U.S. doctor shortage

    G. Richard Olds, MD
  • The medical school personal statement struggle

    Sheindel Ifrah
  • Why medical school is like playing defense

    Jamie Katuna
  • Why this physician teaches health policy in medical school

    Kenneth Lin, MD
  • Promote a culture of medical school peer education

    Albert Jang, MD

More in Education

  • The role of income in medical school acceptance

    Carter Do
  • Balancing tension and kindness in medical education

    Chloe N. L. Lee, MD, MPH
  • I want to be a doctor who can provide care for women: What states must I rule out for my medical education?

    Nandini Erodula
  • A chance encounter in Chicago: lessons in compassionate medicine

    Emily S. Hagen
  • Business education’s role in preventing physician practice decline

    Curtis G. Graham, MD
  • The impact of assumptions on patient communication in medical training

    Esther Covington
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Reigniting after burnout: 3 physician stories

      Kim Downey, PT | Physician
    • Inside the grueling life of a surgery intern

      Randall S. Fong, MD | Physician
    • The erosion of patient care

      Laura de la Torre, MD | Physician
    • I’m tired of being a distracted doctor

      Shiv Rao, MD | Tech
    • Pediatricians grapple with guns in America, from Band-Aids to bullets

      Tasia Isbell, MD, MPH | Policy
    • Emergency care nightmare: the urgent need for experienced nurses

      Rachel Basham, RN, CCRN | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Medical gaslighting: a growing challenge in today’s medical landscape

      Tami Burdick | Conditions
    • I want to be a doctor who can provide care for women: What states must I rule out for my medical education?

      Nandini Erodula | Education
    • Balancing opioid medication in chronic pain

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Conditions
    • I’m a doctor, and I almost died during childbirth

      Bayo Curry-Winchell, MD | Physician
    • Mourning the silent epidemic: the physician suicide crisis and suggestions for change

      Amna Shabbir, MD | Physician
    • Reigniting after burnout: 3 physician stories

      Kim Downey, PT | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Emergency care nightmare: the urgent need for experienced nurses

      Rachel Basham, RN, CCRN | Conditions
    • Physicians have no autonomy. Here’s how to change that.

      Diane W. Shannon, MD, MPH | Physician
    • Understanding intersex health care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The erosion of patient care

      Laura de la Torre, MD | Physician
    • Debating the role of psychiatric assessments in medical decisions

      Christian Youssef & Francisco M. Torres, MD | Conditions
    • Navigating adulthood in the digital age

      Eleanor Menzin, MD | Physician

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 20 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

CME Spotlights

From MedPage Today

Latest News

  • Preventing Biden's Stumbles; Bruce Willis Aware of His Dementia? ABIM Prez to Retire
  • SBRT Added to Standard Tx Boosts Outcomes in Oligometastatic Prostate Cancer
  • AI Not Ready to Replace Radiologists Interpreting Chest X-Rays
  • Study Confirms Better Survival for HPV-Positive Cervical Cancer
  • FTC Sues Anesthesia Group and Its Private Equity Backers

Meeting Coverage

  • New Schizophrenia Treatments Are Coming: Don't Panic
  • Loneliness Needs to Be Treated Like Any Other Health Condition, Researcher Suggests
  • Stopping Medical Misinformation Requires Early Detection
  • AI Has an Image Problem in Healthcare, Expert Says
  • Want Better Health Outcomes? Check Out What Other Countries Do
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Reigniting after burnout: 3 physician stories

      Kim Downey, PT | Physician
    • Inside the grueling life of a surgery intern

      Randall S. Fong, MD | Physician
    • The erosion of patient care

      Laura de la Torre, MD | Physician
    • I’m tired of being a distracted doctor

      Shiv Rao, MD | Tech
    • Pediatricians grapple with guns in America, from Band-Aids to bullets

      Tasia Isbell, MD, MPH | Policy
    • Emergency care nightmare: the urgent need for experienced nurses

      Rachel Basham, RN, CCRN | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Medical gaslighting: a growing challenge in today’s medical landscape

      Tami Burdick | Conditions
    • I want to be a doctor who can provide care for women: What states must I rule out for my medical education?

      Nandini Erodula | Education
    • Balancing opioid medication in chronic pain

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Conditions
    • I’m a doctor, and I almost died during childbirth

      Bayo Curry-Winchell, MD | Physician
    • Mourning the silent epidemic: the physician suicide crisis and suggestions for change

      Amna Shabbir, MD | Physician
    • Reigniting after burnout: 3 physician stories

      Kim Downey, PT | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Emergency care nightmare: the urgent need for experienced nurses

      Rachel Basham, RN, CCRN | Conditions
    • Physicians have no autonomy. Here’s how to change that.

      Diane W. Shannon, MD, MPH | Physician
    • Understanding intersex health care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The erosion of patient care

      Laura de la Torre, MD | Physician
    • Debating the role of psychiatric assessments in medical decisions

      Christian Youssef & Francisco M. Torres, MD | Conditions
    • Navigating adulthood in the digital age

      Eleanor Menzin, MD | Physician

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

U.S. medical school graduates aren’t enough to fill the physician shortage
20 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...