Newswise — WASHINGTON (Aug. 3, 2015)—A George Washington University researcher is challenging the prevailing wisdom that the U.S. is facing a major physician shortage.
A 2015 projection issued by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) predicted an overall physician shortfall of 41,000-90,000 in the U.S. by 2025. However, in a perspective published in Academic Medicine this month, Edward Salsberg, research instructor at GW’s School of Nursing, cites three important factors that change his viewpoint:
1. The rapid growth and integration of physician assistants, nurse practitioners and other health professionals into the field 2. The redesign of the health delivery system, including the greater use of teams and incentives to improve efficiency and effectiveness 3. Advanced technology
Because these factors have changed more rapidly than anticipated, Mr. Salsberg argues that a general physician shortfall is unlikely to occur.
“I no longer believe the nation is facing a general physician shortage; but to be clear, we do face shortages in individual communities and specialties,” said Mr. Salsberg. “The maldistribution of physicians requires a different policy response than a general shortage.”
Mr. Salsberg is also director of health workforce studies at GW’s Health Workforce Institute and professorial lecturer at GW’s Milken Institute School of Public Health. In prior positions, Mr. Salsberg was responsible for physician projections made by the federal government and the AAMC. He served as director of the workforce centers at the federal Health Resources and Services Administration from 2010 to 2013, and was responsible for developing the projections that predicted the shortfall.
To help offset the perceived shortage, some health organizations have advocated for an increase in graduate medical education (GME) funding, however Mr. Salsberg endorses recommendations from an Institute of Medicine (IOM) committee that the current system for financing GME funding better allocate existing awards. “The IOM committee provides a rational framework to better target the $10 billion spent annually by the federal government on GME to meet our future health workforce needs,” continued Mr. Salsberg. “It would serve the medical education community and the nation to move forward on the committee recommendations.”
The George Washington University School of NursingRanked among the top nursing schools by U.S. News & World Report, the George Washington University School of Nursing educates and inspires nurses to provide high-quality, compassionate person-centered health care. The school develops leaders actively engaged in health promotion, patient advocacy and healthcare innovation, and prepares exceptional nurse educators who pursue quality and advance the profession. The School of Nursing is committed to improving the health and wellbeing of people and communities locally, nationally and globally. The school values lifelong learning and its students advance nursing practice, leadership and education as they make a difference in the world.
Milken Institute School of Public Health at the George Washington UniversityEstablished in July 1997 as the School of Public Health and Health Services, Milken Institute School of Public Health is the only school of public health in the nation’s capital. Today, more than 1,700 students from almost every U.S. state and 39 countries pursue undergraduate, graduate and doctoral-level degrees in public health. The school also offers an online Master of Public Health, MPH@GW, and an online Executive Master of Health Administration, MHA@GW, which allow students to pursue their degree from anywhere in the world.
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