FierceHealthcare reports:
“There’s more medical school students than ever before, but there’s still a big obstacle to solving a predicted physician shortage.
“While U.S. medical school enrollment has increased, averting a physician shortage now depends on more residency training slots, according to the results of an annual survey from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC).
“The number of residency positions has increased only 1% a year, far lower than the 52% growth in medical school spots since 2002, the AAMC said. Federally supported residency training slots have been capped by Congress for more than 20 years, limiting the spots for medical school graduates to undergo additional training in a residency program before they can practice medicine….”
“The survey found that medical school deans are worried about the lack of residency slots: 75% expressed concern about the availability of residency slots nationally, and 44% expressed concerns about their own incoming students’ ability to find residency positions of their choice after medical school. Over half of schools reported they experienced difficulty in finding clinical training sites for obstetrics/ gynecology and pediatrics.”
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