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Health Care Workforce

A patient is surrounded by doctors and specialists

All Americans rely on the health care workforce, from treatment of minor illnesses to lifesaving emergency care. The shortcomings of the systems and policies to support our health care workforce were laid bare by the COVID-19 pandemic and have yet to be resolved.

The AAMC is projecting a shortage of up to 124,000 physicians by 2034. Now more than ever, we need to be thinking about how to train and deploy a health care workforce that will meet the needs not only of today’s patients, but of a growing, aging population.

Our approach

The AAMC Research and Action Institute is committed to exploring different ways of thinking about the composition, roles, and location of providers, as we provide new insights about how the nation can ensure an adequate health care workforce for the future. 

Data Snapshot
States With Abortion Bans See Continued Decrease in U.S. MD Senior Residency Applicants

An updated analysis of the training location preferences of U.S. medical students by state abortion ban status two years after the overturn of Roe v. Wade.

May 9, 2024
Data Snapshot
Who's Your Therapist? Examining the Behavioral Health Workforce

An examination of the behavioral health workforce and discussion of why looking beyond psychiatrists and psychologists is important for addressing shortages.

Oct. 26, 2023
Issue Brief
Why Health Workforce Projections Are Worth Doing

The institute’s inaugural Fellow in Residence, Gaetano Forte, describes the promise, limitations, and future work needed to improve workforce projections.

June 29, 2023
Op-ed
A Physician Crisis in the Rural U.S. May Be About to Get Worse

Atul Grover, MD, PhD asks policymakers to consider how restricting abortion care may discourage physicians from practicing where patients need them the most.

June 15, 2023
Data Snapshot
Training Location Preferences of U.S. Medical School Graduates Post Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health

An examination of how new restrictions on women’s health care may impact where US medical school graduates apply for residency training.

April 13, 2023