In 2010, the specialty with the largest number of active physicians was internal medicine with 109,048 physicians, according to "2012 Physician Specialty Data Book," prepared by the Center for Workforce Studies at the Association of American Medical Colleges.
The data has been compiled from The American Medical Association 2011 Physician Masterfile, population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau and the AAMC/AMA National GME Census.
Here are four key statistics from the report:
• In 2010, 30.4 percent of the active physician workforce in the country was female.
• Four in 10 active physicians in the United States were 55 years and older in 2010.
• In 2010, the specialty with the highest percentage of active physicians practicing in the same state where they trained is child and adolescent psychiatry with 57.4 percent of physicians in the same state.
• The 10-year period from 2000 to 2010 saw remarkable growth in some specialties, such as internal medicine/pediatrics, which increased by 232.9 percent in that time period.
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