More than 50 million Americans left the workforce from 2021 to 2022 — including 145,213 healthcare providers, according to a report by Definitive Healthcare.
The "Addressing the healthcare staffing shortage" report, published in September, analyzed data from hospitals, providers and other sources. It sourced its physician participation data from a panel of billing organizations from the first quarter of 2021 to the first quarter of 2023. Physicians were deemed as "dropped out" if they practiced in 2021 and stopped activity by the fourth quarter of 2022. Some providers may still be practicing but not filing claims.
Definitive Healthcare attributes the mass departure to fear of COVID-19 infection, increased work hours, depression and stress and the loss of patients and colleagues due to the pandemic.
Here is a breakdown of the healthcare providers who left their professions in the greatest numbers, along with the percentage of the respective workforces those numbers represent:
1. Physicians: 71,309 (6%)
2. Nurse practitioners: 34,834 (9%)
3. Physical therapists: 15,332 (11%)
4. Physician assistants: 13,714 (8%)
5. Licensed clinical social workers: 10,024 (9%)