An increasing demand for healthcare services paired with an aging and increasingly burned out workforce are driving ongoing physician shortages, according to Medicus’ recently published The Physician Workforce Under Pressure report.
Here are four new stats demonstrating the factors driving physician turnover and the ongoing workforce shortage:
1. Forty-two percent of active physicians are expected to reach retirement age within the next decade.
2. The specialties with the highest average physician age are:
- Orthopedic and spine surgery: 62
- Cytopathology: 62
- Cardiac surgery: 59
3. Burnout also remains a significant factor pushing physicians out of the workforce, with approximately 45% of physicians reporting being burned out in 2025.
4. Four specialties had the highest rates of burnout among physicians:
- Neurology: 61%
- Urology: 57%
- Emergency medicine: 56%
- Family medicine: 52%
