What specialty has the highest caseload?

the healthcare workforce lost 333,942 providers in 2021. The ongoing shortage of health professionals has put more pressure on physicians who remain in practice. 

There is an average of 344 people per physician of all specialties, according to a report published Dec. 31, 2021, by the Association of American Medical Colleges, the most recent data available. 

Here is a comparison of each specialty's caseload, ranked from highest caseload to lowest.

Specialty

No. of active physicians

Patients per physician

Pulmonary medicine

4,867

67,099

Allergy and immunology

5,009

65,197

Rheumatology

6,420

60,867

Plastic surgery

7,228

45,181

Diabetes and endocrinology

8,246

39,603

Otolaryngology

9,616

33,961

Infectious diseases

9,193

32,944

Urology

10,081

32,395

Nephrology

11,554

28,265

Pathology

12,180

26,812

Dermatology

12,767

25,579

Neurology

5,748

23,574

Critical care

14,159

23,064

Gastroenterology

15,678

20,930

Oncology

16,673

19,587

Orthopedics

18,469

17,682

Ophthalmology

18,948

17,235

Cardiology

22,262

14,669

General surgery

24,881

13,125

Radiology

27,197

12,008

Psychiatry

38,424

8,499

Anesthesiology

42,264

7,727

Obstetrics and gynecology

42,496

7,685

Emergency medicine

46,857

6,969

Family medicine

118,641

2,753

Internal medicine

120,342

2,741

Pediatrics

60,305

1,720

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