Residencies can help with Arizona’s doctor shortage
Arizona has a lot going for it.
But something we don’t have enough of is doctors.
Arizona is part of a nationwide physician shortage that experts say stands to worsen in the coming years as Baby Boomers reach retirement age. The Life Science division of global research firm IHS Markit predicts that the United States will need an astounding 121,900 primary care and specialty doctors by 2032.
General surgeons are in high demand, too, as the nation’s population is growing faster than the number of physicians specializing in this area of medicine. The American Medical Colleges estimates a shortfall of 41,000 general surgeons by 2025.
Arizona – particularly in rural areas of our state – is already feeling the pinch, especially when it comes to primary care physicians. The Health Resources and Services Administration estimates that our state needs 563 primary care physicians now to eliminate the shortage of PCPs, and workforce projections by the Robert Graham Center indicate that an additional 1,941 PCPs will be needed by 2030.
Traditionally, our community filled the physician pipeline by aggressively recruiting new talent, but even that is no longer enough. It is why medical residency programs are so important.
Our colleagues at other Valley health systems have created or expanded medical residency programs, but shortages still exist. All told, there are 1,704 spots for a variety of medical residency programs in Arizona, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. But even that number is not enough to fill the dire need for physicians in our state.
Abrazo Health created a residency program for educating primary care physicians in 1978, and many of those physicians continue to practice in the Valley.
It is with looming physician shortages in mind that Abrazo Health created two new medical residency programs for internal medicine and general surgery physicians. The new programs, which launched in July, will accommodate 45 internal medicine residents and 15 general surgery residents.
It’s a big investment, but with big rewards, as research shows that upwards of 50% of residents establish roots in the communities where they are trained. Residency programs at other hospital systems are built on a traditional university model. Abrazo’s program, accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, is different, as it is not formally tied to a single university.
Instead, we wanted to engage local physician leaders in directing the curriculum in a learning environment that promotes hands-on training to suit our community’s needs while meeting quality and patient safety standards.
Residents will work closely with specialists and clinicians at Abrazo Arrowhead Campus. They’ll have additional real-world learning opportunities with cardiac and vascular specialists at Abrazo Arizona Heart Hospital. They’ll also train alongside emergency and trauma care physicians.
The idea is to mold young physicians in ways that help them become leaders in medicine and patient advocates.
Investment in graduate medical education by Abrazo and other Arizona health systems has never been more important. In a state with so much good, we must continue to meet our community’s need for quality medical care, too.