AAEM is concerned with the rapid growth in the emergency medicine workforce, fueled by the accelerating growth in emergency medicine residencies, as well as the increasing number of advanced practice providers.
AAEM notes that the historic emergency physician shortage is rapidly resolving, and if current trends continue, an oversupply of emergency physicians is likely to develop, which may lead to negative consequences.
AAEM is concerned that in recent years, the vast majority of new emergency medicine residencies are sponsored by national contract management groups or by national hospital networks that may have a vested interest in creating an oversupply of emergency physicians.
AAEM urges all key stakeholders in emergency medicine to work with the ACGME Residency Review Committee to make changes to allow for balanced growth of the emergency physician workforce, with the goal to target the growth in the emergency physician supply to the projected growth in ED patient volume.