For Residents

Report notes states with fewest, most physicians

As the United States faces an impending physician shortage, 24/7 Wall St. has issued a new report that highlights which states may be hit hardest.

Using the State Physician Workbook Data Book from the Association of American Medical Colleges, they determined the 10 states with the lowest and highest physician-to-resident ratios.

The states in each group had some similarities that suggest how they found their way onto the list. For example, you can find five of the six wealthiest states by median income on the list of most practitioners/population. Meanwhile, seven of the 10 states with the fewest doctors have a higher uninsured population than the national average. Doctors are more likely to practice in states where they can earn a stable income, which is easier in states with higher-income populations who are more likely to be insured. Six of the bottom 10 states also are in the bottom 10 for physician trainees who might be more likely to stay after gaining licensure.

The 10 states (in descending order) with the fewest doctors per 100,000 people are Georgia, Wyoming, Oklahoma, Nevada, Alabama, Texas, Idaho, Utah, Arkansas and Mississippi, which has the lowest ratio of doctors to 100,000 residents. The 10 (in descending order) with the most doctors per 100,000 people are New Jersey, New Hampshire, Hawaii, Rhode Island, Vermont, Maine, Connecticut, New York, Maryland and Massachusetts, which has the highest ratio of doctors to 100,000 residents.

The AMA continues to advocate for graduate medical education funding that reflects the physician workforce needs of the nation. As millions of uninsured Americans obtain health insurance and will soon be able to gain access to continuing health care, it is critical for our nation to have a strong and viable physician work force to ensure patient access to care.

Policy discussion, research highlight AMA-RFS meeting

More than 175 residents and fellows at the Nov. 8-10 AMA Resident and Fellow Section (RFS) Interim Assembly Meeting considered items of business related to resident maternity leave electives, graduate medical education financing, and access to safety data from clinical trials. 

The section immediately forwarded one resolution to the AMA House of Delegates regarding preservation of residency training positions. The AMA-RFS also elected Travis Myer, MD, a radiology resident from the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, as chair-elect of the section's governing council.

About 200 residents and fellows participated in the AMA Research Symposium. Laura Gephart, MD, was the overall podium competition winner, and Pallawi Torka, MD, was the overall poster competition winner.