Orthopaedic workforce studies: 1980 to 1985

A committee was appointed by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons in 1981 to continue the orthopaedic workforce studies begun by D. Kay Clawson a decade earlier. The committee found that the rapid increase in orthopaedists graduating from residency programs between 1970 and 1982 had resulted in a workforce in which fully 1/2 of practicing orthopaedists certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery were younger than 45 years. At that time, orthopaedists graduated at the rate of 700 per year. If that rate continued and if nothing else changed, it was calculated that the number of practicing board-certified orthopaedists per 100,000 people in the United States would continue to increase for at least 20 more years. The effect of reducing resident output by 10% increments also was projected with the hope that this information might influence future planning. In fact, a 10% reduction in resident output was achieved and the current ratio of board-certified orthopaedists per 100,000 population is very close to that predicted. In addition, the 1981 orthopaedic workforce committee developed a map of the United States that showed the number of board-certified orthopaedists in each major zip code. This map was distributed to every allopathic residency program in the United States in the hope that displaying this map might encourage graduating residents to choose more underserved areas in which to begin their practices. Evidence obtained subsequently by interviewing candidates taking Part II of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery certifying examinations showed this map seemed to have had very little effect in correcting workforce maldistribution.