The supply of physicians in four midwestern states

At a time when national policies find their basis in a projected physician surplus, the specialty of family medicine must continue to strive for growth. Organizations such as the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) provide support and defense for issues essential to the growth and survival of family medicine. The strength of the Academy resides in an active and growing membership, and concerns about membership should be identified and addressed. This paper describes the AAFP membership in four midwestern states: Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, and Wisconsin. The age distribution and medical school location patterns of members are presented. In Illinois, almost half the members either currently are or will be 65 years or older within the decade. In the other three states, the comparable pool is only 38%. In Illinois, half the members attended an Illinois medical school and one-third are foreign medical school graduates. In Indiana and Iowa, the vast majority of members are graduates of Indiana and Iowa medical schools, respectively. Wisconsin profits from both its own graduates and from the attraction of physicians trained in other states. Discussion focuses on the needs facing the chapters and on variables that might be important for increasing membership.