Emergency medicine physician workforce attrition differences by age and gender

Area of Science:

• Emergency Medicine
• Physician Workforce Studies
• Health Disparities Research

Background:

• Emergency care workforce concerns are rising due to higher-than-expected attrition rates.
• Limited data exists on the characteristics of physicians leaving the emergency medicine (EM) workforce.
• Understanding attrition patterns is vital for workforce stability and diversity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the age and years since residency graduation at which male and female emergency physicians (EPs) experience workforce attrition.
• To identify gender-based differences in EM physician attrition timing.
• To inform strategies for retaining EPs in the workforce.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of Medicare-reimbursed EPs from 2013-2020, linked to birth and residency graduation dates.
• Repeated cross-sectional study design.
• Multivariate logistic regression to assess the association between gender and attrition, defining attrition as the last year of clinical service.

Main Results:

• Included 25,839 male (70.2%) and 10,954 female (29.8%) EPs.
• Attrition occurred at a median age of 56.4 years for males and 44.0 years for females.
• Female gender was significantly associated with attrition (aOR 2.30); female EPs attrited 12 years younger than males, with median post-residency attrition at 10.5 years vs. 17.5 years for males.

Conclusions:

• Female EPs exit the workforce approximately 12 years earlier than male EPs.
• Significant gender disparities in EM workforce attrition exist.
• Addressing these disparities is critical for ensuring the stability, longevity, and diversity of the EP workforce.