Perceptions of the current and future emergency medicine workforce

Area of Science:

• Medical Workforce Analysis
• Physician Employment Trends
• Emergency Medicine Specialty

Background:

• A significant workforce report projected a surplus of emergency medicine (EM) physicians.
• The impact of these projections on physician perceptions of the job market remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess EM physician perceptions of the job market 2 years post-workforce report publication.
• To examine the influence of the workforce report on job prospect perceptions.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional survey conducted in 2022 among EM residents, fellows, and attendings.
• Assessed perceptions of current job availability, desirable job acquisition, and future market confidence.

Main Results:

• High likelihood reported for finding any job (92.4%) and desirable job (49.8%).
• Future job market confidence was lower (44.4%), with fellows expressing least confidence.
• Familiarity with the workforce report correlated with higher likelihood of finding a desirable job.

Conclusions:

• EM physicians perceive the current market positively but are less optimistic about future job security.
• The projected physician surplus appears to influence perceptions, highlighting the need for updated workforce projections.