Studying the impact of women on osteopathic physician workforce predictions

Women have been entering the physician workforce in ever-increasing numbers since the 1970s, and women are expected to reach numeric parity with men early in the next century. In an effort to predict changes in the physician workforce, analysts have relied primarily on data collected in the allopathic medical profession. Documented differences in practice characteristics between osteopathic and allopathic physicians make current workforce projections--based heavily on assumptions rooted in the allopathic medical profession--nonrepresentative of the osteopathic medical profession. The authors attempt to identify the impact of increasing numbers of women physicians on the osteopathic medical profession. They trace the historical presence of women in medicine and explore speculations concerning the continued growth in the numbers and percentage of women in medicine. The authors analyze data from the 1992 AOA census in search of identifiable trends in practice location and specialty choice based on gender, marital status, and dual-osteopathic physician couples. Finally, they discuss the need for complete and accurate data collection for the profession as data-driven workforce policy decisions ultimately affect the entire profession.