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. 2019 Nov 22;4(Suppl 1):S13-S21.
doi: 10.1002/aet2.10400. eCollection 2020 Feb.

Too Big Too Fast? Potential Implications of the Rapid Increase in Emergency Medicine Residency Positions

Mary R C Haas  1 , Laura R Hopson  1 , Brian J Zink  1
Affiliations

Too Big Too Fast? Potential Implications of the Rapid Increase in Emergency Medicine Residency Positions

Mary R C Haas et al. AEM Educ Train. .

Abstract

Emergency medicine (EM) has expanded rapidly since its inception in 1979. Workforce projections from current data demonstrate a rapid rise in the number of accredited EM residency programs and trainee positions. Based on these trends, the specialty may soon reach a point of saturation, particularly in urban areas. This could negatively impact future trainees entering the job market as well as the career plans of medical students. More time and resources should be devoted to obtaining accurate projections, assessing the distribution of emergency physicians in rural versus urban settings, and implementing central workforce planning to protect the future of graduating trainees.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Illustration of cumulative numbers of ACGME‐accredited EM programs showing the dramatic upward inflection in recent years. Existing programs moving from AOA to ACGME accreditation are shown separately as well as included in the cumulative total of ACGME programs. While the prior AOA programs influence the total, they represent only a minority of the newly approved programs. Publicly‐available data was derived from the ACGME website reflecting year of initial ACGME accreditation decision by EM program.9
Figure 2
Figure 2
Number of EM positions available in the NRMP Match. Before 2011, numbers reflect total numbers of entering EM positions inclusive of PGY‐1 and PGY‐2 format programs. Publicly‐available data was derived from NRMP reports.14, 58
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