Physician Workforce

Here are eight physician workforce updates Becker's reported on in February:

The University of Arizona Health Sciences is looking to address the physician workforce shortage by launching a primary care physician scholarship program.

Of the 949,658 actively practicing physicians in the U.S., 63 percent have been burned out for 13 months or more — an 11 percent increase from pre-pandemic levels.

University of Washington medical school alumni who trained in rural locations in school were twice as likely to establish a practice in a rural area, a study published Feb. 1 in the journal Academic Medicine found.  

 As a rural family practice physician, Kerry Willis, MD, has seen huge income drops in the last few years. 

Burnout continues to be a cause for concern across healthcare systems, with 73 percent of physicians currently experiencing burnout, according to a report from Vital WorkLife. 

Central Oregon Providers Network and St. Charles Health System announced Feb. 23 that COPN has withdrawn its petition to unionize, according to a Feb. 24 report from KTVZ.

Healthcare advisory firm Chartis has launched the Chartis Center for Burnout Solutions.

Physicians from Loma Linda (Calif.) University Health and OptumCare Medical Group in Orange, Calif., have filed to form a union under the Union of American Physicians & Dentists to address provider burnout.

Miriam Hamideh, PhD, was elected president of the Los Angeles County Psychological Association.