ABSTRACT
STUDY OBJECTIVE: Emergency medicine has progressed significantly since its initial recognition as a medical specialty. Relatively little factual information is known, however, regarding who or how many physicians practice emergency medicine. The purpose of this study is to determine the total number of physicians practicing clinical emergency medicine during a specified period, to describe certain characteristics of those individuals, and to estimate the total number of full-time equivalents (FTEs), as well as the total number of individuals needed to staff those FTEs. METHODS: Data were gathered from a survey of a random sample of 2,062 hospitals drawn from a population of 5,220 hospitals reported by the American Hospital Association as having, or potentially having, an emergency department. The survey instrument addressed items such as descriptive data on the institution, enumeration of physicians in the ED, as well as the total number working during the period June 1, 1997, through June 14, 1997. Demographic data on the individuals were also collected. RESULTS: A total of 942 hospitals responded (a 45.7% return rate). These hospitals reported a total of 5,872 physicians were working during the specified period, or an average of 7.48 persons scheduled per institution. The physicians were scheduled for a total of 297,062 hours. The average standard for FTE was 40 clinical hours per week. This equates to 3,713 FTEs or 4.96 FTEs per institution. The ratio of persons to FTEs was 1.51:1. With regard to demographics, 83% of the physicians were men and 81% were white. Their average age was 42 years. As to professional credentials, 58% were emergency medicine-residency trained and 53% were board certified in emergency medicine; 46% were certified by the American Board of Emergency Medicine. CONCLUSION: Given that there are 4,945 hospitals with EDs and given that the data indicate there are 4.96 FTEs per ED, the total number of FTEs is projected to be 24,548 (standard error = 437). Given further that the data indicate a physician/FTE ratio of 1.51:1, we conclude that there are 36,990 persons (standard error = 683) needed to staff those FTEs. When adjusted for persons working at more than one ED, that number is reduced to 32,026.
Subject(s)
Emergency Medicine , Emergency Service, Hospital , Medical Staff, Hospital/supply & distribution , Workload , Adult , American Hospital Association , Certification/statistics & numerical data , Emergency Medicine/education , Emergency Service, Hospital/statistics & numerical data , Female , Health Services Needs and Demand , Humans , Male , Medical Staff, Hospital/education , Medical Staff, Hospital/statistics & numerical data , Nurse Practitioners/supply & distribution , Personnel Staffing and Scheduling , Physician Assistants/supply & distribution , Prospective Studies , Surveys and Questionnaires , United States , WorkforceABSTRACT
When considering the future of emergency medicine, we need to study the multiple environments that affect the specialty. This review considers three broad environments: federal government, state jurisdictions, and the private system.
Subject(s)
Emergency Medicine/legislation & jurisprudence , Emergency Medicine/trends , Drug Industry/trends , Emergency Medicine/organization & administration , Medicare/legislation & jurisprudence , Private Sector , Public Sector , State Government , United StatesABSTRACT
The goal of workforce planning should be to match the supply of providers with the nation's demand. Whatever workforce planning process evolves, it will be necessary for the specialty to portray accurately our workforce needs. Because this portrait requires a clear understanding of the development of and funding mechanisms for graduate medical education and specific data describing both the supply and demand for emergency physicians, we address these issues.
