The Division of Workforce and Medical Education Policy guides the Academy in the advocacy and development of public policy related to the health care workforce and the education of physicians.

Issues under the Division's purview include the funding of medical education, the regulation of the physician workforce through federal legislation and appropriations, the scope of practice of nonphysicians, the diversity of the physician and patient populations, physician retirement patterns, and physician reentry into practice. The Division addresses these issues through collaboration with federal agencies, regulatory authorities, and other health care organizations engaged in policy development.

The Division also staffs the Committee on Pediatric Workforce (COPW), which formulates AAP workforce policy, and the Committee on Pediatric Education (COPE), which serves as thinktank of content experts on educational issues, from medical school through continuing medical education.

AAP responds to IOM Report on Resident Duty Hours

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) issued a new report on resident duty hours, entitled, "Resident Duty Hours: Enhancing Sleep, Supervision, and Safety."  This December 2008 report contains a number of recommendations calling for revisions to the resident duty hours limitations set by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) in 2003.  These recommendations have served as the impetus for thought-provoking conversations around patient safety and the quality of the educational environment.  For further information on the report, you can visit the IOM Web site.

All AAP groups (e.g. Councils, Committees, Sections, etc.) were contacted during the first months of 2009 by the Division of Workforce and Medical Education Policy.  The leaders of these AAP groups were asked to provide both general comments on the content of the IOM report as well as specific comments about the report’s recommendations.  Their insights, comments, and suggestions have been compiled and sent to the IOM, and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education and the Residency Review Committee for Pediatrics. Click here to read the full report.

ACGME Duty Hours Congress (Powerpoint)

The first part of this presentation is based on an Academy-wide review of the December 2008 IOM report on resident duty hours and represents the official stance of the Academy on the IOM report. However, the specific comments and recommendations from the AAP AAP Section on Medical Students, Residents, and Fellowship Trainees in the second part of the presentation are the personal opinions of members of the Section leadership and should not be construed as official AAP policy.

National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) - Match Day 2009

Thursday, March 19, 2009 is Match Day, when graduates of medical schools are matched to their residency programs. Click here for a Powerpoint with charts and graphs illustrating the performance of pediatrics in the Match. A short summary also appears online in AAP News. A full-feature article will follow in the May 2009 issue.

Physician Reentry into the Workforce
Many physicians, particularly women, leave practice, and then wish to reenter the physician workforce after an extended period of time away from clinical medicine. The reasons range from childbearing and caring for elderly relatives to substance abuse and loss of licensure. When a physician wishes to return to practice, what kind of retraining is needed? How is the person's clinical competence evaluated? What role in the workforce should the individual pursue? How should licensure and credentialing issues be addressed? The Academy, in collaboration with 20 other medical organizations, is exploring these and many other important questions related to physician reentry into the workforce. To learn more about what the Academy and its partners are doing in this area, visit the Reentry Web page.

Women in Pediatrics
With women comprising over 50% of pediatricians and 60% of pediatric residents, gender has a important influence on the pediatrician workforce. The issues range from part-time practice and balancing professional and personal lives to building leadership skills and advancement within academic medicine. Working with partners, such as the American Medical Association Women Physicians Congress and the Association of American Medical Colleges, the Division has undertaken a number of activities to study this critical issues. More information on these issues can be found on the Women in Pediatrics Web page.

UPDATED! Frequently Asked Questions

• How many pediatricians are there in the United States?
  According to the American Medical Association Masterfile, there were 57,698 general pediatricians in the United States in 2007, the most recent year for which data are available. There were also an additional 4,051 physicians trained jointly in internal medicine-pediatrics. Finally, there were 37,111 pediatric medical subspecialists, pediatric surgical specialists, and other specialist physicians who provide care to children. This accounts for an overall pediatric workforce (not counting care provided by family physicians) of 83,121. Smart DR, ed. Physician Characteristics and Distribution in the US, 2009 Edition. Chicago, Ill: American Medical Association, 2009.

• Where can I find additional information on the number of pediatricians in pediatric subspecialties?
  The book referenced above, provides information on the number of physicians in pediatric subspecialties using data from the American Medical Association Masterfile.  In addition, pediatric specialty association might be able to provide you with specialty specific statistics.

• How many children are there in the United States?
  The US Census Bureau estimates that as of July 1, 2008, the most recent year for which data are available, there were approximately 73,941,848 children between 0-17 in the United States. US Bureau of the Census.  Estimates of the Resident Population by Selected Age Groups for the United States, States, and Puerto Rico: July 1, 2008 (SC-EST2008-01). http://www.census.gov/popest/states/asrh/SC-EST2008-01.html  Accessed August 2009.

• What is the ideal pediatrician-to-population ratio?
  As the circumstances of each local health market vary widely, there is no ideal ratio. Many factors dictate the appropriate ratio between physicians and patients, including number of uninsured patients in the market, referral patterns, the presence of nonphysician clinicians, commuting patterns for subspecialty care, disease burden of the community, the presence of an academic medical center, and number of physicians.

• How much do pediatricians earn?
  A number of physician compensation surveys have been conducted and are available for purchase from the organizations that sponsored them. For example, Cejka Search, a national health care executive and physician search firm, has placed the mean salary for pediatricians in their 2008 at $130,000 for physicians just starting practice, and at $193,964 for pediatricians overall. However, reported salaries vary considerably by search firm, part of the country, practice arrangement, career stage and other factors. Available at: http://www.cejkasearch.com/compensation/amga_physician_compensation_survey.htm Accessed August 2009.

• Is there a pediatrician shortage?
  On behalf of the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Pediatric Workforce, Committee Chairperson, Beth A. Pletcher, MD, FACMG, FAAP spoke out in a commentary in AAP News calling for pediatrics to have a prominent role in health policy debates and noting the critical and worsening shortage of pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists, geographic maldistribution of pediatricians and other workforce issues and concerns.  Read this commentary at www.aap.org/copw for insights on the pediatric workforce.
  

The AAP Committee on Pediatric Workforce is currently revising its flagship policy statement on the pediatrician workforce. It will address emerging physician workforce issues, while continuing to articulate prior concerns about the adequacy of the pediatrician supply and maldistribution of pediatricians, pediatric subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists. 

According to a policy statement developed in July 2005 by the AAP Committee on Pediatric Workforce, pediatrics is training an adequate number of residents to meet the needs of the pediatric patient population. The Committee notes that "the current pediatrician workforce seems adequate to meet the health needs of US children, although significant regional variations may result in local shortages or oversupply, and subspecialty gaps remain to be addressed." In the case of pediatrics, the most pressing issues are the geographic maldistribution of physicians, particularly in rural and urban underserved areas, and the number of pediatric subspecialists in most specialty disciplines, although recent data from the American Board of Pediatrics suggests that the supply of subpecialists is improving. AAP Committee on Pediatric Workforce. Pediatrician Workforce Statement. Pediatrics. 2005 Jul;116(1):263-269.

• Where can I find information and resources for physicians wishing to reenter the workforce?
  The AAP Physician Reentry into the Workforce Project provides resources and information for physicians, organizations, and employers seeking information regarding physician reentry issues.  The Reentry Project is a collaborative endeavor to examine the diverse issues encompassed under the rubric of “reentry,” and to create guidelines, recommendations and strategies that will serve both physicians and organizations.  More information can be found at www.aap.org/reentry.

For more information and resources on workforce and educational policy issues, please visit the Web pages for the Committee on Pediatric Workforce and the Committee on Pediatric Education.