SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Dec. 10, 2019 - Today, Doximity released a new national research study on the 2019 labor market for doctors, showing a 5 percent increase in job opportunities for physicians in the U.S. since 2018. Family and internal medicine physicians were in greatest demand among specialists. The need for doctors is spread widely across the country, with El Paso, Texas and Miami, Fla. topping the list. The report also includes a ranking of the cities where physicians are most highly compensated.
Doximity’s U.S. Physician Employment Report 2019 details growth in the physician marketplace by geographic location, medical specialty and compensation based on an analysis of advertisements for employment opportunities and compensation data.
In addition to traditional job market growth, the 2019 report also includes an analysis of physician job opportunities in telemedicine, one of the fastest-growing sectors of the market. In just three years (2015–2018), the number of physicians who have self-reported telemedicine as a skill has doubled, increasing 20 percent year-over-year. The report found internal medicine and psychiatry were the telemedicine specialties most in demand.
“While the job market is strong for physicians, this continued growth points to a serious concern: the potential impact of a physician shortage on patients,” said Amit Phull, M.D., Vice President of Strategy and Insights at Doximity. “As access to care increases in the U.S., it is essential that healthcare stakeholders consider this increasing demand for doctors and how it’s cascading through the system, especially in smaller cities and rural areas.”
Additional findings from the study include:
- The top 5 metros where doctors are most in demand:
- El Paso, Texas
- Miami, Fla.
- Cleveland, Ohio
- Phoenix, Ariz.
- Denver, Colo.
- The top 5 metros where physicians are paid the most:
- Milwaukee, Wis.
- New Orleans, La.
- San Bernardino, Calif.
- Minneapolis, Minn.
- Charlotte, N.C.
- The top 5 specialties most in demand
- Family Medicine
- Internal Medicine
- Emergency Medicine
- Psychiatry
- Obstetrics & Gynecology
- The top 5 specialties most in demand in telemedicine:
- Internal Medicine
- Psychiatry
- Radiology
- Family Medicine
- Pediatrics
“Our data show that the demand for physicians spans a diverse array of geographic regions and specialties,” said Christopher Whaley, Ph.D., lead author of the report and assistant adjunct professor at the University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health. “Interestingly, telemedicine continues to be one of the highest growth sectors of the market.”
Read the full report here.
Methodology
This study is based on approximately 27,000 physician jobs posted on Doximity in 2018 and 2019. This report analyzed data on the top 50 metropolitan statistical areas and the top 10 medical specialties based on the number of job postings on the Doximity network in 2019. Compensation growth was drawn from Doximity’s self-reported compensation surveys of approximately 70,000 full-time, licensed U.S. physicians who practiced at least 40 hours per week between 2018 and 2019.