Physician Reentry into the Workforce

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Physician Re-entry into the Workforce

• AAP Committee on Pediatric Education
• November 2006

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Definition

• Physician re-entry into the workforce can be
  defined as returning to professional activity
  /clinical practice for which one has been
  trained, certified or licensed after an extended
  time period.

3
Who are the stakeholders?(partial list)

• Federal/state governments
• Medical societies
• Regulatory groups (state licensing boards)
• Federal agencies (Veterans Health
  Administration, Medical Reserve Corps)

4
Who are the stakeholders?

• Hospitals (including JCAHO)
• Specialty boards
• Groups invested in physician workforce planning
  (AMA, AAMC)
• Groups with an agenda that focuses on women in
  medicine (AMA, AMWA)
• INDIVIDUAL PHYSICIANS !!!

5
Some reasons for leaving the workforce

• Health
• Substance abuse
• Retirement
• Burnout
• Loss of licensure
• Family needs (ie, children, elderly parents)
• Career change (eg, administrative position,
  research, etc.)

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Some reasons for re-entering the workforce

• Financial reasons
• Responding to a need in the community (ie,
  natural disaster)
• To pursue a new challenge or area of medicine

• Miss colleagues and/or practice environment
• Miss caring for patients
• Too much free time on my hands

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Why is this issue important?

• Many physicians leave clinical medicine for a
  period of time
• Federal investment in GME Medicine is a public
  good.
• Unmet patient need underserved areas and
  anticipated public health crisis

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Why is this issue important?

• A mechanism to bring more flexibility into the
  system (e.g the attractiveness of medicine as a
  career)
• Is the structure of the health care system too
  rigid to accommodate diverse practice/career/perso
  nal needs?
• Do MDs need to leave because the system wont
  give?
• Will we face an unstable MD workforce?

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http//www.aap.org/reentry