General Surgeon Shortage Growing Across America

The shortage of general surgeons in the U.S. is projected to get worse as the number of these doctors entering the workforce each year fails to keep pace with population growth, a U.S. study suggests.

Researchers predict shortages based on their estimates of population growth by 2050 and the number of medical schools and hospital-sponsored general surgery trainee positions in the U.S.

By 2050, there will be a deficit of 7,047 general surgeons nationwide, researchers calculated. That's higher than the shortage of 6,000 they projected a decade ago based on the pace of population growth and new surgeons entering the job market at that point in time.

"Leaders in surgery have predicted a pending shortage in the general surgery workforce for more than 10 years," said lead study author Dr. E. Christopher Ellison of the Ohio State University College of Medicine in Columbus.

"The impact of the general surgeon shortages on patients is measured in the timeliness of care and the consequences of delays in care," Ellison said by email.

Because most general surgeons practice in metropolitan areas, the impact of the shortage will be more keenly felt by rural communities, Ellison added.

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