Vinci Robert J
Department of Pediatrics, Boston Medical Center and Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
Pediatrics. 2021 Jun;147(6). doi: 10.1542/peds.2020-013292. Epub 2021 Mar 10.
The future of the pediatric workforce has been the subject of significant dialogue in the pediatric community and generated much discussion in the academic literature. There are significant concerns regarding the ability of pediatricians to meet the growing demands of our pediatric population. Over the past 5 years, there has been a decline in the percentage of doctor of osteopathic medicine students who pursue a career in pediatrics but an equally important increase in the number of pediatric positions that are filled by doctor of osteopathic medicine students and international medical graduates. Although there has been an increase in the number of pediatric positions offered in the National Resident Matching Program, the last 4 years have seen a significant increase in the number of unfilled pediatric positions. A number of pediatric subspecialties struggle to fill their training positions, and those with low match rates may have 20% to 40% fewer applicants than positions. The pediatric vision for the future must include a commitment to a comprehensive strategic planning process with the many organizations involved across the multiple stages of the educational continuum. It is time to elucidate and address the questions raised by the workforce data. Developing solutions to these questions will require a careful planning process and a thoughtful analysis of the pediatric workforce data. Establishing this as an important priority will require a major collaborative effort between pediatric academic and professional organizations, but the future benefit to the nation's children will be significant.
儿科医疗队伍的未来一直是儿科领域深入探讨的话题，在学术文献中也引发了诸多讨论。人们对儿科医生满足不断增长的儿科患者需求的能力深感担忧。在过去5年里，选择从事儿科职业的整骨医学专业学生比例有所下降，但同样重要的是，由整骨医学专业学生和国际医学毕业生填补的儿科职位数量有所增加。尽管美国国家住院医师匹配计划中提供的儿科职位数量有所增加，但在过去4年里，未填补的儿科职位数量大幅上升。一些儿科亚专业难以填补其培训职位，匹配率低的专业收到的申请人数可能比职位数少20%至40%。儿科对未来的展望必须包括致力于开展全面的战略规划过程，涉及教育连续统一体多个阶段的众多组织都要参与其中。现在是阐明并解决劳动力数据所引发问题的时候了。针对这些问题制定解决方案需要精心的规划过程以及对儿科劳动力数据进行深入分析。将此确立为重要优先事项需要儿科学术组织和专业组织之间的重大协作努力，但这对国家儿童的未来益处将是巨大的。
