New York State Resident Exit Survey: Demand for Primary Care Physicians Remains Strong

Family medicine, emergency medicine, adult psychiatry, dermatology and general internal medicine saw the greatest demand according to the annual New York State Resident Exit Survey, compiled by CHWS.

ALBANY, N.Y. (October 19, 2017) – The demand for primary care physicians remains stronger than the demand for specialty physicians, according to results from the 2016 New York State Resident Exit Survey compiled by UAlbany’s Center for Health Workforce Studies. More than half of new physicians who completed their GME training in New York report out-of-state practice plans.

The Exit Survey, conducted annually since 1998 (excluding 2004 and 2006), provides an overview of the outcomes of training and the demand for new physicians. Among the key data points tracked by the survey include physician job market assessments, demand based on areas of specialization, and the likelihood of physicians practicing in New York after completing training.

The demand for primary care physicians has outpaced demand for specialists every year since 2008. Primary care physicians were less likely than their specialist counterparts to report difficulty in finding a satisfactory job; they received more job offers than specialists and had a more positive assessment of the regional job market. Also of note, the average increase in median starting income was four percent for primary care physicians versus 3 percent for specialists from 2012 through 2016.

The survey is conducted by CHWS in collaboration with GME Directors at the New York’s teaching hospitals and other key stakeholders. A total of 3,084 of the estimated 5,225 physicians finishing a residency or fellowship training program completed the 2016 Exit Survey, a 59 percent response rate.

Other key findings:

• The new physician job market remains strong, with 94 percent of respondents who had actively searched for a practice position reporting at least one job offer by the time they completed the survey;
• The median starting income of respondents jumped by five percent from 2015 to 2016; 2 points higher than the four year average of 3 percent;
• Family medicine, emergency medicine; adult psychiatry, dermatology and general internal medicine saw the greatest demand;
• Pathology, radiology, pediatric subspecialties, cardiology and anesthesiology experienced the weakest demand relative to other specialties; and
• Fifty-five percent of newly trained physicians reported plans to practice outside New York after completing training; the main reasons cited included proximity to family (24 percent), better jobs outside of New York (13 percent), and better salary outside of New York (12 percent).

The Exit Survey was conducted by the Center for Health Workforce Studies in the spring and summer of 2016. The report was prepared by CHWS staff David P. Armstrong, Yuhao Liu, and Gaetano J. Forte, with layout design by Leanne Keough. Funding for the 2016 Exit Survey and analysis was provided by the New York State Department of Health.

Established in 1996, CHWS is an academic research center, based at the School of Public Health, University at Albany, State University of New York. The mission of CHWS is to provide timely, accurate data and conduct policy relevant research about the health workforce. The research conducted by CHWS supports and promotes health workforce planning and policymaking at local, regional, state, and national levels. Today, CHWS is a national leader in the field of health workforce studies.

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