Will Changes to the Student Loan System Worsen Physician Shortages?

WayOutWestMom
Thu, 26 Jun 2025 23:43:06 +0000

Pediatrics, internal medicine and family medicine already all fail to fill all their offered residency positions with regularity.

Per the NRMP in 2025, 805 FM positions failed to fill; 357 categorical IM positions failed to fill and 147 pediatric positions failed to fill. (Those filling the positions include USMDs, USDOs and US-IMGS and non-US IMGs. Vacancies listed are post-SOAP vacancies.)

Pediatrics rebounded from a disastrous 2024 Match which left over 250 residencies slots unfilled.

US medical grads aren’t flocking into primary care specialties.

FM residencies*
28% USMD
27% USDO
11% US-IMG
15% non-US IMG

IM (categorical) * **
34% USMDs
17% USD)
10% US-IMG
33% non US-IMG

Pediatrics*
47% USMDs
20% USDO
8% US-IMG
27% non-US IMG

*Note 1 --total will not = 100% because of vacant positions

**Note 2-- a categorical IM residency is required to later sub-specialize in cardiology, gastroenterology, endocrinology, pulmonology, critical care, infectious diseases, endocrinology, oncology, rheumatology, hematology, hepatology, nephrology, transplant medicine, sleep medicine and host of other even more specialtized subspecialties.

The US in only managing to get by in primary care because of the number of FMGs coming to the US.

Pediatrics, general internal medicine and family medicine have the lowest starting and median salaries of all specialties.