AMA backs medical-school expansion policies

The American Medical Association is pressing a two-track response to the U.S. physician shortage: train more doctors and reorganize care around physician-led teams. The position ties together long-running AMA support for more medical-school and residency capacity with a parallel argument that doctors, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and other clinicians will need to work in more coordinated models as shortages deepen. The backdrop is a workforce crunch the AMA says could leave the country short up to 86,000 physicians by 2036. The argument is not new, but it has gained fresh relevance as medical schools and health systems expand classes and redesign training. Medical Economics reported that the AMA has supported policies aimed at increasing training capacity and warned that barriers in the pipeline can worsen access problems. A separate AMA issue brief says the group has long backed legislation to increase graduate medical education, or GME, slots, the federally supported residency positions that often become the bottleneck after medical school. (ama-assn.org) ### Where does the shortage show up in the pipeline? The AMA’s case rests on a simple constraint: graduating more medical students does not by itself produce more practicing physicians if residency positions do not keep pace. The group’s 2025 GME funding brief says physician shortages are being driven by an aging population, burnout and early retirement, with nearly 45% of active U.S. physicians age 55 or older. (medicaleconomics.com) The Association of American Medical Colleges has also continued to publish annual physician workforce projections showing shortages under multiple scenarios. Those reports are widely used across the sector to frame debates over primary care, specialty care and geographic maldistribution, particularly in rural and underserved communities. ### Why is the AMA talking about team-based care at the same time? The AMA says physician-led team-based care is not a substitute for training more doctors but part of the response to a thinner workforce. (ama-assn.org) In an AMA article on team-based care, Kimberly Herner, chief quality officer at Valley Medical Center in Washington state, said shortages mean health systems will have to “do things differently” and match patients with the right clinician for the right task. AMA policy describes nonphysician providers as valuable parts of that physician-led model. (aamc.org) That approach also aligns with changes in medical education. Becker’s Hospital Review, citing the Association of American Medical Colleges, reported in February that interprofessional education has moved from a pilot concept toward a mainstream expectation as schools prepare students for coordinated care delivery. (ama-assn.org) ### What does the AMA say about selectivity and access? Medical Economics reported that the AMA’s position includes concern that overly restrictive pathways into medicine can aggravate shortages. The publication said the organization’s policy was framed around improving access to care, especially in underserved areas, through more flexible and innovative education models. The AMA has made a similar affordability argument in other parts of the pipeline. (beckershospitalreview.com) In a June 2025 commentary, then-AMA President Bruce A. Scott said proposed federal student-loan changes could make medical school unaffordable for many applicants and worsen workforce shortages. ### What policy fight comes next? Congress is weighing one of the clearest near-term tests of that agenda. Medical Economics reported in June 2025 that the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2025 would add 14,000 new Medicare-supported GME slots over seven years, starting in 2026, with priority for rural hospitals, new medical schools and health professional shortage areas. (medicaleconomics.com) (ama-assn.org) The AMA’s current issue briefs continue to point to GME expansion as a central federal ask. Whether lawmakers approve more residency funding will determine how much of the medical-school expansion now underway can translate into a larger practicing physician workforce in the years ahead. (ama-assn.org) (medicaleconomics.com)