 What are those special medical specialties that are currently in the highest demand? It's no secret that healthcare workers are in high demand across the United States. In fact, the Association of American Medical Colleges reports that the U.S. currently has a national physician shortest between 60 to 120,000. So in today's episode, we're going to break down the top five types of physicians that are currently in the highest demand, maybe one of them is a specialty you're considering. So first let's quickly break down why there's a physician shortage in the first place. Now like many things in a medical system, there's a lot of factors in play. Number one being population growth. As the population grows, there are more physicians that will be required to take care of them. Number two, people are just living longer. The over 65 population is expected to increase by 45% in the next decade. In addition to just the age of the population, going through the recent COVID surge, many physicians have also experienced burnout during the COVID pandemic, leading to sooner retirements than expected. So now we have an older and growing population, even less physicians than we were expected to. Going through medical school myself, I know it's a very stressful process and unfortunately there's a fixed number of medical schools and residency training programs available to future doctors. And the number of new schools and programs that are being established every year are just not able to keep up with the pace and the demand. So now that we know some of the key reasons behind the physician shortage, let's talk about the doctors that are in the most in demand because of this. Starting with number five, the field of internal medicine. Internal medicine physicians are trained to manage complex adult diseases, think about diseases of the heart, the kidneys, the lungs, etc. and are often considered to either be the main primary physicians in the hospital or a now patient setting as a PCP. For example, after I finished my internal medicine residency, I took a job as a hospitalist where my main responsibility was to take care of patients in the hospital after they're admitted and all the way to discharge. Now in the field of internal medicine, we definitely experienced a lot of burnout during the COVID pandemic because we were the primary physicians taking care of these really sick patients. So not only did the field of internal medicine lose some great physicians to other opportunities, we still have a growing population to deal with as their primary care providers or main hospitalist physicians. In terms of salary, somebody in general internal medicine, whether as a primary care physician or working as a hospitalist, can make about $250,000 to $300,000 depending on the area of the country that they're working in. The next field that is highest in demand is the field of cardiology. Like the name suggests, cardiologists focus on diagnosis and treating diseases that affect the heart and cardiovascular system. For example, they manage patients who may have experienced myocardial infarction, another word for heart attack. Now with both our population getting older as well as our lifestyles remaining and continue to become more unhealthy, heart disease will continue to plague many patients in the U.S. And so the field of cardiology will always be in demand. It's one of the reasons that I'm pursuing it currently as a cardiology fellow. Now in terms of salary, again based off of geographic locations as well as the type of practice you have, an average salary for a cardiologist can be anywhere from $450,000 to $500,000 or more. Now next up is the field of OB-GYN. These are physicians who have specialized and dedicated their time to women's health. They treat various gynecological diseases as well as ensure women who are pregnant receive the proper healthcare during their deliveries. OB-GYN physicians see female patients from all ages, so they too are experiencing an increase in the elderly population. And many of their general appointments will deal with common issues such as cervical and breast cancer screenings which are extremely important. So with a continuing growing population, the field of OB-GYN will always be in demand. In regards to salary, the field of OB-GYN, again depending on the type of practice, can average between $330,000 to $350,000 or more. Now at number two on our list is the field of psychiatry. These physicians specialize in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mental illness and emotional disorders. They also play a role in conditions involving both addiction and recovery. And even before the COVID pandemic, the United States was in a mental health crisis with one in 10 adults reporting symptoms of anxiety and depression. And with a combination of that number continuing to increase as well as an elderly population and finally with less stigma around getting help for any mental health problems, the field of psychiatry will definitely continue to see a demand in the future. And currently the average salary is about $309,000. And then finally, number one, the field with the highest demand are primary care physicians. These include your family medicine doctors, your pediatricians, as well as internal medicine doctors that are serving as your primary care physicians. Primary care physicians or PCPs work with all ages of patients are usually the first line of physicians to see a patient. These are the physicians that usually will go to to diagnose and treat various illnesses and consult other specialties for more complex issues. Now, because PCPs serve as a frontline to our health care system, it's no surprise that there's a major shortage with our growing population and increasing burnout rates, as these physicians are unfortunately having to see more and more patients. Just think about the last time you went to go see your doctor and how long it took you to be seen despite what time your appointment was. Often this is little fault of the doctors themselves and more so of how busy that clinic has to be to be able to see all the patients that need to see that physician. This is also why there's so many programs in college, medical school, and residency used to encourage more future doctors to become these PCPs. But for many reasons, including the burnout rate, our complicated medical system and the salary of just $225,000, which is significantly less compared to the other specialties that we talked about, it's no surprise that the field of being a PCP or going into family medicine, pediatrician, or an internal medicine is less desirable compared to going to a higher paying specialty with a better lifestyle. Now, overall, combining the problem of physician shortage with a growing population, these end up being the most common and highest demand medical specialties currently in the United States. If you feel like we missed an important medical specialty in this list, go ahead and add it down to the comment section down below. And also, while you're dropping your comment, let us know, are you considering any of these fields as a possibility of the type of doctor you want to be? Now, if you enjoyed this episode and you want more just like this, as well as our other episodes focused on helping you succeed on your medical journey with less stress, make sure you hit that like, subscribe, and follow, and again, drop your comments down below. And if you enjoyed this episode and you want to see what the day in the life of a doctor truly looks like, check out this episode to see my full day as a full-time hospitalist, as well as this episode to see my life now as a full-time cardiology fellow. As always, my friends, thank you so much for joining us on our journey. Hopefully we were a little helped to you guys and yours. We'll catch you guys in the next one. Peace.