A 2024 Medicus white paper forecasts a shortage of 6,300 anesthesiologists by 2036, and anesthesia provider organizations are speaking out on the impact on the physicians and practitioners they represent.
Here are what CRNA, anesthesiologist and certified anesthesiologist assistant organizations told Becker's about the ongoing shortage. These groups represent both national and state-specific perspectives on the shortage:
Janet Setnor, MSN, CRNA. President of American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology:
There are two immediate needs for the healthcare workforce. First, increasing the pipeline of providers to meet the increasing demand. Secondly, removing barriers to ensure that the current workforce allows all providers to work to the top of their education and training, allowing for the most efficient use of all healthcare providers. Budget cuts in nursing programs have led to qualified applicants being turned away, while there is set to be a nearly 50% increase in demand for advanced practice nurses in the coming decade. Investment in nursing education and the workforce pipeline is critical. Last year over 55,000 qualified applicants were turned away from nursing programs due to insufficient clinical placement sites, faculty, preceptors, and classroom space, as well as budget cuts. This constrains the pipeline of registered nurses, even as the Bureau of Labor Statistics cites an estimated 40% growth in the demand for advanced practice registered nurses, including CRNAs in the coming years. Outdated federal programs such as Medicare and the Veterans Health Administration continue to place unnecessary barriers to care between patients and providers, such as CRNAs. Removing these burdensome barriers will allow both CRNAs and physician anesthesiologists to provide direct patient care, increasing the utilization of the current workforce and making it more efficient and cost effective.
Ronald Harter, MD. President of the American Society of Anesthesiologists: Building on two recent workforce summits held by ASA, member experts drafted a special article in Anesthesiology, the peer-reviewed journal of ASA, published in 2024: "Closing the Chasm: Understanding and Addressing the Anesthesia Workforce Supply and Demand Imbalance." The paper outlines emerging trends affecting the unfolding staffing crisis, with a view toward developing much needed sustainable short- and long-term solutions. As surgery and other procedures resumed after the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, surging demand placed additional stress on "an already fragile workforce." Thepercentage of facilities reporting an anesthesia staffing shortage increased from 35% inearly 2020 before the pandemic to 78% in late 2022. That creates "a dangerous spiral of work intensity and stress, unsustainable workloads, and retirements from clinical practice," according to lead author Amr Abouleish, M.D, and professor of anesthesiology at the University of Texas Medical Branch [in] Galveston. While staffing shortages are seen throughout the health care system, "reliable anesthesia staffing is essential to provide high-quality, safe and timely procedural care, which is a major financial driver for health systems."
Antonio Hernandez Conte, MD. Former President of the California Society of Anesthesiologists: For anesthesiologists, the practitioner shortage is resulting in highly demanding and unsustainable work schedules. Anesthesiologists are under pressure to take more calls, work after hours and cover long shifts, and cannot take time off. This undermines quality of life for the specialty, which in turn makes it hard to attract the next generation of anesthesiologists. The healthcare workforce is aging right now as well, which means that something needs to change in order to ensure there are enough anesthesia practitioners available in the next 10 to 20 years.
Tennessee Association of Nurse Anesthetists: Oftentimes, the tendency is to look at staffing shortages in anesthesia or other specialties simply in terms of supply and demand. Essentially, are there enough providers to meet the demand for care? However, it's often not as simple as that, because the factors that contribute to shortages may be as vast, complex and constantly evolving as the healthcare landscape itself. Factors such as workforce pipeline, retention and recruitment, burnout and fatigue, aging population of both patients and providers, barriers to practice, workplace environment and geography can all play a role in staffing shortages. But one of the most significant factors behind perceived provider shortages is staffing model efficiencies: In other words, are resources being allocated efficiently and used effectively? In Tennessee, we are focused on finding solutions, but that requires asking the right questions, assessing our state's specific needs and looking at data, not anecdotes.
Kelli Ray, CAA. President of the Tennessee Academy of Anesthesiologist Assistants: We are facing an unprecedented shortage of anesthesia providers in Tennessee and across the country. Many factors play into this demand, such as an aging patient population, growth in the number of non-surgical procedures requiring anesthesia, an increase in the number of outpatient surgery centers and a decrease in post-COVID medical providers. An online search for open CRNA positions in Tennessee currently results in almost 300 job listings. Oftentimes, these positions are being filled by traveling CRNA providers from out of state and come at a costly price.