The search for anesthesiologists escalates: 10 things to know

There has been a 46% surge in anesthesiologist job searches between August 2020 and August 2024, according to a new study from medical technology company Rivanna Health.

Here are 10 more things to know about the anesthesia provider shortage.

1. Texas and Georgia have the highest anesthesiologist interest levels, followed by Louisiana and South Dakota, according to the Rivanna study, which looked at weekly interest levels on Google Trends from September 2019 to September 2024.

2. The highest interest level was observed in March 2023.

3. A 2024 Medicus white paper forecasts a shortage of 6,300 anesthesiologists by 2036.

4. Currently, there are 51,492 active anesthesiologists in the U.S., with 56.9% aged 55 or older and over 17% nearing retirement age.

5. The report highlights that the number of residency positions is insufficient to meet growing demand. In 2024, there were 1,695 available anesthesiology residency positions, leaving around 44% of medical students pursuing this specialty unmatched.

6. Demand for anesthesiologists is expected to rise, driven by a projected 2% to 3% increase in surgical service needs over the next decade.

7. Overall employment of anesthesiologists is anticipated to grow by 2.6% from 2022 to 2032.

8. More than 2,872 anesthesiologists left the workforce from 2021 to 2022, according to a report from Definitive Healthcare.

9. Over 50% of anesthesiologists said they felt burnt out or both burnt out and depressed, according to a 2024 Medscape survey.

10. The rapid growth of ASCs has spread the existing pool of anesthesiologists across more facilities.

“Now, you’re not just running 12 operating rooms, you’re running 12 operating rooms and six rooms over at that ASC,” Mark Thoma, MD, and chair of anesthesia at San Francisco-based The Permanente Medical Group told Becker’s. “Maybe you need at least 18 people in the morning instead of 12, and where are they coming in? Whether it’s an anesthesia practice or whether an anesthesia care team with [certified registered nurse anesthetists], you just need those bodies. Within the hospital, we’re seeing the horizontal explosion of non-OR anesthesia – so catheterization labs, gastroenterology, interventional radiology, etc..”