It’s not just a bad labor market, but a pipeline problem stacked on top of an aging workforce, a bottlenecked training system and a reimbursement environment that’s making it harder to attract new anesthesiologists and certified registered nurse anesthetists into the specialty.
Here are 10 numbers that show why the pipeline is buckling:
1. 6,300. The U.S. is projected to face a shortage of 6,300 anesthesiologists by 2036.
2. 12,500. CRNAs aren’t insulated from the crunch either. There is a projected shortage of roughly 12,500 CRNAs by 2033, nearly 22% of today’s workforce of about 65,700 to 67,700 nurse anesthetists.
3. 56.9%. Nearly 57% of practicing anesthesiologists are 55 or older, and more than 17% are nearing retirement, per the Medicus data. A workforce this close to retirement age means the shortage is set to accelerate just as demand from an aging surgical population climbs.
4. 44%. Roughly 44% of medical students seeking an anesthesiology residency didn’t match in the 2024 cycle, despite 1,695 positions being available across 178 programs.
5. 24%. The CRNA side of the pipeline has its own choke point: nurse anesthesia training programs accept only about 24% of applicants on average.
6. 40.6%. Even providers already in the field are eyeing the exits. An American Medical Association survey found 40.6% of anesthesiologists plan to leave their current role within two years, a retention problem that compounds the supply shortage rather than just reflecting it.
7. 56%. Burnout is widespread on both sides of the anesthesia care team: about 56% of CRNAs report feeling very or somewhat burned out, and roughly half of anesthesiologists report burnout or depression.
8. 78%. Rural facilities are feeling the strain most acutely. The share reporting CRNA staffing gaps jumped from 35% in 2020 to 78% by late 2022, per American Society of Anesthesiologists workforce research, and CRNAs deliver more than 80% of anesthesia care in rural counties, so those gaps hit access hard.
9. 44%. The share of ASCs expecting to pay anesthesia stipends to secure coverage jumped from 28% in 2024 to 44% in 2025, according to VMG Health data. Anesthesia coverage now ranks among the top three financial challenges cited by 67% of ASC leaders heading into 2026.
10. 5.5%. Reimbursement is moving the wrong direction at the same time costs are rising. Average anesthesia reimbursement fell 5.5% from 2019 to 2023, and the No Surprises Act has generated an estimated $5 billion in new costs since 2022, per Health Affairs data.