The number of medical school graduates who match to a family medicine residency position grew for the fourth consecutive year in 2013, according to the annual residency census conducted by the American Academy of Family Physicians.
Additionally, attendance has grown at AAFP's National Conference for Family Medicine Residents and Medical Students, which could mean more medical students and residents plan family medicine careers, according to the news release. This year, 3,542 people attended the conference, up from 3,370 in 2012 and 3,182 in 2011.
"Taken together, these [findings] show the ship may be turning. But it isn't turning fast enough to meet future needs, given the demand that will grow as a result of the [Patient Protection and] Affordable Care Act's expansion of insurance coverage and the aging of our population," Perry Pugno, MD, vice president for medical education at AAFP, said in the release. "Students are recognizing that family medicine is a specialty that will meet their professional goals and gives them a future that includes both personal and professional satisfaction," he added.
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