Family medicine physicians are still the most sought-after specialty — for the eighth year in a row, healthcare staffing firm Merritt Hawkins found family medicine physicians to be the most in-demand clinician specialty based on staffing requests the firm receives.
General internists nabbed the second spot on the list, a position they have held for eight years in a row also. This highlights "the continued nationwide demand for primary care physicians," according to Merritt Hawkins' 2014 Review of Physician and Advanced Practitioner Recruiting Incentives report.
One major change is the increasing demand for advanced practitioners like physician assistants and nurse practitioners. The number of search assignments for PAs and NPs conducted by Merritt Hawkins has increased 320 percent over the last three years.
The following are Merritt Hawkins' top 10 most-requested physician searches by medical specialty.
1. Family medicine
2. Internal medicine
3. Hospitalist
4. Psychiatry
5. Nurse practitioner
6. Pediatrician
7. Emergency medicine
8. Obstetrics/gynecology
9. Physician assistant
10. Neurology
The report is based on the 3,158 physician and advanced practitioner search assignments conducted by Merritt Hawkins and AMN Healthcare's staffing companies between April 1, 2013 and March 31, 2014.