FSMB Census of Licensed Physicians in the United States, 2020

ABSTRACT There are 1,018,776 licensed physicians in the United States and the District of Columbia, representing a physician workforce that is 20% larger than it was a decade ago, according to data from 2020 compiled by the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB). The licensed physician population has grown in number relative to the total population, but concerns about a doctor shortage remain as both the general and physician populations age. Late career physicians generally work fewer hours and retire at higher rates, while younger physicians place more emphasis on work-life balance that may also limit work hours, even as many older physicians have delayed retirement in recent years. The mean age of licensed physicians is now 51.7 years, a year higher than it was in 2010. The physician workforce is increasingly mixed in gender and type of physician, with more women and more individuals with Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degrees, specialty board certification and international medical degrees than a decade ago. The ability to inventory a nation’s health care workforce across all specialties and jurisdictions is essential to the delivery of quality health care where it is needed most. This paper marks the FSMB’s sixth biennial census of licensed physicians in the United States and the District of Columbia and provides valuable information about the nation’s available physician workforce, including information about medical degree type, location of undergraduate medical education, specialty certification, number of active licenses, age and sex. As the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the United States is not yet fully known, this report should help state medical boards as they consider changes to their statutes and regulations to facilitate telemedicine and licensure portability after the pandemic ends and before another national public health emergency.

Research Publications of the Oman Medical Specialty Board

Objectives: To date, the quantity and the quality of research publications conducted within the Oman Medical Specialty Board (OMSB) have not been assessed. In this review, we sought to assess the quantity and quality of research publications affiliated with the OMSB. Methods: We retrieved data systematically from PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. We searched all publications published until December 2018. Results: A total of 133 published articles affiliated with the OMSB were retrieved. Half of the publications were original studies, and 30.8% were case reports or series. Reviews and editorials represented 6.8% and 8.3%, respectively. Among the original studies, 79.4% were cross sectionals and 50.0% were retrospective in nature. Among the prospective studies, 58.8% were questionnaire-based surveys. The impact factors of the journals ranged between 0.82 and 4.40, except for one journal with an impact factor of 15.10. Conclusions: The quantity and quality of the publications from the OMSB is still low. However, training and policy change in the residency curriculum is key to improve the status.

A Systematic Review of the Relationship Between In-Training Examination Scores and Specialty Board Examination Scores

ABSTRACT Background In-training examinations (ITEs) are intended for low-stakes, formative assessment of residents' knowledge, but are increasingly used for high-stake purposes, such as to predict board examination failures. Objective The aim of this review was to investigate the relationship between performance on ITEs and board examination performance across medical specialties. Methods A search of the literature for studies assessing the strength of the relationship between ITE and board examination performance from January 2000 to March 2019 was completed. Results were categorized based on the type of statistical analysis used to determine the relationship between ITE performance and board examination performance. Results Of 1407 articles initially identified, 89 articles underwent full-text review, and 32 articles were included in this review. There was a moderate-strong relationship between ITE and board examination performance, and ITE scores significantly predict board examination scores for the majority of studies. Performing well on an ITE predicts a passing outcome for the board examination, but there is less evidence that performing poorly on an ITE will result in failing the associated specialty board examination. Conclusions There is a moderate to strong correlation between ITE performance and subsequent performance on board examinations. That the predictive value for passing the board examination is stronger than the predictive value for failing calls into question the “common wisdom” that ITE scores can be used to identify “at risk” residents. The graduate medical education community should continue to exercise caution and restraint in using ITE scores for moderate to high-stakes decisions.

Prevalence of Depression among Oman Medical Specialty Board Residents

I read with great interest the paper published by Al-Houqani et al,1 in the March 2019 issue of the Oman Medical Journal, which investigated the prevalence of depression among Oman Medical Specialty Board residents. The results indicated that the prevalence of depression was 28.8%, and the correlates were gender, level of residency, sleep duration, and exercise.