Salsberg ES, Forte GJ. Trends in the physician workforce, 1980-2000. Health Affairs. 2002;21(5):165-173.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.21.5.165
Over the past 25 years, the nation has struggled with a series of physician workforce issues: determining the appropriate number of physicians needed and the appropriate number to produce; the role of international medical school graduates; the mix of primary care and non-primary care physicians; efforts to increase the number of underrepresented minorities in medicine and the supply of physicians in rural areas; and the impact of a growing number of female physicians. This paper documented physician workforce trends over the past 20 years, especially as they related to these issues.