Effectively Recruiting Urologists Amidst a Nationwide Shortage
Staffing urologists has become a growing challenge for healthcare organizations, with demand outpacing supply in many regions. The combination of an aging workforce, increasing patient needs, and a limited pipeline of new specialists has created a competitive landscape for recruiting and retaining top talent.
These challenges directly impact access to care, patient satisfaction, and operational efficiency, leaving administrators searching for effective solutions. Understanding the trends shaping urologist staffing and exploring strategic approaches is crucial for healthcare organizations looking to maintain quality care and remain resilient in an evolving healthcare environment.
Our recently published white paper, Urology: Supply, Demand, and Recruiting Trends, examines trends in the recruitment of urologists, including current supply and demand projections, compensation in the specialty, and recommendations for recruiting these highly sought-after health professionals.
On-Trend: Urology Demand Outpaces Supply in the U.S.
Urology is one of a variety of specialties for which there is a rising demand in the U.S. and a limited supply (for more information on this topic, see AMN Healthcare’s white paper Physician Supply Considerations: The Emerging Shortage of Specialists).
In its March 2024 report, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) projected a shortage of up to 86,000 physicians nationally by 2036. This will include a shortage of primary care physicians, but an even larger shortage of up to specialists (The Complexities of Physician Supply and Demand: Projections From 2018 to 2036. Association of American Medical Colleges. April 2024).
In general, these shortages will be driven by demographic trends—In particular, the aging of the patient population and the aging of the physician workforce. A recent American Urologic Association (AUA) survey reported that 52% of practicing urologists are 55 years of age or older, while nearly 30% are 65 or older.
This suggests that perhaps half of the urologic workforce will retire from active practice within the next decade. Compounding the “graying” of urologists is a maldistribution of urologists. The same AUA survey verified that 72% of United States counties have either one or no urologist (The State of the Urology Workforce and Practice in the U.S. American Urological Association. 2017).
According to the Healthcare Resource and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Regional Projections of Supply and Demand for Surgical Subspecialty Practitioners, there will be a deficit of 3,630 urologists by 2025.
An Aging Workforce
Practice patterns change as urologists age. The AUA reports that urologists who continue to practice beyond age 65 see fewer patients than their under 65-year-old colleagues. Specifically, using 100 patient visits per week as a gauge of high office volume, only 8.2% of urologists over 65 see that threshold compared to 24.3% and 22.2% of urologists in the 55 to 64 and 45 to 54 age groups, respectively (When Are Doctors Too Old to Practice? Wall Street Journal. July 25,
2017. L. Lagnado). The aging of the urologist workforce therefore represents a loss of FTEs even before older urologists retire because they see fewer patients as they age.
Maldistribution of Urologists Emphasizes Staffing Gaps
The AUA report cited above indicates that 72% of U.S. counties have one or no urologist. In some cases, this is understandable, as physician-to-population ratios indicate one urologist requires a base of about 30,000 patients and some smaller communities simply do not have the population to support a urologist. However, many other smaller communities could support a urologist but may be unable to find one.
Compounding the problem is the fact that younger urologists and female urologists are less likely to settle in rural areas. Approximately 7% of urologists under age 45 practice outside metropolitan areas compared to 9–14% of urologists in other age groups, according to the AUA.
Because women urologists are also less likely to practice in rural areas, the urologist
maldistribution is likely to become more intense in future years.
Recruiting Imperatives for Urologists
As demand for urologists increases, so will the difficulty of recruiting these specialists. Hospitals, medical groups and other healthcare facilities that are seeking urologists should prepare to commit the required effort, flexibility, responsiveness and resources required to be successful in today’s challenging market.
As with recruiting other types of physicians, when recruiting urologists, it is important to structure the offer to be as appealing as possible to the widest number of potential candidates. Hospitals, medical groups and other facilities cannot control where they are located, or the lifestyle, educational and other amenities offered in their areas. However, they can control the quality of the practice being offered.
As with all difficult searches, it is important in urology searches to be flexible, creative, and committed to quick turnarounds, accommodating the schedules of candidates, responding with information as needed, and making an offer as soon as an appropriate candidate is found. Know the market, know what is needed to be successful, and execute the search with the maximum amount of commitment and efficiency possible.
A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Urology Market
As demand rises and more specialists retire, healthcare systems must act swiftly. Our latest white paper, Urology: Supply, Demand, and Recruiting Trends, delves deeper into the realities of this shortage and offers key strategies to help your organization navigate its consequences.
Download the full white paper today to uncover deeper insights on current urology trends, demographics, future outlook, and hiring considerations to make more informed physician staffing decisions and help your organization fill critical roles.
