Workforce experts predict that the United States will face a shortage of approximately 90,000 physicians by the year 2025. To protect patient access to care, the AMA continues to support legislation to increase Graduate Medical Education (GME) positions instead of cutting the federal funding that supports physician training.
Defining GME
GME stands for “graduate medical education,” more commonly referred to as ”residency” and “fellowship” training. The 3 to 9 years of training allows physicians to specialize and practice independently following medical school. Protecting funding for this specialty training means that more residents learn to provide the hands-on care patients need, when they need it.
The importance of residents
- Residents provide high quality care to patients, including seniors, veterans and the underserved, at teaching hospitals and in community settings.
- Residents help create the future of medicine. They are at the vanguard of health care delivery and innovation, including team-based care, quality initiatives and patient safety.
- Residents are finding cures for the future through clinical training at teaching hospitals that produce cutting edge medical research.
Take action at saveGME.org
Join other patients, physicians, residents and medical students to urge Congress to protect funding for GME. Visit saveGME.org to help preserve funding for GME and train our next generation of physicians.
The AMA has a history of working to ensure sufficient funding for GME. For background on this advocacy work, read AMA letters and reports on this topic.
