1624 - Growth Trends in PM&R Residency Positions

As the United States population ages and accumulates disability, the growing need for rehabilitative care is creating a demand that the current supply of physiatrists may not meet. Disparities in the physiatric workforce already exist, especially in the South as described by Perret et. al in 2018. While growing the workforce likely requires a multi-faceted solution, this discussion aims to assess the role of graduate medical education (GME) by analyzing how trends in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R) residency positions are guiding growth in physiatry.

Design:

Using the National Resident Matching Program’s “Results and Data” of the “Main Residency Match” for 2018 and 2024, the numbers of offered and matched PM&R positions (categorical, advanced, “physician,” and integrated pediatric) were extracted by residency program, state, and region. Data from 2024 and 2018 were then compared to identify growth trends in PM&R positions nationally and regionally.

Results:

From 2018 to 2024, the number of physiatry residency positions grew by an average of 26.2 offered and 25.5 matched spots annually. This growth was driven primarily by categorical positions, which increased by 14.3 offered and matched spots per year, while advanced positions grew by 9.2 offered and 8.8 matched spots. Regionally, the West and South exhibited the largest relative growth in matched positions with increases of 58.3% and 53.6%, respectively. Meanwhile, relative growth in the Northeast was 38.3% and 7.69% in the Central US.

Conclusions:

This data offers unique perspectives regarding the growth of PM&R within the United States. From a GME standpoint, PM&R residency position growth trends appear appropriately distributed to match regional rehabilitative care discrepancies, with larger relative growth seen within the South and West. Further discussion is necessary to determine if the overall growth in PM&R positions nationally is projected to sufficiently meet workforce needs.