Now Available: The 2023 Otolaryngology Workforce Report

This article appears as the “Background” chapter of the 2023 Otolaryngology Workforce Report.¹ The report can be accessed on the Academy website.

Otolaryngology-head and neck surgery is a dynamic, continually evolving specialty that provides primary expertise in disease processes essential to daily living as well as directly affecting quality of life from birth until death.

As the healthcare delivery system moves toward imminent reform in the United States with stated goals of equitable access and affordability for all patients as well as the system in general, it is critical to have an accurate accounting of resources available to achieve these goals. Last year, the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) reported on the 2022 workforce survey that was designed by the AAO-HNS Workforce and Socioeconomic Survey Task Force. The 2022 Otolaryngology Workforce Report resulted in the most comprehensive information gathering and analysis since 1975.

The information obtained in the 2022 study serves as a baseline for future iterations of this project. The 2022 study also revealed additional opportunities to look at more specific areas in greater detail within the survey instrument that can focus on areas of identified need that may vary with time.

The Task Force, chaired by Andrew J. Tompkins, MD, MBA, reviewed and analyzed the results of the 2022 study and explored ideas to increase participation, particularly in the residents-in-training category. The 2023 study serves as a valuable follow-up to last year’s demographics and practice-related data that will be cumulative. Additional questions were designed in several areas to help expand and clarify information gained last year. They also decided to include an area of additional focus on pediatric otolaryngology that reviewed fellowship training, overall pediatric workforce, practice environment, geographic mapping, retirement data, and workforce supply projections.

This year’s study also looks at training and resident experiences and preferences, including perceived training exposure gaps, fellowship interest, and job search and expectations. There is a section on recruitment of new physicians to both academic and private practice that highlights recruiting difficulties and possible methods to improve recruitment processes. The section on practice details includes the use of advanced practice providers (APPs), productivity statistics, call, income analysis, an expanded section on in-office procedures, and the use of biologics and other new technologies. The 2023 study also contains additional information on retirement plans and influencing factors.

The results of the survey should be valuable for all otolaryngologists, but medical students and residents should be able to gather information as they plan their training and future practice model by reviewing this information about subspecialty needs and geographic opportunities in the comparative review of practice settings. For those already in academic or private practice, this study provides the opportunity to compare your current situation with colleagues across the country with useful information on patients seen, number of U.S. locations, use of APPs, income, and the local supply of otolaryngologist as well as fellowship-trained subspecialists. This information will hopefully provide guidance for future planning needs for your practice.

When the healthcare delivery system begins reform, information provided in this study, along with other similar studies, will be critical as Congress decides funding of graduate medical education, private payer networks are formed, alternative practice strategies are debated, and payment models determined. I offer my sincere thanks to all who have worked on this study and those who have taken the time to carefully review and participate in the study. You have done a great service to the specialty for both today and in the future.

Reference:

1. The 2023 Otolaryngology Workforce Report. Alexandria, Virginia: American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, 2024.