Number of DOs increased by nearly 40% over 6 years, new physician census reports

From 2010 to 2016, the number of actively licensed DOs in the U.S. increased by nearly 40%, from over 58,000 to over 81,000, reports the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) in its most recent physician census, released last week and published in the Journal of Medical Regulation.

Over the same time period, the number of actively licensed MDs in the nation went up by 10%, from nearly 790,000 to over 870,000.

By the AOA’s count, there are more than 102,000 DOs total in the U.S., with a combined total of more than 129,000 osteopathic medical students and osteopathic physicians.

Here are the FSMB report’s other key findings:

• The nation’s total number of actively licensed physicians, including U.S.-trained MDs, DOs and international medical graduates, is nearly 954,000.
• One-third of the nation’s physicians are female. The number of women physicians increased by 26% from 2010 to 2016.

Related

• Nearly 79% of actively licensed physicians are board-certified by either the AOA or the American Board of Medical Specialties.
• Among the 50 states and Washington, DC, the nation’s capital has the greatest physician density per capita, with 1,838 physicians per 100,000 people. Following DC are Hawaii (662/100,000), Wyoming (645/100,000) and Vermont (567/100,000).
• The physician shortage is most severe in Texas, which has 280 physicians per 100,000 people, followed by Nevada (301/100,000) and Kansas (329/100,000). To learn more, check out the complete report.