A widening shortage of doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers is raising concerns about patient access, longer wait times and added strain on hospitals as demand for care continues to climb.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
The United States is facing mounting pressure on its healthcare system as hospitals, clinics and medical training programs struggle to keep pace with growing demand, an aging workforce, widespread burnout and concerns that immigration enforcement could further reduce the number of available workers.
A Daily Caller News Foundation report found that the country is confronting a worsening healthcare workforce shortage that analysts warn could create major challenges across the medical system. The Bureau of Health Workforce projects that non-metro areas will face a 39% shortage of primary care physicians by 2038, according to its workforce data.
American Hospital Association Associate Director of Media Relations Ben Teicher said the shortage is being driven in part by the basic reality that more Americans need medical care.
“One of the primary drivers of the ongoing healthcare worker shortage in the U.S. is growing demand for health care stemming from an aging population, an increase in complex chronic conditions and higher levels of acuity,” Teicher said. “Simply put, we have more people that need healthcare, so we need more people to care for them.”
That demand is rising as many experienced healthcare workers approach retirement. Teicher said the same demographic forces affecting patients are also reshaping the medical workforce.
“The demographic shifts of our communities are also reflected in our workforce,” Teicher added. “The number of healthcare workers who are in the retirement window (both physicians and nurses) is significant … This is not just a concern in terms of the numbers of workers we have on the whole, but these veteran healthcare workers are often who help train, mentor and lead the next generation.”
The pressure is not limited to the United States. The World Health Organization estimated in July 2025 that the world will face a shortage of 4.5 million nurses and 0.31 million midwives by 2030.
In the U.S., the shortage is tied to several overlapping problems, including an aging population, hiring and retention difficulties and rising labor costs, according to the National Institute for Health Care Management Foundation. The NIHCM Foundation said shortages can reduce healthcare access and quality, increase costs and contribute to burnout among existing workers.
Hospitals with too few staff members may also see longer wait times for patients, according to Tulane University’s Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine.
Training new healthcare workers has become another bottleneck. Teicher said schools and colleges cannot expand their programs fast enough because they lack enough faculty members, many of whom are also veteran healthcare professionals.
“The field is also seeing infrastructure and training challenges as we do not have the faculty necessary to train the next generation of healthcare workers,” Teicher explained. “Faculty positions are often held by veteran healthcare professionals as well so because of this shortage, colleges and education programs have to turn away applicants for their healthcare programs.”
Burnout is also affecting the size and stability of the workforce. Federal health officials have documented widespread burnout among healthcare workers, and research has found it may be fueling shortages across the country. About one in three physicians experiences burnout at any given time, according to the National Institutes of Health.
The nursing workforce is under particular strain. American Association of Colleges of Nursing Chief Communications Officer Robert Rosseter told the DCNF that the shortage of registered nurses is not new, but that pressure on the profession has continued to build.
“For more than 20 years, the U.S. healthcare system has struggled to find enough registered nurses to meet patient care needs,” Rosseter said. “The shortage is fueled by an increase in the demand for nursing services from our aging population, a large wave of nurse retirements that will continue over the next decade, and an increase in new opportunities for nurses at all levels, including a larger role for nurses in providing primary care.”
Rosseter said demand for registered nurses is being pushed higher by preventive care needs, chronic disease rates and the aging baby-boom generation.
“The demand for RNs is increasing for a number of reasons, including an increased emphasis on preventive care; growing rates of chronic conditions, such as diabetes and obesity; and demand for healthcare services from the baby-boom population, as they live longer and more active lives,” he continued.
Rosseter said keeping enough registered nurses in the workforce is central to protecting patient access.
Maintaining a “healthy supply” of registered nurses is “essential to maintaining the health of the nation,” Rosseter said. Addressing the nursing shortage, he added, is “critical to ensuring that all citizens have access to care for themselves and their families.”
The federal government expects more than 189,000 registered nurse job openings nationwide each year through 2034, according to an AACN fact sheet.
Immigration policy has added another concern for healthcare analysts. The Trump administration’s broad deportation efforts could worsen healthcare workforce shortages, according to JAMA Network research.
Immigrants and their adult children account for a larger share of physicians, surgeons and other healthcare professionals in the United States than they do of the overall population, KFF reported. Immigrants make up at least 18.8% of healthcare workers nationwide, according to an April report by the American Immigration Council.
Together, the data and warnings point to a healthcare system facing pressure from multiple directions: more patients needing care, experienced workers nearing retirement, training programs unable to accept all qualified applicants, existing staff reporting burnout and immigration-related concerns that could affect a workforce already stretched thin.
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