Oncology Workforce Supply: A Story About Improving Workforce With Data

In 2005, the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the American Association of Medical Colleges’ created a data-driven analysis of the oncology workforce in the U.S.

Since then, the ASCO and AAMC have continued to update their database to reflect changes in cancer diagnosis and survival rates, new oncology-pipeline residents, and demographic changes in the physician pipeline.Download the report here.

This 2013 report highlights what insights we can learn from this rich set of data: where is this segment of the workforce today and where is it going tomorrow?

One essential finding: the share of oncologists older than 64 is increasing while the proportion of those oncologists under age 40 is shrinking. This report also uncovers an interesting observation of other internal-medicine subspecialties: female physicians appear to be driving the growth of these subspecialties.

Imagine what other insights we could gain from comprehensive, data-driven workforce analysis? How could we improve care for patients and families while helping to train new health care professionals for the jobs of the future?