AI Is Taking Jobs — But Medicine Is Still Hiring

Posted on September 2, 2025 by Elliot Polak

How ACSOM helps people pivot into resilient, high-demand healthcare careers

Across many industries, automation and AI are reshaping work. The headlines can feel bleak—roles are being consolidated, processes are being automated, and some jobs are disappearing. Yet one sector keeps growing: healthcare. Demand for care is rising faster than talent supply, and new technologies are creating opportunities rather than closing doors. If you’re considering a career move, here’s the good news: medicine is still hiring.

Why Healthcare Keeps Growing

Even as AI transforms office work globally, analysts project a major churn in roles—tens of millions will be created and tens of millions eliminated over the next few years¹. At the same time, the United States faces a substantial physician shortfall driven by an aging population and retiring clinicians², while the World Health Organization warns of a double‑digit‑million global health‑worker gap by 2030³.

Healthcare also continues to generate steady job openings. In the U.S., healthcare occupations overall see about 1.9 million openings each year—⁴driven by both growth and the need to replace workers.

Doctors: Where the Demand Is

Physician demand remains strong. Overall employment of physicians and surgeons is projected to grow about 3% from 2024–2034, with roughly 23,600 openings each year—largely driven by retirements and other replacement needs⁵. Key physician demand signals:

• Physicians & Surgeons: ~23,600 openings per year and ~3% growth projected (2024–2034).⁵
• AAMC projections to 2036: 20,200–40,400 primary care physician shortage and 10,100–19,900 surgical specialty shortage; total shortfall up to 86,000 physicians.⁶
• HRSA notes the primary care physician workforce is older than most occupations, so retirements will accelerate shortages; team‑based care (NPs/PAs) can help but won’t eliminate physician need.⁷

AI Isn’t Replacing Care — It’s Rewiring It

Far from replacing clinicians, today’s most promising AI tools are acting as copilots. For example, ambient AI “scribes” listen to clinician–patient conversations and draft notes for review. New peer‑reviewed research in large health systems links these tools to reduced documentation burden and lower burnout, with double‑digit improvements in well‑being after adoption⁹. The takeaway: technology is changing what healthcare work looks like—but it is also making the work more sustainable.

The Opportunity Is Real—North America

Primary care access challenges create sustained demand for physicians. In Canada, about 5.4 million adults reported not having a regular primary care provider in 2023¹⁰. In the U.S., graduate medical education funding caps have slowed the growth of residency positions for decades, even as Congress has begun adding new slots targeted to areas of need¹¹.

How ACSOM Helps You Break In (or Move Up)

ACSOM focuses on three pillars to help career‑changers and up‑skillers move into resilient healthcare roles:

1. Career Pathways with Market Signal Alignment. We map programs to roles with strong demand and employer needs.
2. Hands‑On Training + Credentialing. Simulation, clinical placements, and licensure prep so graduates are job‑ready.
3. Tech‑Forward, Patient‑First Skills. Training on AI‑enabled documentation, decision support, and patient communication.

Get Started with ACSOM

If you’re exploring a healthcare pivot, ACSOM can help you identify a path, build the right skills, and get hired. Talk to our advisors about timelines, prerequisites, and placements—and take your next step into a field that’s growing, meaningful, and future‑proof.

 

Footnotes & References

1. World Economic Forum, *Future of Jobs Report 2023*. “69 million new jobs created and 83 million eliminated by 2027.” https://www.weforum.org/press/2023/04/future-of-jobs-report-2023-up-to-a-quarter-of-jobs-expected-to-change-in-next-five-years/
2. Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), Press Release (June 10, 2025). “Projected shortage of up to 86,000 physicians by 2036.” https://www.aamc.org/news/press-releases/aamc-applauds-introduction-bill-reduce-physician-shortage-0
3. World Health Organization — Global health workforce shortfall ~10–11 million by 2030. https://www.who.int/health-topics/health-workforce ; https://gh.bmj.com/content/7/6/e009316
4. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: *Healthcare Occupations*. “About 1.9 million openings projected each year, 2024–2034.” https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/
5. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OOH — *Physicians and Surgeons*. “3% growth (2024–2034); ~23,600 openings/yr, largely from replacement needs.” https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/physicians-and-surgeons.htm
6. AAMC, *The Complexities of Physician Supply and Demand: Projections from 2021 to 2036* (March 2024). Primary care shortage 20,200–40,400; surgical 10,100–19,900; total up to 86,000. https://www.aamc.org/media/75231/download
7. HRSA, *State of the Primary Care Workforce, 2024* (Nov. 7, 2024). Aging primary care workforce drives future shortages; NPs/PAs alleviate but don’t eliminate. https://bhw.hrsa.gov/sites/default/files/bureau-health-workforce/state-of-the-primary-care-workforce-report-2024.pdf
8. CMS National Health Expenditure (NHE) 2023 Highlights. “U.S. health spending ~$4.9T (17.6% of GDP) in 2023.” https://www.cms.gov/data-research/statistics-trends-and-reports/national-health-expenditure-data/nhe-fact-sheet
9. JAMA Network Open (2025) and Mass General Brigham press release (Aug. 21, 2025) on ambient AI documentation reducing burnout. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2837847 ; https://www.massgeneralbrigham.org/en/about/newsroom/press-releases/ambient-documentation-technologies-reduce-physician-burnout
10. Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), Oct. 24, 2024: 5.4M adults (17%) lacked a regular primary care provider in 2023. https://www.cihi.ca/en/taking-the-pulse-measuring-shared-priorities-for-canadian-health-care-2024/better-access-to-primary-care-key-to-improving-health-of-canadians
11. Graduate Medical Education policy: BBA 1997 GME cap; new slots via Consolidated Appropriations Acts of 2021 (+1,000) and 2023 (+200 psychiatry). AAMC overview: https://aamcaction.org/issues/gme/ ; CMS press release: https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/press-releases/cms-awards-200-new-medicare-funded-residency-slots-hospitals-serving-underserved-communities ; Congress.gov CAA 2023: https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/2617