Graduate medical education (GME) is the supervised, hands-on training after medical school that all physicians must complete to be licensed and practice independently. Medicare plays a crucial role in contributing a portion of funding to teaching hospitals to fund GME positions, but Medicare-support has been effectively frozen since 1997, except for two historic occasions in 2021 and 2023 in which Congress provided a total of 1,200 new positions.
With the United States facing a persistent physician shortage, it’s critical that Congress invests in GME to expand the physician workforce and ensure patients nationwide have access to timely, high-quality health care.
This toolkit includes user-friendly materials and resources AAMC constituents can use to advocate for and help others understand the value of federal investment in GME.
If you have any questions about these resources, please contact Cate Shockey, AAMC senior director of enterprise communications.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has awarded eligible teaching hospitals Medicare-supported graduate medical education (GME) positions created under Section 126 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 and 2023. These additional 400 residency positions will help grow the physician workforce and expand access to care for patients across the country. So far, 1000 positions have been awarded, with the final 200 positions to be awarded in 2026. This will significantly help to address the country’s persistent physician shortage, but more work needs to be done. That’s why AAMC urges Congress to pass the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2025 (H.R. 4731/ S. 2439) to further expand the physician workforce to serve more patients across the country. To view the full list of 2025 awardees, click here.
If your institution received a portion of the positions, congratulations! We urge you to share the good news on social media with the sample social media language we have put together for you. Feel free to modify these messages and post on your channels. Let the AAMC know, and we will amplify your posts.
Below are AAMC-created assets to use to share the good news that CMS awarded new residency positions to 135 hospitals across 37 states.
Key messages to support your work can be found here
Sample social media language:
We are thrilled @CMSGov has awarded 400 new Medicare-supported graduate medical education (GME) residency slots. This is another important step in expanding health care access nationwide. #ExpandGME
The new Medicare-supported GME residency slots announced by @CMSGOV will meaningfully impact both rural and urban communities. A huge win for strengthening the physician workforce and increasing access to care! #ExpandGME
Thank you @CMSGov for awarding 400 new Medicare-supported GME residency slots to help America continue to provide quality health care for patients and communities. #ExpandGME
We're proud of the commitment we have made to improving access to care by applying for the new @CMSGov Medicare-supported GME residency slots. These positions will help us continue to provide high-quality health care for patients in our community. #ExpandGME
We urge Congress to #ExpandGME by passing the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act. This legislation would reduce the #DocShortage by providing 14,000 new Medicare-supported GME positions over 7 years to help improve access to care.
Visit the AAMC's grassroots action page and urge your member of Congress to sign on as a co-sponsor to the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2025.
We need your help to show policymakers and the public why federal investment in GME is critical. Use these key messages to help ground your story.
Local media coverage makes the value of graduate medical education personal and tangible. By telling stories about how investing in GME is investing in the health of all Americans, you can help build public support and influence policymakers who are paying close attention to what's happening in their districts.
You can help build public support and influence policymakers by:
Pitching a story to local newspapers, TV, or radio about how patients across the country may lose access health care if the physician workforce does not expand.
Writing an op-ed or letter to the editor that explains how robust, meaningful investment in physician training is sorely needed to strengthen the physician workforce to meet the needs of a growing, aging population.
Inviting journalists to visit a medical school or teaching hospital, giving them a chance to meet future physicians.
Local stories matter, especially to elected officials watching their districts closely.
Click to download and use the PDF materials below, including key messages to ground your story and an infographic on the basics of graduate medical education.
The sample social media posts below are designed to be easy-to-use by your institutions and customizable for storytelling. Be sure to tag your elected officials — and the AAMC — so we can amplify your messages through our advocacy and communications channels.
Suggested hashtag: #ExpandGME
Twitter/X
We urge (TAG YOUR MEMBER(S) OF CONGRESS) to co-sponsor the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act to expand graduate medical education and improve the health of patients, families, and communities. #ExpandGME
The U.S. is facing a shortage of up to 86K physicians by 2036. Congress must act now and make a long-term investment in our health care & physician workforce. #ExpandGME
Thank you (TAG MEMBER OF CONGRESS) for co-sponsoring the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act, critical legislation that will help expand the physician workforce and improve access to care for patients everywhere! #ExpandGME [You can check who has co-sponsored the bill here: https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/2439 https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/4731]
Graduate Medical Education (GME), clinical training at teaching hospitals for future physicians after medical school, is vital in addressing America’s #DocShortage. Congress must #ExpandGME so patients can access the health care they need.
#DYK the United States is facing a physician shortage of up to 86,000 physicians by 2036? The Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act will #ExpandGME and strengthen the physician workforce. Learn more: https://www.aamc.org/news/press-releases/aamc-endorses-senate-bill-expand-federal-investment-physician-training
LinkedIn/Facebook
Did you know the U.S. is facing a shortage of up to 86,000 physicians by 2036?
Graduate Medical Education (GME) — clinical training at teaching hospitals for future physicians after medical school — is vital in ensuring patients across the country can access timely, high quality health care. An investment in graduate medical education today is an investment in the health of Americans tomorrow.
Congress can help ensure we bridge this gap by passing the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act (H.R. 4731/ S. 2439), bipartisan legislation that would help grow the physician workforce and improve access to care for patients nationwide.
Learn more: https://www.aamc.org/news/press-releases/aamc-endorses-senate-bill-expand-federal-investment-physician-training #ExpandGME
Download ready-to-use graphics for Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter/X to share across your institution’s channels.
How to download: Right-click on any image and select "Save image as..." to save it to your device.
Physician workforce
LinkedIn
X/Twitter
Instagram
Increasing GME Support
Medicare support
The United States is facing a persistent physician shortage of up to 86,000 physicians by 2036. Demographics — specifically, population growth and aging — continue to be the primary drivers for increasing the need for more doctors to meet the health care needs of tomorrow. Additionally, a large portion of the physician workforce is nearing the traditional retirement age. The AAMC projects that this will significantly decrease the physician supply in the coming years. Now more than ever, Congress must invest in growing and expanding the physician workforce to meet patient needs.
Rural communities, which are home to an estimated 62 million Americans, face a unique set of challenges that often lead to poorer overall health outcomes. Rural areas tend to struggle more with the recruitment and retention of physicians and other key health care workers. To address these challenges, AAMC-member institutions are finding creative solutions to help ensure that there are sufficiently qualified physicians serving rural communities.
How Academic Medicine Serves Rural Communities Across the Country
How expanding graduate medical education impacts patients and communities
State-by-State Data on Graduate Medical Education
When the doctor shortage is personal (Op-ed published Sept. 2025)
Video: GME 101: Medicare’s Critical Role in Training the Next Generation of Doctors
Factsheet - Graduate Medical Education: Training the Physician Workforce
Summary Report: The Complexities of Physician Supply and Demand: Projections From 2021 to 2036
Full Report: The Complexities of Physician Supply and Demand: Projections From 2021 to 2036
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