Identification of opportunities for strategic expansion of anesthesiology training programs

The rising demand for anesthesia services amidst a growing US population requires evaluation of how anesthesiology residency programs are geographically aligned with population centers. Despite the critical role of anesthesiologists in perioperative care, it remains unclear whether training capacity and location are optimized across regions. The primary aim of the study was to investigate national trends in anesthesiology residency program distribution to identify metro areas that could provide additional training capacity. Anesthesiology residency programs and number of positions were identified through the Association of American Medical Colleges and Doximity. Programs were linked to metropolitan statistical areas. The number of anesthesia residents per 100,000 people in each metro area was determined. Cities with populations over 1 million and no anesthesiology residency program were flagged as underutilized. Anesthesiology training density varied across metro areas, ranging from 0.4 to 30 anesthesiology residents per 100,000 people, with a national average of 7.3 per 100,000. Five metro areas were identified as underutilized, representing potential areas for strategic expansion with opportunity for high-impact growth. Targeted development in underutilized but high-growth metro areas may improve access to academic perioperative care, support workforce development, and better align graduate medical education with population needs.