I have not done thorough research on the physician shortage, but it’s definitely real, and not new. To some extent, it relates to changes in laws and policies that have led to large hospital systems having outsized control and influence over the business of doctoring, with the roles of family physician and independent physician’s offices (not affiliated with a hospital) being harder to pursue and less profitable. Overwork has played a role, especially in the pandemic. And those are just two reasons. Complicated.