Many of the steps required to become a practicing Physician are immovable. There is a set process and schedule that students of academic medicine must follow to become graduates, then residents, fellows, and, finally, a Physician who can practice medicine without direct supervision.

The medical community is painfully aware that the physician shortage is worsening. However, a brewing crisis exists within the ongoing staffing shortages that even many medical professionals and administrators may not recognize. This crisis centers on the dwindling number of anesthesia providers that has been exacerbated by many internal industry factors like high retirement numbers as well as external circumstances, including a rapidly aging population and recent supply chain issues.