Delayed Care, Physician Burnout: Nearly All New Mexico Counties Face Health Care Worker Shortages

Nearly all New Mexico counties face a shortage of health care professionals, delaying patient care and worsening physician burnout, Straight Arrow News reports. A December 2024 Legislative Finance Committee report found 32 of the state’s 33 counties are classified as health professional shortage areas, and the Cicero Institute estimates the state could be short 2,118 physicians by 2030.

In a physician survey by the committee, two in three doctors said they had considered leaving the state, and 94% said the shortage affects their day-to-day work. Robert Underwood, president of the New Mexico Medical Society, told SAN the shortage often means delays in patient care, including in referrals to specialists, on top of a backlog of patient need that already existed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The strain feeds burnout and early retirements, which Underwood called “a vicious cycle.”

The shortage is more pronounced in rural areas, some of which Underwood said have effectively become medical islands. State Sen. Linda Trujillo, D-Santa Fe, told SAN her primary care provider retired, and the next one she signed up with left before her first appointment. Julia Ruetten of the New Mexico Hospital Association said younger professionals are less likely to stay in smaller communities.

The state budget includes $546 million for a new University of New Mexico School of Medicine facility, $24 million to expand rural medical residency programs and $2 million to raise salaries for medical residents and fellows. Lawmakers also passed several bills aimed at recruiting and retaining health professionals, which Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed into law.

Editor’s note: Updated Oct. 31, 2026. This story is now part of Daily Reports, our New Mexico news roundup, and was revised to credit Straight Arrow News’s original reporting. Learn how Daily Reports works in our editorial standards.