America is in the throes of a healthcare crisis that is unfolding quietly in doctor’s offices, hospital corridors, and small-town clinics across the country. Or maybe not so quietly: If you’ve tried recently to get an appointment with your primary care physician or certain specialists, you may have found that the wait can be weeks. The specter of a looming physician shortage is casting a long shadow over our nation’s well-being, threatening to upend the healthcare system on which we rely.

A recent report from the Association of American Medical Colleges paints a sobering picture. It projects a shortfall of between 13,500 and 86,000 physicians in 2036, including a shortage of between 20,200 and 40,400 primary care physicians, ranges that underscore the uncertainty surrounding the future of the medical workforce.