Physician Unionization: Might Physician Unions be a Useful Solution to Help Restore Physician Autonomy

Join the AMA Academic Physicians Section and Barak Richman, JD, PhD, author of the 2022 JAMA editorial, “Restoring Physician Authority in an Era of Hospital Dominance,” for a balanced discussion of the potential advantages and disadvantages of physician unionization in the academic medical center. Also hear from Jay Hochsztein, MD, an attending radiologist at Jacobi Medical Center and 2nd Vice President at Doctor’s Council, a physician union in the New York City area, and Anna Yap, MD, an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of California-Davis School of Medicine who led the creation of a residents' and fellows' union while a resident at UCLA.
 
 After attending this session, learners will be able to:

• Cite examples illustrating how the tension between physicians and administrators inherent in academic medical center governance models can impede physician autonomy 
• Describe how physician unionization might improve the experience of physicians and advance the delivery of care in academic medical centers
• Outline ethical and practical considerations both for and against the unionization of academic physicians