See How Many Active Doctors Illinois Has in Each Specialty

When I was a kid, I thought I wanted to be a doctor for a short period of time. After I cut my hand and saw blood for the first time, that dream ended. Have you ever wondered how many active doctors there are in Illinois? There's new data that reveals that number along with how many in each specialty.

I found this interesting breakdown by Statista showing active Illinois physicians. How many choose to pursue general practice versus surgery and emergency treatment is interesting.

This data appears to be current for the current year of 2024:

• Psychiatry - 2,110
• Surgery - 2,185
• Anesthesiologists - 2,142
• Emergency medicine - 3,035
• Radiology - 2,071
• Cardiology - 1,489
• Oncology (cancer) - 987
• Endocrinology, diabetes, & metabolism - 419
• All other specialties - 8,589

Their data shows that the grand total of physicians in Illinois that remain active tops 23,000 which is impressive. Say what you want about Illinois, but the state does not lack good doctors.

I didn't end up pursuing the doctor career, but did end up with "Doc" as a nickname so that's fair. Looking back, I know that I did not have what it takes to become a real physician. I once worked on a project with a doctor who read slides from biopsies. He explained the gravity of realizing that you're the first person who knows that someone has cancer before it's revealed to the patient and their family. That's a profoundly heavy responsibility and takes a specific talent to be successful at. Thankful that so many in Illinois do have that gift and use it to help others.