Politics Check: How bad is New Mexico's shortage of medical professionals?
By Margaret O'Hara
Editor’s note: Politics Check is an occasional series that shines a light on public officials or public policy news in New Mexico.
SANTA FE, N.M. — While speaking with students at Health Leadership High School in Albuquerque one recent day, president and CEO of the New Mexico Hospital Association Troy Clark listed a variety of positions in the health care field — doctors, nurses, phlebotomists, radiology technicians, dietitians.
He asked the students: “Which one of these positions do you think is significantly short in filling their positions with workforce?”
“The answer is every one,” Clark said.
It’s a common refrain among the state’s policymakers: New Mexico doesn’t have enough doctors. Or nurses. Or behavioral health care providers.
But how bad is New Mexico’s shortage of medical providers?
(Originally published by Santa Fe New Mexican, November 16, 2025)