The "shortage" of medical professionals - esp. doctors - I believe is a manufactured one. The medical associations and societies that control approvals operate in a manner similar to OPEC. They keep supply down to keep prices high. This is almost a scam, given the lengthy wait times for doc appointments in many urban areas.

According to Dept. of Labor ONET data, doctors are expected to have slower than average job growth.[1][2][3][4]

In some areas of healthcare employment, growth will be higher than average [5][6], but doctors don't seem to be one of them.

[1]https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/29-1215.00

[2]https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/29-1229.00

[3]https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/29-1224.00

[4]https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/29-1213.00

[5]https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/29-1071.00

[6]https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/29-1171.00

Isn't the trend in the industry to rely more heavily on nurse practitioners and physician assistants instead of MDs as primary care providers?

I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing, but from one perspective it seems to put downward pressure on the salary of primary care providers.