A program by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences created to address a shortage of doctors in rural parts of the state has received an additional $4.75 million in federal grant money.
According to UAMS Chancellor Dr. Cam Patterson, Arkansas has the lowest number of available physicians per population in the nation. This scarcity was highlighted, he said, by the COVID-19 pandemic, especially the delta variant that hit the state hard.
Dr. Linda Worley, associate regional dean of the UAMS College of Medicine at the Northwest Regional Campus in Fayetteville, said the problem has been ongoing for several years.
“Many [physicians] are retiring and it’s difficult to get new primary care physicians to go out into those communities. It’s particularly important that we recruit young people who are really talented and committed to doing that,” Worley said.
The announcement Thursday said part of the new funding will be used to start an accelerated M.D. program on the Fayetteville UAMS campus, making it the first and only such program in the state. Student education equipment on the Fayetteville campus and on clinical training sites will be upgraded. The campus is already home to 300 students in the colleges of medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and health professions and serves Bention, Washington, Carroll, Madison, Boone and Newton counties.
An accelerated M.D. program will allow students who want to specialize in primary care fields, like family medicine, internal medicine, obstetrics/gynecology or pediatrics, to begin a three year track to certification.
Worley explained that the program is condensing the track but will share the same goals and objectives as the four year program.
“Completing all required goals and objectives to earn an M.D. degree in three years is extremely challenging,” said Worley. “These dedicated medical students begin their studies early and take few[er] breaks. Clinical training begins in the first two weeks and continues throughout the entire three years. Shortening the training to three years instead of four saves students one-quarter of the debt burden, ultimately launching them into clinical practice where we need them one year earlier.”
Worley says the program is designed to attract medical students from rural areas who might return to practice in smaller cities and towns.
Before this year, UAMS medical students were only able to complete their third and fourth years of training at the Northwest campus. The three-year track is prepared to accommodate up to 20 highly qualified medical trainees per year.
The extra support came from the Health and Resources Administration, which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. U.S. Sen. John Boozman of Arkansas cosponsored legislation in 2019 to address the shortage of doctors in rural areas, with the UAMS program starting later that year with a $4.6 million grant. In 2020, an additional $2.83 million was provided for the program.
The program already funds multiple approaches to enhancing medical student education. UAMS aims to create more opportunities for students to practice in those rural areas through service projects and entering mentorships along with increasing the number of rural clinical rotation sites. For new faculty within those areas, the program will provide training and development opportunities.
UAMS also wants to strengthen partnerships with the Community Health Centers of Arkansas, Arkansas Rural Health Partnership and historically Black colleges and universities, such as the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and Philander Smith College in Little Rock.
