In the wake of an upcoming physician shortage, Texas and Georgia increased their medical school enrollments and are seeking ways to increase residencies, according to The Augusta Chronicle.
Here are seven key facts:
1. In 2012, the Association of American Medical College said Georgia retained half of its public medical school graduates who practiced in the state.
2. If those graduates also underwent their residency in Georgia, 72 percent of those students practiced in Georgia following their residency.
3. Ben Robinson, executive director of the Center for Health Workforce Planning and Analysis at the University System of Georgia, said, "We are playing on the notion and the understanding that if you train in Georgia, you are more than likely to stay."
4. Texas opened its first new medical school in more than 20 years in 2009 at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso.
5. In 2016, Texas plans to open two other medical schools with classes of 50 students each.
6. Despite this uptick, residency slots are still limited, and the states are seeking ways to increase their residency positions. In Texas, the state implemented two programs — one that funded partnerships between medical schools and hospitals without residency programs to look at establishing new positions, and another program aimed at helping residency programs fill existing positions the programs had on the books but could not afford to fill.
7. Texas increased funding for the programs to $53 million for this year and the next.
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