Rural Texas is Struggling to Keep Doctors. A Proposed Medical School Wants to Change That.

[TexasTowelie]

Sam Houston State University {Huntsville} argues that an osteopathic medical school is the prescription for what’s ailing underserved communities in Texas.


Texas has almost a dozen medical schools, but it also has a rural healthcare worker shortage. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board is set to vote tomorrow on whether to approve another medical school. Huntsville-based Sam Houston State thinks it can address Texas’ critical shortage of doctors in rural parts of the state. It’s seeking accreditation this week for its proposed college of osteopathic medicine.

Dr. Stephan McKernan is the Associate Dean for clinical affairs for the proposed school. He says the goal is to teach students from underserved, rural areas.

“What our model is going to be, if we’re successful, is to recruit students from those areas, so its natural for them to go back there. Not trying to recruit someone from an urban community and then try to convince them to go to, you know, east Texas.”

And he says a college of osteopathic medicine is best suited to do that.

Read more: http://www.texasstandard.org/stories/rural-texas-is-struggling-to-keep-doctors-a-proposed-medical-school-wants-to-change-that/

[Girard442]

1. The answer is simple: subsidize rural healthcare workers.

Healthcare workers of all stripes will gravitate to cities because that's where the best jobs are. They need an incentive to practice in rural areas.

Or you could go with a pure market-based solution: let the country folk die.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

2. So many rural areas have problems keeping doctors.

I suppose the essential problem is that not many people, whatever their profession, are eager to live in rural areas. Speaking for myself (and I'm not a doctor) I prefer cities. I currently live in a somewhat small one (population about 70,000) but it has the services I want.

I know there are people here who live in rural areas and wouldn't trade that for anything, even when they acknowledge certain inconveniences. I get that.

I really, really hope that this is a solution that works for Texas.

[Farmer-Rick]

3. Osteopathic? Medicine??

I thought they used massage to relieve pain. Where does the medicine come in? Are they allowed to write prescriptions?

Not sure osteopathy is the answer for the lack of Doctors in the US. Maybe we should bring in Cuban doctors who attend medical school.

[TexasTowelie]

4. Yes, they are allowed to write prescriptions.

Actually, when I had some lower back pain about ten years ago the doctor emphasized strength building exercises, sent me for an MRI to check whether I had any disk problems and prescribed plenty of hydrocodone. There was no massage involved.

One of the things about DOs compared to MDs is that there is more emphasis on addressing the causes to medical issues rather than merely treating the symptoms. I've only had two relationships with DOs and I would say that it really depends on who you get. One of the DOs was better than average while the other was slightly below average.