GUTHRIE CENTER, Iowa (Gray Media Iowa Capitol Bureau) - Wednesday, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed a bill increasing the number of slots for doctors to do their residency training as long as federal funding comes through later.At a bill signing in Guthrie Center Wednesday, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds said, “Doctors often decide to practice where they do their residency. But today, Iowa ranks 40th in the number of residency slots for medical students, which means many of our graduates from Iowa medical schools don’t get a ...
GUTHRIE CENTER, Iowa (Gray Media Iowa Capitol Bureau) - Wednesday, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed a bill increasing the number of slots for doctors to do their residency training as long as federal funding comes through later.
At a bill signing in Guthrie Center Wednesday, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds said, “Doctors often decide to practice where they do their residency. But today, Iowa ranks 40th in the number of residency slots for medical students, which means many of our graduates from Iowa medical schools don’t get a chance to continue their education and training here, and that’s about to change.”
Reynolds hopes her bill attracts more doctors to stay here. The bill requires the state to use federal funding to create 115 openings for doctors to do their residency training and provides funding to establish new programs.
“Just three to four years from now, the amount of time that it takes for a typical residency rotation, we could have up to 460 more physicians being trained right here in Iowa, with some ready to enter the workforce,” she said.
Guthrie County Hospital CEO Chris Stipe says it’s tough to recruit physicians.
“You really have to find physicians that are interested in living in rural and that have spouses too that are interested in living in a small town. Many times they were from they grew up in small towns. So those are the kinds of docs that tend to be interested,” he said.
The bill Reynolds signed Wednesday also consolidates the state’s medical loan repayment programs into one and gives $8 million to help attract doctors to practice in high demand fields. Stipe says this is a big help.
“That’s obviously enticing for doctors to come out to rural areas and be able to get loan forgiveness because they do come out of our medical school with some sizable debt,” he said.
The new residency slots won’t help Stipe directly. Guthrie County, and many rural hospitals, don’t have those types of positions. Still, Stipe says he thinks it will help him
“I think we’ll have more candidates as a result of the bill and having more graduate medical spots in the state,” he said.
A possible solution to an issue that’s strained rural hospitals for years.
Iowa law has increased penalties for assaulting someone in a certain profession, like a healthcare worker. Wednesday, Reynolds also signed a bill that expands the definition of healthcare workers to cover more people.