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Future physician supply in Alaska
Suzanne Tryck1, Dennis Paul Valenzeno
1University of Washington School of Medicine, USA.
Insights
Alaska faces a significant physician shortage, requiring multiple solutions. Establishing an in-state medical school is a viable strategy to train future doctors and improve the state's medical education matriculation rate.
Area of Science:
- Medical Workforce Planning
- Physician Recruitment and Retention
- Health Services Research
Background:
- The United States, including Alaska, faces a documented and worsening physician shortage.
- Alaska requires 50-100 new physicians annually over the next decade to meet demand.
- Current strategies like recruitment and in-state residency training have limitations in addressing the long-term need.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate multifaceted strategies for addressing Alaska's projected physician shortage.
- To assess the long-term effectiveness and attainability of in-state medical school training.
- To compare the impact of different physician supply mechanisms on physician retention in Alaska.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of current and projected physician needs in Alaska.
- Evaluation of the effectiveness of physician recruitment, residency training, and in-state medical school establishment.
- Comparison of Alaska's medical education matriculation rate with national and peer state averages.
Main Results:
- Physician recruitment offers immediate impact but has questionable long-term potential.
- In-state residency training is effective for retention but has limited capacity for expansion in Alaska.
- In-state medical school training is nearly as effective as residency training for physician retention and is attainable.
- Establishing an in-state medical school can improve Alaska's matriculation rate to be comparable with national peers.
Conclusions:
- A multi-pronged approach is essential to address Alaska's physician shortage.
- In-state medical school training presents a sustainable and effective long-term solution for physician supply and retention.
- Developing an in-state medical school will enable young Alaskans to pursue medical careers and enhance the state's healthcare infrastructure.
Abstract:
The current and projected physician shortage is well documented and applies both in Alaska and nationwide. Filling the state's need for 50 to 100 new physicians annually for the next decade will require a multi-pronged attack. No single mechanism has the requisite capacity. Alaska will need to increase its recruitment efforts, a mechanism with immediate impact, but with questionable long-term potential. Increasing residency training in state is highly effective at retaining physicians, but Alaska has limited capacity to further increase residency training. Finally, instate medical school training is nearly as effective as residency training at producing physicians who remain in state, and is attainable in Alaska. Instate training allows young Alaskans to develop to their full potential and to become doctors, and gives Alaska a medical education matriculation rate that is comparable to that of its peers nationwide, and not with that of the second poorest state in the nation, as it is currently.
