[NRSKarenRN]

Found at Physician's News Digest, Oct 12th edition:

PLANS FOR A NEW MEDICAL SCHOOL IN SCRANTON

There is a maldistribution of medical education in Pennsylvania, and in the country. But there’s also a huge national need that calls for the graduation of at least 30 percent more medical students. And there’s probably an international need, in that 50 percent of first year residents – people who’ve just finished medical school – are not graduates of U.S. medical colleges. In essence, we are taking a scarce resource from underdeveloped countries.... ...According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, about 54.5 percent of applicants to U.S. medical schools do not matriculate – are not accepted. In 2005 there were 1283 applicants to Pennsylvania medical schools, 675 of whom did not matriculate; 384 matriculated in state – which is 29.9 percent of the total – and 224 matriculated out of state....

Since merger of MCP/Hahnemann into Drexel University School of Medicine should help shortage of docs in PA. Giving heads up for those nurses considering career change.

[oramar]

Guess we are a little spoiled here in Western Pa. Where I live there is a broad range of MDs from all specialties, usually does not take me to long to get to see one. Take for instance, one day my hubby had an ulcer on his cornea. Went over to UPMC presby and was seeing eye specialist 1 hour after deciding he needed a doctor. There are a lot of doctors and groups around here that are listed in those Top Doc magazine articles as tops in their fields. Don't know how meaningful that is just know that is the case. There are several things that can change this good thing we got going here, a steady exodus of MDs from Pa because of a bad medical malpractice climate, also poor reinbursements from Medicade. Another fly in the ointment is UPMC growing monopoly, some MDs will leave the area because they don't want to deal with them and have no place to go but out of state to get away. If any one else can think of ways this situation can be screwed up you are welcome to jump in with your opinion.

[sunseeker]

I think this would be a very good thing.