Is there a doctor in the house? In Georgia, soon that will become less of a worry.
Through expansion of the Medical College of Georgia, more physicians will be working statewide in hospitals, rural communities and other high-need areas.
"We are moving above and beyond our geographic boundaries to extend into all areas of the state," said Ricardo Azziz, named the college's new president last month.
When everything is complete, the School of Medicine's enrollment will increase by nearly 60 percent to 1,200 students enrolled at campuses and residential clinics across Georgia. The medical reinforcements will be welcome.
The state ranks 40th in the number of physicians per capita nationwide, according to the American Medical Association. At the same time, the U.S. Census Bureau consistently ranks Georgia among the top 10 in population and population growth.
To expand the state's medical education programs the school already admitted 26 students to the new Medical College of Georgia/University of Georgia Medical Partnership Campus that opens in August in Athens. That's on top of the 190 students currently in each class of the medical school in Augusta.
The Medical College also assigned 17 students to move to Albany in July for the residential Southwest Georgia Clinical Campus. That campus has been open since 2005, but the new residential component will allow students to spend more time in an area of the state understaffed medically, said Doug Miller, Medical College dean of the school of medicine.
The Medical College expansion follows national trends of other schools increasing enrollments. At the same time, about two dozen universities are in different stages of opening new medical programs. This growth was spurred by the Association of American Medical Colleges, which has called for 5,000 more doctors a year -- an enrollment increase of about 30 percent -- to meet the needs of a growing and aging population.
"There is a need in this state and we have positioned ourselves to meet those demands," said Azziz, who takes over July 1. "We will have different ties of influence throughout the state."
While the Medical College expansion follows the landmark bill President Obama signed last week to extend health coverage to an estimated 32 million uninsured Americans, it was planned years ago to meet the critical demand for doctors in Georgia. The Medical College is Georgia's sole public medical school, but the state also has programs run by Emory University, Mercer University and Morehouse College.
Typically, 98 percent of the Medical College's medical students are from Georgia and more than half stay in the state after graduation. For years other students have abandoned American medical schools or attended programs in other countries because there wasn't enough room. That's changing.
Josh Hedrick graduated from UGA last May and applied to four medical programs, including Medical College, but wasn't admitted. Hedrick applied to the Medical College again this year and will attend the new Athens campus this fall.
"So many people are trying to go to medical school that it's hard to get in," Hedrick said. "There is such a demand for physicians but there are only so many schools; so it's good that there is more room for us now at MCG."
The Medical College and UGA formed a partnership because officials realized it was the most expedient and economical way to increase the state's medical education options. UGA has room for a program within its planned health science campus, while the Medical College's facilities are full.
Medical College officials estimated it will cost $12 million to run the Athens campus during its first year. The Athens campus will start with 40 students but will increase to 60 students in each class. Also, the medical college is planning a new facility in Augusta that would allow each class there to increase to 240 students. By 2017, the college will admit 300 students in each class between the two locations, Miller said.
The new four-year campus is just part of the expansion plan. This summer the Medical College will house students at a clinical campus in Albany. The residential program will provide students with additional clinical opportunities and more time in rural areas, Miller said. A typical rotation could last four to six weeks, while students at the residential campus could be at the location for more than a year.
Shavonda Thomas will be among third-year medical students studying at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital in Albany. Thomas grew up in a rural area and drove an hour for medical care. She's considering working in a rural community, where there's a national doctor shortage.
"I like the idea of being in a smaller area where the pace is slower and I won't have to fight with as much traffic," Thomas said. "I think you also get the chance to really learn about the people in the community you'll be serving and you can play a stronger role in their lives."
Thomas and other students also said they heard that the rotation in Albany is more hands-on because they are not competing with a large group of students vying for attention from physicians.
A second residential program is planned at the Southeast clinical campus based at St. Joseph's/Candler Health System in Savannah. Medical students could be living there by 2012, said Paul P. Hinchey, president and CEO of the hospital.
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