Rural doctor shortages worsen in parts of Minn.

The chronic problem of a shortage of doctors in rural areas is peaking in Minnesota, where Tom Robertson reports for Minnesota Public Radio that there are fewer family physicians in Bemidji now than five years ago, though the city's population has grown. (Photo by Tom Robertson: Dr. Suzie Human, right, is in high demand at MeritcCare Clinic in Bemidji)

Delays in care are a common side effect of the shortage in Bemidji, where, by this summer, there'll be only eight family care physicians. The MeritCare Clinic is also short on internal medicine and pediatric doctors. Patients often have to wait up to 15 months for a medical exam. "We have people coming in all the time, and there is no family practitioner available," Dr. Suzie Human told Robertson. "Every single day I have people saying, 'Can I see you at the clinic? Can you take on my family?' And every single day I have to say I can't take patients at this time."

The Minnesota Hospital Association reports that although 13 percent of Minnesota residents live in rural areas, only five percent of all physicians practice there. An underlying problem is the debt medical students face after graduation. The American Medical Association reports that only two percent of medical students are going into family practice. Many instead choose more lucrative specialties like cardiology or anesthesiology, where they can earn three or more times what a family doctor does. Students can also pay off debt more quickly by working in better-paying metropolitan communities.

Such factors puts enormous pressure on practitioners in rural areas."No one wants our job. It's a tough job," Human said. "We get torn between delivering babies and being in the clinic and being in the hospital and being in the hospital overnight, and going to the nursing homes. It's not the job that a lot of people want anymore." Medical clinics and hospitals in rural Minnesota have responded by hiring physician recruiters and offering perks like high bonuses and help paying student loans. Nonetheless, the geographic isolation, limited economy and lack of amenities makes it tough to persuade physicians at a time when their need is becoming even more crucial. (Read more)