Rural doctors have to do it all, from snake bites to meat-stuck-in-throat; video looks at challenges of rural medicine

Amid a national physician shortage, getting a doctor to practice in a rural place has never been more challenging, and as rural hospitals close, the lack of providers is predicted to worsen, reports Hyacinth Empinado of STAT. "In 2023, 65% of rural areas had a shortage of primary care physicians, according to a report published by the Health Resources and Services Administration. More than 15% of Americans — about 46 million — live in rural areas, but only 10% of doctors practice in these communities, many of whom are primary care and family physicians."

Meeting the medical needs of 46 million Americans is a big undertaking. And because there are so few doctors, each has to work harder to tackle vastly different medical illnesses and accidents with limited resources. In this short documentary, STAT explores why the shortage exists and "shows what life is like for a doctor in Kansas who wears many hats and a physician in Illinois pondering retirement."