Tuesday, Feb 1 2011 6:46PM
Rural communities across the country are facing a shortage in doctors, increasing the demand for physicians assistants.
Rural communities in Montana are facing a shortage of doctors that has increased the area's demand for physician assistants, according to the Billings Gazette.
The demand has revitalized Rocky Mountain College's Masters of Physician Assistant Studies Program which has received over 400 applications for the 36 spots in this year's class, reported the paper. Forty-five of Montana's 56 counties are federally designated as primary-care physician shortage areas, increasing the role of the physician assistant in medical practices.
Anthony Piltz, the provost of the school, said serving others is central to the institution's mission.
"We try to produce servant leaders, people who will make a difference in their communities," he told the newspaper.
Montana isn't the only state adjusting to a shortage of doctors. The changing healthcare system and aging baby boomers have affected rural areas across the nation, with the San Francisco Chronicle reporting that rural communities in California are actively recruiting new doctors. In response, the University of California-Davis Medical School has spearheaded a program specifically catered to educating young doctors to serve outlying communities.