Shivani Jani, 23, and Simone Fertel, 27 hugged each other, laughing and crying simultaneously, surrounded by dozens of their peers from LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans and their families on Friday (March 16). They each held letters letting them know which hospitals they will be training at for the next three to seven years.
Behind them, graduating medical students walked one by one, across a stage set up in a large banquet room in the Superdome, waiting to receive their own letters determining where they will spend their residencies and round out their medical education. The event, called Match Day, is possibly the most anticipated day of a medical students' career.
For another year in a row, Match Day arrived in Louisiana amid looming uncertainty about the state's ability to provide the funding necessary to operate University Medical Center, one of the largest teaching hospitals in the state and the training ground for approximately 1,000 medical residents annually from both LSU Health New Orleans and Tulane's School of Medicine. The impasse over how to close a $700 million budget gap has even forced LCMC, the operator of UMC, to consider walking away from operating the facility starting on July 1, if the state isn't able to resolve the funding crisis. If this happens, the hospital would revert to state control.
School leaders say that the move would have instant ramifications for their residency programs at UMC and create long-term consequences for Louisiana's healthcare industry.
"Depending on what happens to the hospital it would be extraordinarily difficult for the schools," said Dr. Lee Hamm, the Dean of Tulane's School of Medicine. "We would have to find other training vehicles for residents in the city if it happens. Would it be extremely problematic for the resident? Yes."
At any given time, Tulane has 100 medical residents who train at UMC, their second largest training facility. Tulane Medical Center is their main training facility. Tulane's School of Medicine held their Match Day ceremony at the Hyatt Regency on Friday for 191 fourth-year medical students. Of those participants, 31 matched to training facilities in Louisiana. The majority of the participants were from out of state.
The long-term impact of persistent budget concerns could be even more problematic for the state's healthcare industry overall.
"It might mean we couldn't train as many medical residents and have to send them out of the state. Getting them to come back is difficult after they've established themselves elsewhere," Hamm said. "That's terrible for the future of the health care industry of the state."
Approximately 1,000 medical residents and 2,400 health care residents (including nursing, pharmacy) train at UMC. The facility is staffed with 640 medical faculty, some of which are employed by UMC directly, but most are faculty members from LSU and Tulane.
"For students matching today (March 16) their training is assured. Worst case scenario, schools would have to explore training at other hospitals," said Bill Masterton, the CEO of UMC. "But this rhetoric is unsettling and could impact future residents who don't want to go through this anxiety of whether or not to stay in state."
In the weeks before Match Day, Steve Nelson, the Dean of LSUHSC School of Medicine, said he fielded close to 100 emails from students nervous about the future of certain facilities they want to train in for their residencies in Louisiana. All fourth-year medical students had to decide which hospitals they wanted to match with by Feb. 21.
"Year after year of uncertainty pushes people to consider training in other states," Nelson said. "We are going to lose our students. If they leave, there is a risk they might not come back."
About 46 percent, or 89 of 193, of the LSU Health New Orleans graduating medical students who participated in Match Day this year chose to stay in Louisiana to continue their medical training. The rate of LSU Health New Orleans students completing their medical training in state has been in decline since 2012, when the rate was 64.3 percent.
Both Jani and Fertel will head to Florida on July 1 to complete their studies. Janae Miller, 28, from Baton Rouge, is also headed out of state to her first choice at Morehouse Georgia, where she will specialize in internal medicine. Willie Talbert, 26, from Baton Rouge, is also headed out of state to study internal medicine at the University of Nebraska Omaha. Married couple William and Alli Chastant will remain in New Orleans to continue their training in internal medicine at Tulane Medical Center.
Most said they decided to leave to test out new terrain. All are considering the possibility of returning to Louisiana to start their practices once they've completed their residencies.
"After all, Louisiana is home," Miller said.
However, national studies have found that a high number of physicians set up their permanent practices in areas where they completed their residency programs.
Meanwhile, 81 percent of Louisiana is federally designated as a health professional shortage area for primary care, according to the Department of Health and Hospitals. The shortage is only compounded by state's high rates of obesity, heart disease, diabetes and cancer in the United States.
"Many of our students are from Louisiana. We are fortunate that they are dedicated to their state--but there's a limit to that," Nelson said.
from Health - Google News http://ift.tt/2FYylwx
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