Contributed by Mehrtosh Keivan, pre-health major
Dear editor,
I would like for you to consider publishing this short piece which discusses Senate Bill 1066 and how it will impact our lives.
Going to the doctor’s office is time-consuming. Sometimes it can require one to dedicate an entire day. An obstacle you might face is scheduling an appointment to see a physician which you might not be able to see in a week or more. Next, is actually getting there on time. You would need to consider what time to leave and the possibility of traffic on your route to the destination. Last, is waiting for “the doctor will see you now” or your last name being called out. Once your visit is complete you will likely be facing one of two scenarios. Either you will walk out with a good bill of health, or you will be asked to visit another facility for further testing, depending on whatever ailment you visited for in the first place.
Senator Charles Schwertner, who is also an orthopedic surgeon, has a solution. Senator Schwertner has filed Senate Bill 1066. This bill will require medical schools to improve on matching recent medical school graduates with in-state residency programs. This would also help students that want to stay in Texas. Typically, when a student graduates medical school and completes their residency program they will probably practice in state. Residing in Texas will save a significant amount of money while also boosting Texas’ income as far as housing and any other taxed services or products. One disadvantage to this bill, for physicians, is the saturation of doctors in Texas which will cause physicians to lower their rate due to competition, which is an unlikely scenario, however, with the supply of physicians increasing, the possibility also increases Another disadvantage is the residency programs outside of Texas would lose students because they will not move to that school’s program.
According to the Texas Medical Association, the Lone Star State is growing exponentially fast to the point where there aren’t enough doctors to cover the population. Furthermore, in the state of Texas, there are approximately 43,000 physicians to cover 23 million citizens. With the increasing lifespan, migration to Texas, and the amount of newborns this can be an issue for availability. This results in unbelievable wait times for people to get in and out of the doctor’s Office, during their visit. Further complicating the issue is the difficulty in becoming a physician.
For someone to obtain their medical license, they must go through 4 years of medical school and then apply for residency. Residency is where they will spend the next 3 or more years training with licensed medical doctors to understand what a typical day is like, which is where one of the major problems presents itself. This is where the problem lies. Due to the rigorous criteria and limited slots, it is difficult to get accepted. Forcing them to relocate to an out of state residency program due to the volume of students being reached. This causes them to adapt their new environment and not return to Texas. As stated, with the constant loss of students moving out of state, Texas is also losing funds from these students such as housing, and any other taxed goods. Lastly, is an optional step one can take which is a fellowship. A fellowship is what the student wants to specialize in. For example, a student can about the brain or heart at an in-depth level.
If this bill passes not only would we see an increase of doctors but also less waiting time in Texas doctors’ offices. This would also eliminate the expense of traveling out of state which unfortunately the student has already established during medical school. Overall, this will boost Texas’ income due to the extra students staying in state for their residency program, while also improving the quality of healthcare services for children, veterans, elderly, and those with unexpected concerns.
Works Cited
“HOPING TO KEEP NEW DOCTORS IN TEXAS.” Texas Insider, 24 Feb. 2017, www.texasinsider.org/hoping-to-keep-new-doctors-in-texas-schwertner-asks-medical-schools-to-consider-graduate-medical-education/. Accessed 17 Mar. 2017.
“Why Texas Needs More Physicians.” Texas Medical Association, www.texmed.org/template.aspx?id=5427.
Also published on Medium.