Addressing the Physician Shortage
Like many states across the country, Dr. Hargrove says Minnesota and the Dakotas will most likely experience a shortage of rheumatology providers over the next 10 years. Dr. Hargrove says factors affecting this are the retirement of many baby boomer-age rheumatologists, the shift to more women providers who more often work part time and the larger number of millennial providers who tend to see fewer patients in the quest for a better work-life balance.
Treating younger patients is also a concern. North Dakota only has two pediatric rheumatologists, and South Dakota has one who splits time between Sioux Falls and Fargo.
Dr. Petersen says RA-MD has a good representation of physician assistants and nurse practitioners and sees them helping to alleviate the shortage of rheumatologists, especially in rural areas.
“These mid-level providers definitely help to increase patient access,” Dr. Petersen says. “As rheumatology professionals, we’re spread out across the three states,” she says. “Our meetings give us a chance to come together and talk about issues that are unique to the upper Midwest.”
The Next Gen
Two Minnesota institutions, the University of Minnesota, and the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, offer rheumatology fellowship training programs.
“Keeping these training positions full and possibly expanding the number of positions, along with recruiting more nurse practitioners and physician assistants into rheumatology, will be critical for meeting the future demand for care,” Dr. Hargrove says. “Retaining newly trained rheumatologists to provide care in the tri-state area is also a critical factor in meeting demand.”
Although there isn’t a similar program in South Dakota, Dr. Petersen who also works as a clinical professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at the Sanford School of Medicine, says several of the residents she’s worked with have decided to pursue a career in rheumatology.
“Several former students, including two of the partners at my practice, opted to come back to South Dakota after finishing their fellowships in other states,” Dr. Petersen says. “It’s gratifying to see rheumatologists return to South Dakota.”
Linda Childers is a health writer located in the San Francisco Bay Area.
References
- Arthritis Foundation Minnesota.
- Arthritis. South Dakota Department of Health website.