Arkansas is in dire need of physicians and nurses, but the shortage is unlikely to be resolved anytime soon, maybe not even by 2035, the state's hospital association reports.
Some areas of the state "will only have a fraction of the physicians they need," according to NBC affiliate KXAN.
The state and hospitals are seeking ways to patchwork a solution, including by expanding medical residency programs throughout the state in hopes of retaining medical students, rather than them moving away.
Attrition of medical graduates has been a recurring issue in the state and while there is not one solution that will fix everything, keeping the experts they graduate may help. According to KXAN, in 2021 Arkansas "graduated 200 more medical students than it could move into residencies," and those who could not secure spots left to find a place where they could.
Expanding residency program options for new graduates may be a direct way to curb physician shortages given that around 57 percent of medical residents stay and continue work in the state where they completed their residency, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges.
However, experts acknowledge that even with the expansion of medical residencies, new programs take time and money to implement and told KXAN that it feels like a solid future solution to a problem that needs more immediate attention.