Oregon Health & Science University is reducing some class sizes because of a shortage of clinical placement positions in the region, according to The Lund Report.
The Portland-based university cut this fall's incoming class sizes for its physician program from 150 students to 140, its PA program from 42 spots to 30 and its pediatric NP program from 14 to 10.
Many schools have increased the size of their training classes in recent years in response to the national shortage of healthcare professionals, which has made it more difficult to place students in a limited number of clinical training positions in hospitals and other healthcare facilities, the university said.
"East Coast (medical) schools are coming to the West Coast to place their students (in training) because they can't find space on the East Coast, so that is pushing out the West Coast schools. It's a ripple effect, a domino effect," David Robinson, PhD, interim OHSU provost, told The Lund Report.
Social distancing protocols and the pause on elective surgeries early in the pandemic also spurred Oregon health systems to reduce the number of student placements they'd accept, according to George Mejicano, MD, senior associate dean for education in OHSU’s school of medicine.
While OHSU has on-campus hospitals and clinics to place some students in clinical training spots, there are not enough to support its entire student population.
OHSU may be among the first medical schools in the country to reduce incoming classes in response to a lack of training placements, according to The Lund Report. A spokesperson for the Association of American Medical Colleges told the publication it's not aware of any other medical school in the country doing the same.
OHSU said it hopes to increase its class size again in a few years. The university is trying to persuade healthcare facilities to renew their placement programs and is looking for new training opportunities to create more placements for students, Dr. Mejicano told The Lund Report.
To view the full article, click here.