Nearly 100 University of Iowa Health Care residents, fellows and their spouses attended a July 31 career fair in Iowa City aimed at connecting medical trainees with health care organizations across the state.
The event was hosted by University of Iowa Health Care and co-sponsored by Great River Health, the Iowa Hospital Association, Iowa Medical Society and Physicians’ Clinic of Iowa, and amassed 10 Iowa-based health systems, clinics and critical access hospitals. The goal: connect medical trainees with employers and address the state’s growing physician shortage – particularly in rural communities.
Iowa ranks 44th nationally for its patient-to-physician ratio, a metric that underscores the urgency of expanding and retaining the physician workforce, according to state health officials.
“UI Health Care’s mission is to serve all Iowans,” said Dr. Denise Jamieson, UI vice president for medical affairs and the Tyrone D. Artz Dean of the Carver College of Medicine. “One way we are accomplishing this is by leading the way in educating and training the state’s future generations of health care providers. As the state’s only comprehensive academic health system, we play a critical role in addressing the state’s physician workforce needs. This career fair is an excellent example of how we are collaborating with other health systems and community partners to improve physician retention and health care access across our state.”
According to a release, nearly half of Iowa’s practicing physicians received education or training at UI Health Care. But while the number of medical school graduates has increased, the availability of in-state residency spots has not kept pace. Many graduates are forced to leave Iowa to complete their training – a gap that medical school administrators and lawmakers are working to close.
“There are no simple, quick fixes to this complex issue, so we are taking a strategic, multi-faceted approach to encouraging UI medical student and resident graduates to stay and practice in Iowa,” said Dr. Gerard Clancy, the chair of UI Health Care’s physician workforce task force and senior associate dean for external affairs at Carver College of Medicine.
Dr. Clancy said UI is also focused on increasing the number of qualified Iowans who apply to medical school at Carver College of Medicine, as well as the number of medical school graduates who match with Iowa-based residencies.
The event drew participants like Dr. Magdalena Maginot, a public psychiatry fellow from Valparaiso, Indiana, who recently bought a home in the Iowa City area.
“The career event made me realize that exceptional care happens across the state in many different hospitals,” she said. “It made me excited to explore opportunities outside of an academic setting after I graduate.”
Dr. Clancy added that building awareness of career pathways within Iowa is key to long-term retention.
“We want all our medical students and residents to know about the many opportunities there are to make a real difference in health care and people’s lives right here in Iowa,” Dr. Clancy said.
