Rural communities across the state are facing a physician shortage that’s only getting more urgent — the average rural doctor is nearing retirement age, and many are planning to leave the profession sooner rather than later. Meanwhile, small towns are watching hospitals cut services, close OB units, and struggle to recruit anyone to replace a retiring doctor.
One answer to that problem just opened its doors in St. Cloud. The University of Minnesota Medical School, in partnership with CentraCare, has launched a brand-new regional campus — the first new medical school site in the state in decades — built specifically to train students who are already from rural Minnesota, with the hope that they’ll return home to practice.
This episode features an interview with Dr. Christopher Fallert, founding dean of the St. Cloud campus. We talk about how this partnership came together, why the rural physician shortage is as serious as it is, and — perhaps the most important question — whether there’s real evidence that a “grow your own” model like this actually works.