The first step of a medical education is when the medical student dons a white-coat, the white laboratory coat worn by physicians across the globe, signifying the students’ entrance into the medical profession.
Central Michigan University’s College of Medicine held its inaugural white-coat ceremony this month, commemorating the first class of 64 students who will embark on an almost decade-long process of becoming a physician.
With eight percent of physicians planning to retire in the next three years and 46% reporting they plan on retiring in the next 10 years, training new physiicans is an important part of building a strong health care workforce in every Michigan community.
Central Michigan University’s College of Medicine reports their students will focus on providing care to small towns and rural areas in Michigan, where some of the most critical shortages of primary care exist.
But training more physicians is hardly a “cure-all” to ensure all Michigan families have access to care. We need to explore creating more high-functioning health care teams that can provide higher levels of care coordination, to facilitate better care at lower cost.
We also need to find new ways of expanding the availability of clinical rotation space for all health care profession students. Maximizing the use of current clinical rotation space will be essential to provide health care education programs at an affordable cost.
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