after medical school is $200,000. Medical facilities attempting to recruit students may offer competitive sign-on packages or loan forgiveness in order to incentivize students to work in the area.
Carritt says it is also important to provide incentives — like tax incentives or student loan repayment options that are split between the state and the local community — for the practicing providers in rural communities to want to keep teaching the studentsfrom the University of Chicago has shown that rural physicians make approximately $30,000 more than urban physicians in addition to a lower cost of living in rural areas.
“You can still make a very good living and make as much money, if not more, as a primary care practitioner in a rural community, but because there aren’t always the jobs for specialists, you might not have that opportunity,” she says.Large research institutions are not the only saving grace for rural communities. Andrew College, a small private Methodist-affiliate school in Cuthbert, GA, held its first nurse pinning ceremony in May, graduating 27 students to work in the local area.
Askew says that most of the students will remain and work at one of the partner facilities. She says the program is beneficial to the students, many of whom are non-traditional and work to support their families, because the training and job placement will increase their financial security. Davis Patterson, director of the Collaborative for Rural Primary Care Research, Education and Practice, says rural health programs are an important step in making access to not only healthcare, but education, more equitable across the country.