S. Ore. needs rural doctors, even with program

KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. (AP) — Klamath County needs more rural doctors, even with a local residency program that trains its graduates to work in small towns.

The Herald and News reports that Klamath County’s current medical demands outpace its number of physicians.

The Cascades East Rural Family Medicine Residency Program has been working to ease that shortage for nearly 20 years.

But officials say only one in four doctors trained through the program end up staying in the area after graduation.

Part of the problem is that many medical school graduates leave school with as much as $250,000 in student loans. With specialized fields in big cities earning three times as much as the average rural family physician, many move to metro areas.

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Information from: Herald and News, http://www.heraldandnews.com