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Attracting quality physicians to South Carolina
The SC Office of Rural Health's Rural Recruitment and Retention Service strives to attract quality physicians to SC, to retain the best resident physicians who train in SC and to provide support to physicians currently practicing in our state. The SC Office of Rural Health is dedicated to preserving rural health care and ensuring that health care providers realize the benefits existing within rural communities.
Recruiting Challenges in Rural South Carolina
According to the US Census Bureau, 53.3% of South Carolina is considered rural. Even though over half of South Carolina is designated as rural, the majority of health care providers practice in metropolitan areas leaving a growing void in the rural communities. South Carolina's declining health care structure in many rural areas is exacerbated by the persistent shortage of physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants. This is a major health care problem in South Carolina; many of our most needy citizens do not have adequate access to basic healthcare services.
Rural South Carolina communities struggle with recruiting and sustaining an adequate health professional workforce. Common barriers to working in rural communities include the dependency on Medicare and Medicaid for revenue which is often lower than primary insurance agencies and the limited number of procedures that can be performed due to limited equipment, and capital. Rural physicians often work longer hours due to the limited number of co-workers, and may suffer from professional isolation. Recruitment also becomes a barrier due to smaller employment opportunities for spouses and limited educational opportunities for children.
Recruitment and Retention Services
The SC Office of Rural Health employs a full-time recruiter that provides comprehensive recruitment and retention services consisting of job placement, loan repayment, and incentive grants. The Director, Stacey Day, a licensed Masters Social Worker, is a member of the Carolinas Association of Physician Services and represents South Carolina as the state's organizational member of the National Rural Recruitment and Retention Center (3RNet.)
The SC Office of Rural Health utilizes the Practice Sights database - the most up-to-date online recruitment tool currently available. Practice Sights allows physicians and other health care professionals to post their profile online so it may be viewed by our clients. It also allows our members to display their recruitment needs online; please feel free to visit our recruitment website at www.schealthcare.com. Contact Director Stacey Day (803.454.3850, Ext. 2009) to determine how the SC Office of Rural Health can assist with your recruitment needs.
Below are a list of current services provided at no or minimal cost
• Provide enhanced recruitment services to Critical Access Hospitals, rural hospitals, Rural Health Clinics, Federally Qualified Health Centers and other rural practices.
• Administer the National Health Service Corps State Loan Repayment Program to provide funds to assist physicians with paying off school debt.
• Serve as the clearinghouse for primary care provider job opportunities in rural and underserved areas of SC.
• Visit primary care residency and training programs in SC.
• Place medical students, and students in the Physician Assistant and Nurse Practitioner program in five week clinical rotations in rural and underserved areas of SC.
• Exhibit at national and state job opportunity fairs to encourage physicians and other healthcare providers to practice in SC.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Stacey Day, MSW, LMSW
Director, Recruitment
803.454.3850, Ext. 2009
stacey@scorh.net
www.schealthcare.com |
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Jody Ellison, MD
Richland Community Healthcare
Eastover, SC
The SC Office of Rural Health has assisted me since I finished my residency in 2000. The SCORH was instrumental in helping me pay my med school debt through the state loan repayment program and the National Health Service Corps. Mark Griffin helped me throughout the entire process for loan repayment with recommending possible options, working out the logistics and even writing a letter of support.
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