New pilot program launches to address physician shortages in rural Tennessee counties - News Channel 5 Nashville

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WTVF) — At a young age, Dr. Thomas Atkins knew what helium wanted to do.

"I didn't truly cognize what a doc was astatine the time, but I knew that I wanted to assistance the radical successful my community," helium said.

His assemblage was a tiny municipality successful Cheatham County.

"Growing up, I benignant of conscionable saw the wellness disparities that radical successful agrarian communities faced," said Atkins.

As helium finished aesculapian school, Dr. Atkins learned of a unsocial opportunity. Ascension Saint Thomas and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center launched a archetypal of its kind: a programme to get much doctors into agrarian communities.

"Often it is simply a precise challenging spot to signifier medicine due to the fact that the extent of cognition that’s required successful truthful galore antithetic areas is extensive," said Dr. Craig Glass, subordinate programme manager astatine The University of Tennessee Health Science Center.

Unlike municipality physicians, Dr. Glass said those successful agrarian areas whitethorn find themselves wearing aggregate hats.

"I deliberation immoderate programs precisely similar this are a bully measurement successful that direction," helium said. "I deliberation showing aesculapian students what agrarian physicians tin bash and immoderate of the skills they need."

The caller aviator programme is portion of a state-funded effort encouraging young doctors to instrumentality up agrarian practice.

"I deliberation that determination whitethorn besides beryllium a fearfulness of having to cognize each of that information," said Dr. Atkins. "You cognize you're the lone doc for miles astir and that's a batch of value connected you."

Dr. Atkins is excited to beryllium the archetypal doc successful this aviator program, but helium hopes helium won't beryllium the last.

"It's a rapidly increasing request and it has been for years," helium said. "We request doctors successful agrarian areas and the agrarian areas are decidedly the areas that truly request the attraction the most, I believe."