The Bottleneck Effect: Georgia’s Rural Residency Disparity

EMILY KIMBRELL–

The Georgia Board of HealthCare Workforce’s 2023 graduate report reveals a striking paradox, wherein they report that a staggering 75% of Georgia medical school graduates intend to concentrate their efforts in Georgia’s “underserved” areas (6,) although over 60% declared to have matched in another state (20). Georgia is considered to be a state that experiences significant healthcare disparities across its sectors, resulting in many citizens going without primary care and basic necessities such as dentistry or preventative care. Georgia’s coverage gap has grown to place significant strains on state officials, who are now contemplating how to attract and retain new physicians into rural, underserved areas.

The “Bottleneck Effect” refers to the lack of post-graduate opportunities, namely residency programs, for physicians to participate in, especially in rural areas. This results in many physicians, for matters ranging from family to finances, being shuttled to prominent cities to work, often leaving behind smaller towns without any practicing clinicians for miles. As a result, PCOM found that Georgians in these areas are disproportionately affected: rates of obesity, cardiovascular disease, and cancer are on the rise, and without preventive care from pediatrics and primary care physicians, families are left at a loss. 

A growing non-profit medical organization in Georgia, Medlink, is making strides to help tackle the practitioner shortage. According to Dennis Kimbrell, Medlink’s Pharmacy Director, the company is in the process of developing a new residency program to encourage newly graduated doctors to serve in rural communities. The hope is that these programs will familiarize physicians with the health accessibility disparity, and provide them with the encouragement to help mitigate its consequences. 

However, Mr. Kimbrell notes that various barriers still persist when attempting to keep the residents from flocking to cities; factors like competitive wages, spouse relocation, and physician burnout are all elements that Medlink is attempting to address in its new program. He remains adamant that without innovative policies and opportunities for residents to begin practice in these underserved areas, Georgians can expect the health disparity to continue climbing.

Medlink Georgia is not the only newly evolving residency program for Georgia’s rural citizens–Children’s Healthcare, Augusta, and Georgia South (among others,) are funding pursuits to diagnose and treat the current disproportionality. The University of Georgia’s recently announced medical program too seeks to address Georgia’s “unmet health needs” and cites the state’s vast inequalities as its motivation to provide instruction and support surrounding rural health disparities. 

The Bottleneck Effect in Georgia’s rural healthcare system underscores a critical issue that must be addressed with urgency and innovation in the form of residency programs and in-state training. The success of these programs will ultimately determine whether the state can bridge the growing gap between healthcare accessibility and the needs of its underserved populations. Addressing this problem is not just a matter of policy—it is a matter of public health necessity.

Copy Editor: Sreeja Challa

Photography Source: https://www.healthecareers.com/career-resources/residents-and-fellows/what-to-look-for-in-a-residency-program