Put this in the category of, tell me more, or at least, continue the discussion. Idaho is one of the states that does not provide any way internally to obtain a medical degree, and that may be contributing to the shortage of physicians, especially in rural areas. (Idaho students can apply to medical schools elsewhere, of course, and some seats are set aside for Idaho at the University of Washington program.) The costs of building a full-scale med school in Idaho from scratch would be daunting. Now, state Representative Mark Nye, whose district includes Idaho State University, said he’s exploring a way the institution might be able to develop its academic programs sufficiently to offer a medical degree, even without setting up a medical school as such, which might boost the physician population in the state. ISU already has substantial nursing, pharmacy and other medical-related programs under its roof. Might this expansion work? I’d like to hear more. – rs (photo)
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