Maryland's Eastern Shore Boosts Health Care Access with Innovative Medical Training Program

University of Maryland Medical System. Stock image of a diverse team of clinicians talking in a hospital hallway

More than 1 million people in Maryland live in medically underserved areas — mostly on the state’s rural Eastern Shore. The University of Maryland School of Medicine aims to change that.

A new training program has been launched to address the area’s physician shortage by eventually placing 10 new physicians per year into Eastern Shore health care facilities. The program features special training on the specific needs of rural patients, as well as the challenges practitioners will face while working in medically underserved areas.

The state of Maryland is funding the program with a $1.4 million grant; six first-year medical students have already been accepted, with three of those on full scholarship. The scholarship recipients have committed to four years of medical service in the region.

 

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