BOISE, Idaho — Idaho's population is booming but the number of pediatricians in the state hasn't kept up with the growth. The Gem State currently ranks 50th for the number of pediatricians per capita, but a brand new residency program hopes to change that.
RELATED | New pediatric residency program to aid in Idaho's limited number of pediatric doctors
Starting in July, four new medical school graduates will begin the next chapter of their training with the Pediatrics Residency of Idaho program at Full Circle Health in Boise. It is a partnership with St. Luke's offering experience in clinical, hospital, and rural settings.
Starting this summer, Boise will be the training ground for the next generation of Idaho pediatricians.
— Karen Lehr (@KarenLehr) March 24, 2023
The brand new residency program partners with @StLukesHealth and filled its four spots on Match Day after receiving 402 applicants.
Full story tonight on @IdahoNews6 pic.twitter.com/oOaDO3HwG7
Idaho native Diana Green was among the 402 applicants and was excited to learn she paired with the program at the Match Day Celebration at the Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine, or ICOM.
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"I was over the moon! It was my number one choice," Green said. "I hear from patients and families all the time that it's so hard to get into a pediatrician, so I think it's awesome we have this pediatrics residency program starting. I think it's something Idaho desperately needs."
Program director Dr. Perry Brown agrees. That's why he's spent the last four years working out the details of the program, designing rotations, and receiving accreditation.
"We need more pediatricians in this state for Idaho's children," Dr. Brown said. "And Idaho's average pediatrician age is actually higher than most of the US. So we have pediatricians retiring, and we need to be getting pediatricians in at the beginning of their career."
Previously, primary care residents in Idaho spent just a few weeks of their three-year residency studying pediatrics. Now the field will be the focus for all 36 months. The main goal is to attract and retain pediatricians who will serve the community far into the future.
That's the plan for Diana. "I feel like Idaho has invested a lot in me at this point, so it's kind of exciting to be able to give back," Green said.
Prior to the new residency opportunity, Dr. Brown says there was a 1,400-mile stretch from the Pacific coast to the Minnesota border without a pediatric program, leaving Idaho in a "pediatric training desert".
"The purpose of building this pediatrics residency is to change that," Dr. Brown said. "Change that dynamic and start training medical school graduates in Idaho, to stay in Idaho, to serve Idaho."
The retention rate among residency programs is high -- meaning more than half of doctors who complete their rotations go on to practice where they completed their residency.
On top of rotations in Treasure Valley clinics and hospital settings, each resident in the new pediatrics program will spend several weeks working in a rural community where the need is even greater.
"One of our goals in our program is not just to populate the Treasure Valley with pediatricians, but to actually get pediatricians out to rural places in Idaho where they're really, really needed," Dr. Brown said.
The four new residents are coming from Montana, Utah, Idaho, and India.
The rotations will start in July, and each year the program will welcome four new first-year interns.
