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Study finds severe shortage of doctors in Texas

A new study finds that Texas ranks 47th in the U.S. for the number of primary care physicians the state needs to take care of the population.

SAN ANTONIO — Texas is facing a shortage of doctors according to a study by the Association of American Medical Colleges.

The study says that when it comes to primary care, the state of Texas at the bottom of the pack, ranking 47th out of the 50 states for having an adequate number of primary care physicians for the population.

"The disparity in the income that's possible between primary care and some of the specialty, specifically some of the surgical specialties, is pretty significant,” said Dr. Carlos Rosende with UT Health. “As a result, it's not traditionally been as an attractive field as some of the other specialties. We're trying to address that issue by looking at the pay disparity.”

Medical experts say that Texas is also experiencing a brain drain of its medical students, those who complete medical school in state are often having to move out of state for their residencies.

"Usually, when someone does a residency training, they tend to stay in the state or even in the city where they train. So if we had more training positions here in Texas, we would be able to accommodate more of our own graduates who wouldn't have to leave Texas to learn the specialty," Dr. Rosende said.

Dr. Rosende added that more opportunities would also make Texas a destination for medical students from out of state.

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