Oregon, like the rest of the nation, is facing a physician workforce shortage, exacerbated by mal-distribution. To meet Oregon’s needs, the OHSU School of Medicine (SOM) must graduate more physicians, matriculate more Oregon residents, and facilitate practice in underserved areas. This must be accomplished within a constrained budget environment.

To increase workforce, the SOM plans to develop regional campuses, with the prototypes being at the University of Oregon in partnership with the PeaceHealth System-Oregon Region  (Eugene) and Oregon State University with Samaritan Health (Corvallis). Through developing regional campuses, the SOM will increase its class size from 100 in 2001 to at least 160 students by 2010.

Physician Workforce Shortage in Oregon

• From 2004 – 2006, OHSU SOM will graduate 200 new physicians to replace the more than 1,250 providers (>13% of Oregon’s physicians) exiting the workforce due to retirement, career changes and relocation.
• Approximately half of Oregon’s population and 55 percent of the physician workforce are centered in the Portland metropolitan area. Many of Oregon’s rural areas are medically underserved.
  
• The number of physicians per 100,000 people in Oregon’s nonmetropolitan and rural areas decreased from 128 physicians per 100,000 people in 1991 to 78 physicians per 100,000 in 2001.
• Many more Oregon physicians are now in the 51-60 age group than in 1994, and fewer are in the 41-50 age group.
  

Expanding the SOM Class Size: A 4-Phase Plan (2001-2015)

Phase 1 (2001 – 2006)

• Uses only the resources of the current capital budget.
• Incrementally increases enrollment by four students per entering class, reaching 120 matriculates in 2006, the maximum number of 1st-year students that can be accommodated at current site.
  

• Oregon Medicine (ORMED) Collaborative is established to develop institutional/clinical framework for regionalization.
• OHSU School of Medicine, University of Oregon at Eugene, and PeaceHealth System-Oregon Region agree to collaborate.
• OHSU School of Medicine, Oregon State University and Samaritan Health Services (Corvallis) agree to collaborate.
• Additional partners are investigated.
  
• First regional campus developed at partner’s physical facilities.
• Some third- and fourth-year medical students participate in clinical rotations at regional campuses.
• SOM capital investment contained; additional capital raised through philanthropic partnership.

• First-year medical students educated at regional sites.
• Entering class size reaches 160 students.
• All second-year medical students receive education at current OHSU SOM campus where capacity for 2nd-year curriculum is 160 students.
• Network of community partnerships in Oregon expanded.
• Additional regional campuses created throughout Oregon (Central, Northeast and Southern Oregon).
• Capital campaign for new medical school on Schnitzer Campus at Portland’s South Waterfront completed.

• New expanded medical school facility on the Schnitzer campus at the Portland South Waterfront completed.
• Regional campuses remain to ensure adequate physician workforce, physician distribution and statewide clinical training.

Strengths of ORMED

• A School of Medicine, state university and regional health system partnership.
• Established rural outreach programs through Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) Program and the proposed Oregon Rural Scholars Program.
• Better utilization of available space and faculty.
• Access to additional educational and research resources, with additional graduate degree options for medical students.
• Enhanced levels of state support, use of funded resources, new philanthropic opportunities, and increased political support in future negotiations.
• Expanded clinical training venues.

The Oregon model for expansion to ensure an adequate physician workforce is strategically developed to maintain educational quality and to minimize impact on presently available resources. OHSU School of Medicine’s model for expansion accommodates capital constraints, provides needed flexibility, and increases student and resource distribution.

The expediency of expansion is enhanced through a community partnership with existing health care delivery systems and state universities. Establishing regional campuses throughout the state and matriculating the student population best suited for the state’s future physician workforce are key considerations.

The final step in expansion enhances the School of Medicine’s capacity through construction of a new medical school facility on the South Waterfront campus, currently being developed in Portland and connected to the current Marquam Hill campus by the Portland Aerial Tram, opened January 2007.