Medical schools are notoriously competitive and have become increasingly more costly. But what happens when you no longer have enough doctors to service your community? Arkansas currently faces this issue, like many other statistically unhealthy states. There are not enough doctors, because there are not enough medical programs. Therefore NYIT has partnered with the University of Arkansas to rent out space at their campus and have students enroll, but still have their students receive an NYIT degree.
Recognizing this issue the two parties were able to find a solution that is mutually beneficial, as NYIT normally recruits from around the New York area, and Arkansas needs their own population to enroll. Therefore the two never overlap, and increase the number of doctors. However one issue that has not been able to be resolved is the amount of residency spots in Arkansas, which neither attracts students from different regions nor maintains the medical students already in Arkansas. Yet this is an issue that many medical students in different regions as well.
NYIT is a small school but this move to help bring doctors to underserved areas is truly innovative, especially since often times schools cannot afford a medical school. Hopefully, other regions who are facing shortages and are underserved can make similar connections and find solutions that are mutually beneficial to both parties.
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/05/13/address-physician-shortage-medical-schools-expand-rural-area
