Silver State Times

The state of Nevada hopes that a new initiative with the Office of Science, Innovation and Technology will help fill specific physician roles in high-needs specialties.

According to NV.gov, Gov. Steve Sisolak (D-NV) announced the state government will pay for five graduate medical education residencies and fellowship programs to fill those positions.

“Ensuring every Nevadan has access to high-quality health care has been one of my top priorities in office. Continuing to grow Nevada’s physician workforce is essential to our health care access goals,” Sisolak said, according to NV.gov.

Gov. Steve Sisolak | facebook.com/GovSisolak

The initiative will provide $8.5 million in funding to educate 20 new physicians throughout the entire state and enhance the number of physicians who obtain their degree in Nevada.

Physicians will be trained in specialties that include hematology and oncology, family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics and rheumatology. By providing the funds for students to obtain their degrees, the state government is banking that physicians will continue practicing in the city where they finished their residency or fellowship.

The state has 234 licensed physicians per 100,000 residents, which is below the national average of 285 physicians per 100,000 residents.

"Graduate medical education is an important part of Nevada’s strategy to grow its physician workforce and increase access to high-quality health care," Brian Mitchell, director of the governor’s Office of Science, Innovation and Technology, told NV.gov. “We’re excited that these partnerships will provide new residency programs and state-of-the-art instruction for Nevada’s next generation of doctors.”