🏥 Training Tomorrow’s Doctors

For years, families across rural Iowa have been asking me the same simple question: How do we get more doctors to stay here? 

We do it by giving future physicians the chance to train here, build relationships here, and ultimately put down roots here. 

What’s new: Iowa is investing $10.5 million to create up to 14 new rural residency programs in internal medicine, OBGYN, general surgery, and psychiatry. ⬇️

The good news is that Iowa isn’t making this investment alone.

What we’re doing: Over the past year, I helped secure a new $209 million federal investment to strengthen rural health care across our state. On top of that, Iowa received nearly $50 million in additional federal funding to expand medical education, creating an estimated 128 new residency positions for future doctors across Iowa. 

Expanding residency programs is one of the most effective ways to keep physicians practicing in Iowa, especially in rural communities. That’s why in addition to funding, we’re working to pass bipartisan legislation — the Train More Primary Care Doctors Act and the Train More Nurses Act — to grow Iowa’s pipeline of health care professionals and help rural hospitals recruit and retain the workforce they need. 

Why it matters: According to the American Medical Association, physicians who spend at least half of their residency training in rural communities are more than five times as likely to practice there after graduation. 

Bottom Line: When Washington and Iowa work together, we get results. Investing in the people who care for our communities is one of the smartest investments we can make. I’ll continue working with anyone, Republican or Democrat, to strengthen rural health care and ensure Iowa families have the access they need.