Administration makes $9.1 million available for primary care in underserved areas

{mosads}The United States faces a shortage of 21,000 primary care doctors by 2015, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. A major reason is that primary care doctors stand to make far less that specialists, despite also having substantial student debt.

“The average medical school debt of the students receiving these awards is more than $200,000,” said Mary Wakefield, administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration. “The Students to Service program relieves a tremendous debt burden, allowing them to follow their passion for primary care and serve some of the country’s most underserved rural and urban communities.”