Towns Invited to Sign up for SIU Doctors Fair

Illinois communities looking to recruit physicians are again invited to participate in the 2003 Doctors Fair at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Springfield. SIU is hosting its 23rd annual Doctors Fair on Friday, Sept. 19, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in a large tent just north of the medical school's main building at 801 N. Rutledge.

A top producer of primary care physicians*, the medical school has hosted the fair since 1979 as part of its mandate to help Illinois meet its need for physicians. Many Illinois towns, particularly those with health facilities in smaller communities, participate in the SIU fair as part of ongoing recruitment efforts. Communities and health organizations from around Illinois attend in hopes of convincing medical students and residents that their facility is the best place to start a medical practice.

The fair gives physician recruiters a chance to talk with approximately 150 resident physicians, medical students and physician assistant students from SIU as well as other Midwest medical schools and residencies. Promising candidates receive invites for follow-up visits; eventual offers can include guaranteed salaries, furnished offices and help with school loans.

Those interested in attending this year's fair can contact John Record, fair organizer and assistant dean of rural and alumni affairs, at 217-545-5770 or jrecord@siumed.edu .

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*Note -- SIU has been nationally ranked in several surveys as a top school for the percentage of physicians it trains for the primary care fields of medicine.