Seventy Towns Needing Physicians Will Be Represented at SIU Doctors Fair

Nearly 30 Illinois organizations looking to recruit physicians for more than 70 Illinois communities are participating in the 2004 Doctors Fair next week at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Springfield. SIU is hosting its 24th annual Doctors Fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, September 24, in a large tent north of the School's main building (801 N. Rutledge).

"The need for physicians in rural and underserved Illinois remains a concern," says John Record, associate dean for rural and alumni affairs and the fair organizer. "The problem has grown over the past couple of years as rising medical malpractice premiums have forced many physicians to move out of state, retire early or restrict their services."

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 participate in the SIU fair as part of ongoing recruitment efforts in the 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 150-plus 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.

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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.