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SALT LAKE CITY — Reports show that 23 out of the 29 counties in Utah have some sort of shortage in primary health care doctors.
Despite this, one medical program is having quite a lot of success finding future family doctors.
Convincing a medical student to work as a primary care physician instead of a specialist that can make more money can be a tricky thing to do.
"We have a good track record. I think all of our graduates have passed the board exam, which certainly could not be said nationwide," said Anne Hutchinson, a faculty member with McKay Dee Hospital's Family Medicine Residency Program.
She said the facility trains future doctors who will be living in rural areas, so it's able to attract students who want to have that kind of practice.
Since its beginning over 40 years ago, the program has trained more than 200 physicians now practicing in rural and urban communities, according to [its website](<http://intermountainhealthcare.org/hospitals/mckaydee/porterfamilymedicine/residency/Pages/home.aspx >).
She also said those doctors must keep up with the latest trends, like the increasingly popular patient-centered medical home movement.
According to the American College of Physicians, the movement "is a care delivery model whereby patient treatment is coordinated through their primary care physician to ensure they receive the necessary care when and where they need it, in a manner they can understand."
"We're finding that medical students are asking a lot of questions about it and they're being trained in those principals in their medical schools," Hutchinson said.
