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UNC system schools to expand, add more medical programs

North Carolina is already facing shortages of medical doctors, dentists and pharmacists, and medical professionals say the shortage is predicted to become more severe in coming years.

The UNC system has several plans to expand existing medical programs and add new ones to try to curb the shortage. But the recent recession has put many of those plans on hold because of a lack of funds.

“We are very concerned,” said Edward Salsberg, director of the Center for Workforce Studies for the Association of American Medical Colleges.

“One out of three doctors in the U.S. is over 55 and expected to retire in the next 10 to 15 years.”

Medical schools expand



North Carolina ranks 35th out of 45 states for the number of students enrolled in medical schools (five states don’t have medical schools).

There are only two public universities in North Carolina that have medical schools — UNC-Chapel Hill and East Carolina University.

UNC plans to expand its medical enrollment from 160 students per year to 230 students per year. But Bill Roper, dean of UNC-CH’s medical school, said he expects that the expansion will be at least two or three years away.

“That plan is on hold given the state’s financial situation,” he said.

More dentists needed

The state is facing a shortage of dentists as well. There are 4.4 dentists for every 10,000 people in the state, said Al Wilder, assistant dean of admissions and student affairs at UNC-CH’s dental school.

There are four rural counties in North Carolina with no dentists at all — Camden, Gates, Hyde and Tyrrell.

“We have a maldistribution problem in this state,” said Dan Cheek, president of the N.C. Dental Society.

UNC-CH plans to expand dentistry school enrollment from its current 81 students to 100. This increase in enrollment is expected to begin in the fall of 2012.

ECU also has plans to open a dental school in Fall 2011 with 40 to 50 seats available, Cheek said.

Pharmacy schools planned

UNC-CH has the only major pharmacy school in North Carolina’s public university system.

“When you look at the pharmacy manpower in North Carolina, there are shortages,” said Robert Blouin, dean of the UNC-CH Eshelman School of Pharmacy.

In 2009, 143 doctors of pharmacy graduated from the pharmacy school. Thirteen of those came from the Elizabeth City campus, said David Etchison, director of communications for UNC-CH’s pharmacy school.

UNC has proposed expanding its program to Asheville through a satellite program. This proposal would increase enrollment by 40 students per year, Etchison said.

UNC Greensboro has also proposed a plan for a whole new pharmacy school. Both plans are awaiting approval by the UNC-system General Administration.



Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.

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