Greener acres: Some physicians bid goodbye to city life

Giving up the urban landscape for a practice in a rural area can be clinically and financially rewarding -- as long as you realize exactly what you're getting into.

By Mike Norbut, AMNews staff. July 5, 2004.

Family physician Saul Montelongo, MD, was looking for a new job earlier this year so his family could move closer to his wife's parents, who live in San Antonio.

But when an opportunity in the city came up -- complete with a good salary and plenty of physicians among whom to divide on-call work -- Dr. Montelongo turned it down.

Instead, he chose a practice in tiny Floresville, Texas, about 30 miles southeast of San Antonio, which offered a slightly lower salary but a chance to be a partner in a couple of years. The town, with about 8,000 residents, also offered those country living intangibles he couldn't get in the big city.

"It's friendly, with less stress, and the people are more appreciative," said Dr. Montelongo, who got used to rural living at his former practice in Alice, Texas, a town of about 20,000 residents in the southern portion of the state. "I got used to the laid-back attitude. I like picking up my daughter from school."

While the perception might be that urban and suburban opportunities always trump rural ones, doctors might be able to find solid jobs and practices in smaller communities across America. A shrewd physician willing to forgo some of the perks of city living can use the higher demand for medical care and the willingness of a hospital to assist in the recruitment to his or her advantage and actually get an enviable financial package, recruiters say.

Times have definitely changed. The days of a small town pooling its money to try to recruit a doctor who was willing to gamble his or her own financial security for a social mission are less frequent now. Instead, hospitals are taking the lead, and while there still isn't a rush to the country, spots are easier to fill because the positions have become more appealing.