Clinical retraining programs hard to find

In response to growing needs, several refresher courses have started up, suggesting more doctors who have left medicine would like to return.

By Myrle Croasdale, AMNews staff. June 4, 2007.

Shirley Ingram, MD, a rheumatologist in Oregon, was burned out. Paperwork and reimbursement pressures were unpleasant. At one point Medicare stopped payments for three months, and the practice had to take out a loan to stay afloat.

At the same time her second daughter was starting high school. "She thought it would be wonderful if I didn't work," Dr. Ingram said.

So the physician left.

That was seven years ago. With her two daughters in college, Dr. Ingram now works part time reviewing insurance files. She also has her eye on a part-time clinical position. But she needed a way to brush up on her clinical skills. Dr. Ingram is one of a fortunate few to find a retraining program. In July, she's set to finish a 12-week course in rheumatology and internal medicine at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland.

An increasing number of physicians want to return to medicine after an extended leave, yet there are few signposts to guide them. In the face of physician shortage forecasts, work-force leaders are looking to bring those sidelined physicians back to the clinic setting. And with more physicians wanting flexibility in their work schedules and careers, some anticipate that interest in re-entry resources will continue to grow.

In the past few years, a handful of refresher programs have emerged, including two in the last year alone. These programs are geared to get out-of-date physicians back up to speed. Also, 22 physician organizations formed a national working group last year to look at re-entry barriers and how to overcome them.