As ‘match day' nears, med schools, lawmakers want to expand residencies to keep doctors in Nevada
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — On Friday, March 21 — just a week away — more than 40,000 medical students around the country will find out where they will be serving their residencies. About 300 of those graduates are from UNLV, UNR and Touro University, but there aren't enough residencies in the state to keep them here.
Natalie Osborn, a fourth-year student at Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine who is working toward a career as a pediatrician, wants to stay in Nevada. A Coronado High School graduate who went to UNLV, Osborn isn't alone, but opportunities in Nevada are limited on match day.
'Instead of hoping that our students come back to practice in Nevada, I would love to see more opportunities for students to train where their roots are so we can give back to the community that grew us,' Osborn said Thursday, one of several medical students on hand to testify in support of legislation that would allocate $9 million over the next two years toward grants under the Graduate Medical Education Advisory Council, which was created in 2023.
Fellowships and residencies are expensive training programs, but they are a key part of keeping doctors in Nevada.
Mark Kahn, dean at UNLV's Kirk Kerkorian Medical School said there is a significant shortage right now.
2024: Las Vegas medical students 'matched' with residency programs
More details came from Jeffrey Murawsky, chief medical officer for HCA's Far West Division, which includes Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center, Sunrise Children's Hospital, MountainView Hospital and Southern Hills Hospital.
'As was mentioned, we are at the bottom of the physician ranking. It would take 1,589 new doctors with none of us retiring to get to just average for access. The best way to close this gap, as Dean Kahn mentioned, is to grow our own,' Murawsky said.
Senate Bill 262 (SB262) has wide support among Democrats with 10 primary sponsors led by Sen. Julie Pazina. Another 25 lawmakers in the Senate and Assembly have signed on as co-sponsors.
Kahn told senators on the Health and Human Services Committee that increasing the number of doctors comes with a choice: import more or grow your own. And residencies have proven to be an effective way to keep medical students from leaving. Kahn said about 40% of Nevada's med school graduates practice here, and about 60% of residents remain rather than leaving for another state. 'But if you do both, it goes to about 80%,' Kahn said.
Jacob Lamay, a UNR medical student, said, 'The reality is that without a surgery residency program here, my path and the paths of many aspiring surgeons like me, will lead us out of state. This summer and fall I will be traveling to different states to showcase my skills as a fourth-year medical student to hospitals that train doctors in my surgical field of choice. I hope that they choose me when I apply for residency this September but I would have preferred to stay here in Nevada if this were possible.'
Kelsie Little, a gold miner's daughter from Elko and now a fourth-year medical student at Touro, is another example. 'Hopefully, matching next week. Nevada is my number one.'
Without a residency here, the opportunities are out of state. 'I would like to be a physician for the community that served me, but I may not have the chance to,' she said.
SB262 realigns the committee that would supervise the grants, moving it under the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services. Not much has happened since it was created two years ago, but lawmakers think that will change under DHHS.
Dr. Wolfgang Gilliar, dean at Touro University Nevada, believes that the program will need to grow significantly. 'We need to talk about $50 million,' he said. But for now, he acknowledged, 'With little, we can do a lot. With nothing, we can do nothing.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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