Maine Medical Center, Tufts University School of Medicine celebrate 'Match Day'

This year's Match Day at Tufts celebrated the third cohort of students in the "Maine Track MD" program. A partnership between Tufts University School of Medicine and Maine Medical Center, the Maine Track MD program trains medical students interested in practicing medicine in underserved urban and rural communities in Maine where the shortage of physicians is acute. "Match Day" is when medical students across the country learn where they will begin their residency training following graduation this spring.

Of the 34 students in the Maine Track MD program, 24 (71%) matched in the primary care fields of family medicine, internal medicine, and pediatrics, while five (15%) matched in surgical specialties. Ten will be at residency programs in Maine, while others will be moving to West Virginia, Tennessee, Minnesota, California or other states.

"Research shows that medical students who have experiences in primary care or rural settings are more likely to pursue careers in these areas," said Harris Berman, M.D., dean of Tufts University School of Medicine. "The Maine Track MD students have an opportunity to practice in a community and experience what it is like to have a relationship with patients over nine months, much longer than is standard in medical school."

The Maine Track MD program includes an option for students in their third year to spend nine months practicing in small towns and rural communities. This Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship replaces the standard rotations through various medical specialties. The clerkship provides students with hands-on training in settings that combine training in rural practice as well as at a major medical center.

"The campus for these students is the state of Maine," said Peter Bates, M.D., chief medical officer at Maine Medical Center and academic dean for the Maine Track MD program. "Family practices, community hospitals, and Maine Medical Center all serve as training sites for these medical students. While not all graduates will match in Maine, their experiences in the Maine Track MD program will have far-reaching benefits for underserved communities in Maine. In addition, their residencies will give them a broader base of clinical experience, leading to improved care if they choose to practice here."

Most counties in the state of Maine have federally designated shortage areas in primary care (communities with more than 3,500 people per one doctor to provide care). The Association of American Medical Colleges' Center for Workforce Studies estimates the U.S. will face a shortage of 45,000 primary care physicians and 46,100 surgeons and medical specialists by 2020.

The first class of 32 Maine Track MD students graduated in 2013. Ten of these graduates are in physician residency programs in Maine while the remaining are in Alaska, Iowa, New Hampshire, Wisconsin and elsewhere. Two are in the military. Sixteen (50%) of the first graduating class were selected into residencies in primary care, including seven in family medicine. Another seven are pursuing surgical specialties.

The second class of 29 students graduated in 2014 with four doing residencies in Maine while the remaining are in Colorado, Maryland, Alaska and other states. Thirteen (46%) of the Maine Track students are in residencies in primary care fields. Another five students are pursuing surgical specialties.

The students begin in Maine for orientation; spend their first two years primarily on the Boston campus of Tufts, then move to Maine for most of the last two years of medical school. The unique curriculum of the Maine Track MD program emphasizes rural and small town practice. As the cost of medical education can be a financial hardship, up to 20 legal residents from the state of Maine in each entering class may receive a $25,000 scholarship which may be renewed for subsequent years.