Fit and Well Idaho Report: March 25-31 is National Physicians Week

TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — Monday, March 25, is the beginning of National Physicians Week, a time to celebrate the dedication, skill and commitment of physicians to providing high quality healthcare. Originally, Physicians week was celebrated as National Doctors Day on March 30; this holiday was first celebrated in 1933.

The day of recognition was extended to a weeklong celebration in 2016. From primary care physicians to specialists to hospitals, doctors play a crucial role in the community, preventing and treating illnesses and saving lives.

According to 2023 American Medical Association Physician Professional Data, Idaho ranks at the bottom of all 50 states for doctors per capita and at St. Luke’s Magic Valley in Twin Falls, there are only 337 physicians with hospital privileges.

“We’re always recruiting physicians here, Idaho is ranked 50th out of 50 for physicians per capita and there’s a lot of reasons that go into that,” said St. Luke’s Chief Medical Officer, Joshua Kern. “The chief reason I think is because we have the least number of residency slots per capita here in this state and so it can be a difficult thing for us to recruit.”

Dr. Kern is also a Residency Program Director at St. Luke’s, where two physicians are trained per year. According to Kern, there is a lot of success of recruiting doctors out of the program to work in the Magic Valley.

Doctors are important to society because they bring value to communities by improving the health of the people in our community, they work long hours to take care of people, and National Physicians Week is a great way to show appreciation to them and the services of care they provide.

Copyright 2024 KMVT. All rights reserved.