It’s the simple law of supply and demand.  With an aging population and only less than 40 percent of graduates from Wisconsin’s two medical schools staying in Wisconsin, there is a physician shortage that continues to grow.

In a 2008 report by the Wisconsin Hospital Association, on behalf of the Wisconsin Council on Medical Education & Workforce (WCMEW), “Who Will Care for Our Patients?” one of the most worrisome statistics is that Wisconsin is short by close to 400 primary care physicians across 31 counties.

Because primary care physicians play such a vital role in our healthcare system here in Wisconsin, the WCA Group Health Trust, along with the Wisconsin Council on Medical Education and Workforce, and the Wisconsin Hospital Association Foundation, has established an annual scholarship for third and fourth year medical students at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and the Medical College of Wisconsin.

The goal of the scholarship program, which will be awarded for the first time by the fall of 2010, is to increase the number of medical students going into primary care, as well as stay in Wisconsin to work following graduation.

The application deadline is September 1, 2010.   To apply click here.