Arkansas faces a critical challenge in building the physician workforce needed to serve communities across the state. While approximately 430 medical students graduate in Arkansas each year, there are currently 375 residency slots available.

With Alice L. Walton School of Medicine expected to graduate its first class of 48 students in 2029, expanding graduate medical education (GME) capacity is an increasingly important part of addressing the state’s physician shortage.  

In a new article in Chief Healthcare Executive, Claude Pirtle, President of Heartland Whole Health Institute, discusses why residency represents a critical bottleneck in the physician pipeline and how a coordinated approach to GME can help Arkansas train and retain more physicians. 

That connection between training and retention is especially important for communities already experiencing limited access to care. One-third of Arkansas residents live in health professional shortage areas, according to the article, while some residents travel 30 to 50 miles to receive care. The state also faces another workforce pressure: one-third of its physicians are over age 60.  

Building Programs Designed to Last 

Through the GME Technical Assistance Center, the Institute is working with hospitals and federally qualified health centers to help assess opportunities for new residency programs, conduct feasibility studies and identify potential funding sources that can support their long-term sustainability. The effort is also focused on areas of significant need, including specialties such as OB/GYN, general surgery and urology.  

The goal is ambitious: help create 500 new residency slots across Arkansas over the next five years, working alongside health systems and communities.  

Expanding GME is ultimately about more than increasing the number of residency positions. It is about creating a stronger, more sustainable physician pipeline that connects medical education with community need and helps more physicians build their careers in Arkansas. 

Read the full Chief Healthcare Executive article to hear more from Claude Pirtle about Arkansas’ physician workforce challenge, the role of the GME Technical Assistance Center and the opportunity to build a more coordinated approach to GME.