Federal moratorium hurts school’s pediatric program

Art Nadler

Tuesday, Feb. 3, 1998 | 10:26 a.m.

A federal moratorium on hiring physicians is putting a crimp in the University of Nevada School of Medicine's pediatric program, the school's administrator says.

Dr. Bernard Feldman told the Legislative Committee on Health Care Monday that it takes seven years to train a pediatrician. He said there are 52 students per class at the School of Medicine representing 23 different specialities. On average, only 10 percent go into pediatrics. There are eight pediatric residents this year.

"The salaries of pediatric residents are paid through the hospital through Medicare funds," Feldman said. "We have to go to the hospital and ask how many residents they will support."

Currently, pediatric residency programs are operated out of Sunrise Hospital and University Medical Center.

"Medicare is saying we have too many physicians (nationwide), but that's not the situation in Nevada," Feldman said. "No program will be allowed to grow after its third year."

Dr. Andrew Eisen, assistant professor of pediatrics at the School of Medicine, said this is the first year Nevada has a pediatric program. They are projecting 18 residents by the third year, which is the cap.

"We are trying to build a program to benefit Nevada," Eisen said. "But we are being hurt by other states like New York and New Jersey (that have large foreign residency programs)."

These large numbers are what spurred the federal government to initiate a limit.

Feldman said that in his own department, there are not enough faculty to train pediatric physicians. As a result, when medical students have a chance to go to established residency programs in other states, he said he doesn't encourage them to stay in Nevada.

"It's proven that 50 percent of residents stay in the areas they train," Feldman said. "Nevada has the jobs."

The doctor told committee members that there are no pediatric residency post-graduate programs in northern Nevada. While foreign visiting residents are required to fulfill their pediatrics residency in rural areas, American physicians are exempt.

"It seems that we are behind the eight ball," said Chairman Sen. Raymond Rawson, R-Las Vegas. He added that the committee will look into using pediatric nurse practitioners as a possible solution.