by Delbert Chumley, MD
Bexar County Medical Society
President 2007
You must agree with me that the
growth of our medical community
is at times mind boggling. No
matter where you practice in our city,
new development and expansion is
obvious. San Antonio is rapidly becoming
an important center for healthcare
services and biomedical research and
development.
According to the Greater San Antonio
Chamber of Commerce, the healthcare/bioscience industry continues as the\
dominant force in our local economy
with an impact of $15.3 billion this
year, a healthy 7.7% increase from the
2005 level. One of every seven members
of the San Antonio workforce is
employed in the healthcare and bioscience
industry, with an overall economic
impact of $4.4 billion in wages
and salaries to 112,762 employees in
2006. Almost 75% of these employees
are involved in the direct provision of
health and medical services! The industry
has added approximately 22,000 net
new jobs over the decade significantly
fueling our city’s growth. This year there
was a 5% increase over last year with a
total addition of 5,591 jobs. Furthermore,
salaries in this sector are well
above the San Antonio average.
As physicians we are a very important
part of this success. Of the different
groups of the healthcare and bioscience
industry, physicians and hospitals
comprise the largest sector
(approximately 46%) and have provided
the largest economic contribution to
our city, doubling their impact over the
last decade. This year alone they contributed
more than $7 billion to the
overall economic picture. Furthermore,
physician practices comprise the largest
segment of San Antonio’s small business
community, supporting our importance
to our city’s continued growth
and prosperity.
However, in spite of all this good
news I’m sure you often experience the
same problem I do — lack of qualified
candidates to fill positions in my office
from nurse to receptionist. Unless we
can funnel bright young students into
nursing and allied health careers, all
this economic progress we have experienced
may come to a screeching halt.
I’m sure you’re aware of ongoing efforts
by Texas’ medical, nursing, and pharmacy
schools to increase enrollment, but
I’d like to share with you a few local
projects which address some of these
workforce concerns.
Through the combined efforts of the
Chamber of Commerce, BioMedSA,
Alamo Work Source, and the Alamo
Community College District (ACCD),
initiatives are underway for a nurse
retainment program and securing a $2
million federal grant to supplement
recruitment and education of allied
health students in the ACCD programs.
Both of these efforts are just being
implemented but should pay huge dividends
in the near future. On October
26, BCMS entered into an agreement
with San Antonio College (SAC) to
form a Medical Assistant Mentorship
Program. Although plenty of Medical
Assistants (MAs) graduate every year,
many cannot find jobs because they
don’t have the required six months
experience. Frustrated, they take jobs in
the business sector and are therefore
lost by the medical industry where
there’s already a shortage of MAs. This
new program will provide them the
opportunity to receive the required on-the-
job training while making it economically
possible for them to stay
in school.
This is how it works: BCMS Staffing
Service utilizes top MA externs to participate
and provides them with options for
insurance benefits. BCMS Staffing solicits
physicians to participate and will
notify them at the end of each semester
to see if there’s a current need for a graduate
MA. There is no obligation for you
to use an MA unless one is needed. The
extern volunteers four hours per day and
is then paid for four hours per day, which
definitely is a bargain for the physician
office. You receive a full-time employee
for part-time pay. The MA receives credit
for the unpaid half-day which counts
toward their externship. You get first
choice of the best MAs available and the
opportunity to train them in your facility
and if they prove themselves, possibly
hire them as full-time employees.
To take advantage of the new
Medical Assistant Mentorship Program,
call BCMS Staffing Services at (210)
301-4362 and request to be added to
the list of participating practices. This
is a win-win program.
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