A new mentoring program aims to help medical professionals make connections across Iowa’s healthcare industry. The Iowa White Coat Network is designed to strengthen the state’s workforce and encourage physicians to stay in Iowa. Brian Privett, past president of the Iowa Medical Society, says they launched the platform last month to help new physicians as they gain experience.
The system uses information like specialty, interests and location to match mentors and mentees. Privett says the mentorship opportunity is meant to encourage the state’s existing physician workforce to stay in Iowa.
Iowa ranks 44th in the nation in physicians per capita. Privett says making those stronger connections across various career stages can help support the entire medical workforce, which he says is key to addressing the state’s physician shortage. It’s especially important in rural Iowa, he notes, where a physician may be the only one practicing in the area.
