By Carissa Wolf
Boise Weekly
"It's so important not to get distracted," said Dr. Richard Paris, as he performed the first of many examinations for the day. Quiet fell as Paris surveyed the Cessna parked outside the Hailey hanger: It was the silence of careful concentration.
Paris probed the landing gear. He poked the underside of the wings, filling a vial with clear liquid. He studied the substance then proclaimed the fuel free from contaminants.
Paris surveyed the early September weather patterns sweeping through the Wood River Valley with the dedicated attention you'd expect from a family doctor named the 2005 Physician of the Year by the American Academy of Family Physicians. But Paris didn't mention this or other accolades. He'd rather talk about what his patients give him.
"Right now I have tons of kids that are graduating from high school that I delivered. And now, I see them doing college physicals. I knew them as babies. And their parents say, 'Yes, [Dr. Paris] was the first person who saw you.' The pleasant surprise is how great that would feel over the years."
It's something few people get to experience: Not many serve generations of families and treat patients "from the cradle to the grave," as Paris likes to say. Even fewer prepare to make their rounds by checking the fluid levels of a small engine aircraft.
While medical officials, researchers and policymakers went about debating how best to boost the number of physicians in Idaho during the last legislative session, Paris was taking care of his usual business: pulling long hours and triple-duty as a physician, pilot and educator in order to deliver medical care to Idaho's remote and underserved patients.
Lawmakers want to see more doctors like Paris treating Idaho patients. The rarity of the rural family physician hurts not just remote country dwellers, but everyone who sets foot in Idaho, practitioners say. As part of lawmakers' efforts to boost the state's doctor to patient ratio, they're digging into research that could help remedy Idaho's physician shortage. That research points toward a number of educational options that could help attract doctors to the state and push some to consider the feasibility of an Idaho medical school. But physicians say it takes more than a medical school to rear the Idaho doctor. It takes a combination of intellect, dedication to service and a thirst for adventure to leave metropolitan medical hubs and the lucrative careers that come with them to open practice in a largely remote state. And that will to serve cannot be taught in any classroom.
read the full article at www.boiseweekly.com