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1 pediatrician from Austin to reallocate portion of time to Albert Lea

With two pediatricians recently leaving Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea to pursue other professional opportunities, the health system said Thursday it is actively working to refill the positions.

Until new doctors are hired, however, the practice has transferred the departing providers’ patients to other pediatric and family medicine providers, said Robert Albright Jr., regional vice president for Mayo Clinic Health System in southeast Minnesota.

“We have three primary care spots open, and we are recruiting,” Albright said.

He said the need for primary care continues to accelerate, and he noted that Mayo Clinic Health System is not alone in its struggles to recruit new doctors.

“It used to be really easy,” he said. “Now it’s getting more and more challenging to get providers into rural communities.”

In the meantime, one of the pediatricians from Austin, Christina Andrist, will reallocate a portion of her schedule to come to the Albert Lea campus, and for more routine care, he said there are 20 other primary care providers at the campus who can treat patients, all of whom are qualified to handle pediatric care.

He said he recognized the value of pediatricians and said they play a special role in the community, similar to that of a specialist.

Albright said family medicine providers are also stepping in to help in the internal medicine department, where there is a shortage as well. In that department, he said, some longtime internal medicine doctors left, and the replacements who had been hired have since gone on to pursue other educational opportunities. 

In addition to recruiting to replace the providers who recently left, Albright said this fall, nine first-year family medicine residents from the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science will start rotations in Albert Lea and Austin.

Albright said Mayo takes seriously the importance of patient care, but he said the education and research parts of the health system’s mission are also critical. They hope many of the residents will stay in the communities where they serve after their residency is complete. 

“That’s how we get the providers that we get much of the time,” he said. 

A similar program is already in the works in Kasson, and he said residents add “a special aspect of care.”

“The idealism and, frankly, brilliance that our new graduates bring to our practice will be a benefit,” he said. 

Residents will have the opportunity to do a little of everything, from working with babies and young adults to elders in the community. They will work under the supervision of an experienced physician. 

In most instances, Albright said, patients will have the opportunity to see both a resident and their primary provider when they come in for a visit.

“This is a game changer for us, …” he said. “It just brings a brightness to the day to have our residents out there.”