How did the National Health Service Corps start?
The NHSC was created due to the health care crises that emerged in the U.S. during the 1950s and 1960s. Physicians who served rural communities began to retire, leaving many areas of the country without health care services. Several factors contributed to the crises including the increasing specialized nature of medical practices and rapid technological advances. Smaller proportions of medical students entered family medicine. Rural areas and inner-city neighborhoods competed unsuccessfully with affluent medical practices that offered higher compensation, more interaction with other professionals, and job opportunities for spouses. Rural communities lacked resources to provide the technologically sophisticated facilities that many physicians desired. In 1970 rural states appealed to Congress for help thus establishing what is now known as the National Health Service Corps. How does the National Health Service Corps work? The following health professionals are eligible to participate in
