The doctor is not well. That doctor never returned to the practice. He attended to people his grandfather, also a doctor, had delivered into the world 50 years before. He maintained a solo practice until 1988 and then teamed up with the Red Cedar Clinic, where he remains today. He says he has never regretted it.
Many medical students choose to specialize in a field such as surgery or pediatrics.
Their focus becomes too narrow to work as a general practitioner, consequently, they are usually employed in cities. Rural health-care professions have always been plagued by the same concerns. Lack of funding, isolation and a dispersed population make the job more challenging. Small-town hospitals have trouble keeping up with city hospitals, which serve a more concentrated and wealthier population. Less money and fewer patients makes it harder to stay in step with the latest technological innovations in medicine.