Evening star., 1961-01-16
Hospital Will Hire
Fuu-Time Doctors
Intern Shortage
Brings Action
In Alexandra
By CHARLES G. BROOKS
Star stan Writer

oIar ctAu WRITER
Alexandria Hospital, caught
by a shortage Of house staff
doctors, today announced it will
become the first Washington
area community hospital to hire
a full-time staff of physicians
to cover emergency room serv-
ices.
Charles M. Golf, administers
tor, predicted the move would
lead to hiring a full time house
staff for all departments be.
cause of the shortage of In.
terms and residents, and recent
restrictions on foreign medical
school graduates. s
But, he warned, unless the
city assumes financial RESPONSE
bility, the costs of hospitaliZa.
tion for the private, paying
patient will go up.
Meanwhile, the hospitals
active medical staff has started
a rotation system to cover both
emergency room and pediatric
impatient services. The meas
ure is expected to last until
February Is, when the hospital
expects to have hired four or
five full-time physicians.
Will Meet With Council
Hospital officials have sched-
uled a meeting with the Alex
andria City Council January
80 to present the hospitals
problems and ask for some sort
of further financial support to
more fully cover costs Of in
digent care.
Mr.. Golf, in a press con-
ference today. pointed out that
full time doctors probably can
be obtained for from $4,000
to $4,000 annually. Taking as
the mean $4,000, he said, it
would require 100000 a year
for emergency room coverage
alone.
In the future, should the
hospital hire more full-time
doctors to cover other services,
the additional costs would rise
to $4,000 or more each year.
Problem Is Outlined
Mr.. Goff and DR.. George
Speck, former president of the
medical staff, outlined the
problem facing Alexandria and
other suburban hospitals:
There are some II, 900 intern
ships. for example. available
in the United States each year.
There are only from 5000 to
5000 American medical school
graduates to fill them. This
has meant that the void has
been filled with graduates Of
foreign medical schools.
But, as of December 81, hos
pitals wishing to remain Of
ficially accredited for teaching
cannot keep foreign interns and
residents who have not passed
national tests devised largely
by the American Medical AS
sociation.
Alexandria Hospital, with 10
residents. has lost five. This
is the first year the hospital
has no interns because 1t can
not get them.
Competing for Residents
The hospital is in severe com.
petition for residents with the
university hospitals and the
District General Hospital
stated by the universities.
Prestige and association with
former professors were listed
as the main reasons the uni
versity hospitals have little
trouble in obtaining house
staffs. The large number Of
indigents at D. c. General is an
important attraction, too.
The five foreign residents at
Alexandria have not been for
gotten, however.
Mr.. Goff announced that
Alexandria is the first Wash
ington area hospital with a
formal, intensive education
program to try to whip them
into shape for the next exami-
nation in April.
Not only is the medical staff
giving special instruction, but
arrangements have been made
for free instruction at the
George Washington University
Medical School as well as at
the University of Maryland
and Johns Hopkins Medical
Schools.
Sees Similar Moves
But, even should all five
pass the tests and again be
allowed to work with patients,
Alexandria Hospital has de-
cided to face the future more
realistically.
Mr.. Golf declared he visual
ICES that, in the near future,
nearly all suburban hospitals
will be hiring paid staffs Of
doctors because of the diff
Guilty in obtaining interns and
residents. This, he said, would
not eliminate residency pro-
grams for graduates who want
them in the community hos
pitals.