Hey Doc, Utah Is The Right Place

Today President Randall from the University of Utah is announcing the U's expansion into Southern Utah with a U-related medical school teaming up with Utah Tech University to offer medical degrees.

And we already have Rocky Vista University, a medical school in Ivins that focuses on osteopathic medicine.

And currently, St. George is home to dozens of doctors and medical specialists, meaning the days of having to fly patients to Las Vegas or Salt Lake City are mostly gone.

The late Dr. Craig Booth would be amazed and astounded.

In fact, Utah was named one of the best states in America for doctors, placing fifth among the 50 states and the District of Columbia in a study put out by WalletHub..

The Beehive State ranked well ahead of our neighbors, Nevada (29th), Arizona (23rd), Colorado (17th) and even California (38th).

The No. 1 factor in Utah ranking so high was our top placing in the "Medical Environment" category, which takes into account Quality of Public Hospital System, Percentage of “A” Hospitals, Presence of Nationally Accredited Health Departments, Physician Assistants per Capita, and other factors like Physician's burnout (which is defined as “a feeling of physical, emotional, or mental exhaustion, as well as frustration and cynicism related to work; and doubts about your competence and the value of your work.”.

WalletHub said the information used in the study was obtained last month from the US Census Bureau and other information gathering groups.

Utah would have placed higher, but our state did not do well in the "Opportunity and Competition" category. The Beehive State has had notoriously low wages for all professions, including those in the medical field.

Wages is a major factor in the "Opportunity and Competition" category, which also includes Insured Population Rate, Projected Share of Elderly Population, Current Competition, and Hospitals per Capita, among other subcategories.

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