Shortage of Primary Health Care Drs.

FARMINGTON, Conn. (WTNH) -- While more medical students are considering the family practice route, the lucrative specialties are still more popular, but changes in health care could change the landscape.

It's the last year of residency of internal medicine for Dr. Runjhun Misra, at UConn School of Medicine.

"I'm actually applying for jobs right now," Dr. Misra said.

And she's seeing a positive change for primary care doctors.

"I've noticed in just applying for jobs, the compensation is greater in rural areas because there is a shortage of physicians there and some of them actually have federal loan repayment programs which is a big plus for us because we come in to the world field with an insane amount of loans," Dr. Misra said.

The high cost of education, lower reimbursements, makes the primary care route a tough sell to medical students. But the Affordable Care Act could change that.

"I see frankly the different policies coming out from the government all focusing on primary care and accenting the positives of primary car. They are more drawn to it," Dr. Gould said.

Dr. Bruce Gould is the Associate Dean for Primary Care at the medical school.

"You still have to at the admissions level, look for students that are committed and have a calling to heal people to care. Not that all student don't come in that way. I think the system itself to a degree, pushes them away, and here at UConn we are certainly trying to change that lay of the land, change the culture," Dr. Gould said.

Celebrating National Primary Care Week is part of the overall blueprint. Second year student Devorah Donnell wants to go into family medicine.

"People usually think of primary care physicians as knowing less however its the exact opposite because as a primary care doctor you have to know about every part of the body, every age," Donnell said.

Adding, that in primary care, it's where she'll have the most potential to make an impact.

"You're looking at the person as a whole. You get to help with prevention and help keep the patient healthy so that way they don't end up in the emergency room or don't end up relying on a specialist," Donnell said.

Patients will only benefit with doctors like Devorah Donnell and Runjhun Misra.