If you have ever heard the phrase: “Doctor (fill in the blank) is not accepting new patients at this time” in response to your request for an appointment, you have reason to welcome the news that a signed piece of paper between academic and medical interests could mean that your wait for an

appointment or an x-ray or elective surgery is shortened.

Under an agreement signed Wednesday between representatives form Oregon State University, Oregon Health Sciences University and Samaritan Health Services-affiliated hospitals in Corvallis, Albany and Lebanon, more medical students will be training at OSU. A similar agreement already has been signed between OHSU and PeaceHealth in Eugene. Both are intended to do the same thing: Bring more medical service professionals to the places that most need them.

Starting in the fall of 2008, 12 medical students are expected to complete their third year of medical school at OSU and at one of three mid-valley hospitals.

That’s a welcome change. Most Oregon medical students are clustered in the Portland area, where they tend to remain after finishing their education.

Locating some of them here is good news for a semi-rural area. Like other rural locations, we have a chronic shortage of physicians, technologists, nurses and other medical personnel.

Those who come don’t always stay, but nurturing more “home-grown” physicians could be a step toward turning that around.

We particularly need more professionals, to provide X-ray and related medical screenings, orthopedics, gastroenterology, cardiology.

Now if the Legislature did more to assist physicians with obtaining affordable malpractice insurance and address the ongoing issue of jeopardy in high-risk specialties as gynecology and obstetrics, perhaps more bright students would opt for careers inmedicine ... But that’s another editorial.

For today, it’s gratifying to recognize a development that has no apparent down side. Kudos to all involved.