There's some concern that South Dakota won't have enough surgeons and family practice doctors to meet the state's growing baby boomer population.  The average age for doctors in the state is 50. The American Academy of Family Physicians says South Dakota will need another 67 doctors in the next 12 years to meet the ideal doctor-to-population ratio.

Medical schools nationwide limited enrollment in the 1970s through 1990s because different groups forecast a surplus of doctors.  U-S-D Medical School Dean Rodney Parry says it will take legislative action to increase class size in South Dakota, and it will require finding places they can do their residencies.