WAUSAU - For those of us who live in the Northwoods, we already know what the area has to offer.

But it can be tough to recruit people to come here.

A new medical school in Northern Wisconsin might help solve that problem.

The Wauwatosa-based Medical College of Wisconsin will expand to Northcentral Technical College in Wausau starting in 2015.

"Our hope is that those students who come through the medical college of Wisconsin program [will] fall in love with the community, and once they become doctors, that they want to stay here and start their practice," said Jeannie Worden, Vice President of Human Resources & College Advancement.

Dr. Kevin O'Connell directs the residency program at Aspirus Wausau Hospital.

He said Northcentral Wisconsin can be a tough sell.

But if people go to school here, they're more likely to stay here.

"If you get them from the state, train them in the state school, and then keep them in a state residency program, almost 90 percent of those folks will practice in that state," he said. "So as a way of addressing the significant shortfall of physicians that we will have in the next twenty years, this is a fantastic way of starting to address that issue."

The program will emphasize teamwork between doctors, nurses and technicians.

NTC was awarded a $200,000 grant to buy medical simulation equipment for its health care programs.

Story By: Lex Gray