The Tennessee Volunteers are set to play in what has been deemed a ‘high stake showdown’ during the 2024 college football season.

When taking a look around SEC football schedules this year, you’ll have a hard time finding a program that doesn’t have to endure a difficult slate of games at some point in their schedule. The Tennessee Volunteers are no exception to this as their schedule has several upper-tier conference opponents, and one of them has already been deemed a ‘high stake showdown’.

The Athletic released an article that listed out some of the top high-stakes showdown games in college football this season, and Tennessee vs Oklahoma made the list. This is the Volunteers’ first conference game of the season and it will be head coach Josh Heupel’s first return to Norman since being a part of the staff. According to The Athletic, there is a lot on the line for the Volunteers in this game.

“If the Vols lose, questions will come up about how far behind they may have fallen in the SEC. Oklahoma is still the conference newcomer and has more prove-it games down the line in a loaded SEC schedule,” the article stated.

The article also mentioned that the quarterback matchup between Nico Iamaleava and Jackson Arnold will be an interesting one to watch unfold. Both players are entering very pivotal seasons of their college careers. Both Iamaleava and Arnold will be full-time starters for the first time in their careers and both will be looking to prove that they are one of the top players at their position this season.

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Tennessee already faces a doctor shortage and a new
study by the Association of American Medical Colleges charted a sharp decline in residency applications.

Fewer rising doctors are interested in finishing their medical training in Tennessee, a concerning trend for a state already facing a physician shortage that is only projected to worsen over the next decade.

Tennessee last year saw a significant decrease in medical residency applications from medical school graduates entering the final phase of their training, according to a new study conducted by the Association of American Medical Colleges, which also found that states with strict abortion bans experienced significant decreases in applications.

These states experienced decreases specifically to obstetrics and gynecology programs, despite a slight uptick in OB-GYN interest on average nationwide. While abortion laws can vary from state to state, many can carry criminal charges for doctors and complicate required medical education in reproductive health, abortion and pregnancy care.

In 14 states with abortion bans, researchers charted a nearly 7% decrease in OB-GYN program applications.

The landscape significantly worsened in Tennessee. Tennessee’s overall residency applications declined by more than 12%. Even larger decreases were seen in the OB-GYN specialty, at a nearly 21% decrease, and pediatrics specialty, at nearly 20%.

“The primary issue is we’re already in a health care provider shortage,” said Dr. Kyla Terhune, who leads Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s graduate medical education.

Tennessee’s doctor shortage among worst

A 2020 study forecast Tennessee will be short nearly 6,000 needed doctors by 2030, one of the worst shortages in the nation. The state has made some efforts to reverse the slide, such as a 2023 law creating a pathway for international doctors to practice in the state, but it has not yet reversed the trend.

Though the AAMC study only reviewed a year of data, continued decreases in doctors looking to finish their medical training in Tennessee could exacerbate these shortages.

Legal arguments: Court hears challenge to Tennessee abortion ban for those with health risks

“Any drop at all is concerning, because that only perpetuates the shortage,” Terhune said. “Every drop is really critical.”

At the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, the pediatrics residency program saw a 10% decrease in residency applications. UTHSC pediatrics residency program director Dr. Bindiya Bagga said this mirrors a nationwide trends in pediatrics programs.

Bagga said through conversations with colleagues across the country, it seems local and state politics regarding access to reproductive health and transgender care “could certainly have played a significant role in applicant decisions, but it is hard to assign direct causality.”

Public policy plays role in recruitment

Terhune said local policies play a role in recruitment for young doctors in training who are looking not just for their future professional home, but a place to potentially start or grow their family.

“If you’re a young person at the beginning of your training, with a lot of uncertainty about your life and profession, it could impact our ability to recruit within the state,” Terhune said of Tennessee’s near-total abortion ban.

As rising doctors last year considered their residency options, Tennessee lawmakers were debating a small but significant change to the state’s abortion ban, which originally required doctors to knowingly commit a felony to perform an abortion, even to save a patient’s life. Tennessee doctors decried the state’s trigger ban as dangerous, and possibly deadly, for patients, and a severe legal burden for healthcare professionals.

Three women sue Tennessee over abortion law they say causes ‘catastrophic’ risks

In April 2023, the General Assembly passed a narrow legal exception allowing doctors to perform an abortion if their “reasonable” medical judgment finds it would prevent the death or severe injury of a pregnant patient.

“When providers face legal challenges when they’re trying to do their job, trying to provide care for individuals, that’s a very scary proposition. That’s very scary for someone beginning their training,” Terhune said. “If they have the option to be in a place where they will be protected and get the training they need for individuals they might encounter, they’re going to choose that place to train.”

Tennessee – The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security is offering free 15-inch cable locks to secure most shotguns, rifles, pistols, and revolvers. The cable lock works by running through the firearm’s barrel or action, preventing it from being fired.

The cable’s rubber coating helps protect the firearm. The cable lock has a secure keyed deadbolt locking mechanism with a 4-pin cylinder. To date, 69,500 gunlocks have been distributed.

For added security, gun owners should use the free cable gun lock in combination with other safe storage measures. A firearm with an engaged cable lock should be stored in a locked gun case, firearm safe, or lockbox.

Ammunition should be stored in a separate locked container. The cable lock keys should be stored separately from the firearm in a hard-to-access, secure location.

“Safe firearm storage saves lives, and as a gun owner, the safe storage of your firearm is your responsibility,” said Department of Safety and Homeland Security Commissioner Jeff Long. “Safe storage can prevent accidental shootings, suicide, and theft. I encourage all Tennessee gun owners to use our free gun lock to store their firearm safely.”

The new video depicts a father teaching his son to safely shoot a gun. A curious, younger daughter, watches and wanting to join them, starts searching her parents’ room. The daughter discovers a gun her parents’ thought was well-hidden.

Her father comes inside catching the daughter off-guard. Startled, she turns and points the gun directly at her father. Shocked then relieved, the father takes the gun away, and hugs her. The viewer then sees the firearm had a Safe Store Tennessee cable lock on.

The father says, “This is why Daddy locks his gun.” The video cuts to a black screen promoting SafeStoreTN.com, which lists locations in all 95 counties where Tennesseans can obtain a free cable lock.

About the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security

The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security’s mission is to serve, secure, and protect the people of Tennessee.