Paging All Young Doctors

Paging All Young Doctors

 Remember when doctors made house calls? Not that long ago really, even into the late sixties, early seventies. I grew up in a small rural community fortunate enough to have not one, but three and often four doctors in town. Now rural communities are lucky to even have one doctor close by. Because of the need for primary care physicians in rural communities, rural medical education programs are cropping up around the country. The goal is to recruit students with rural backgrounds, as they can more easily relate to what it’s like growing up in a rural community. These medical students also take supplemental curriculum, focusing on issues more pertinent to rural doctors. Many newly graduated doctors will not even consider rural areas because the economy tends to be poor, creating a vicious circle; because in order to improve the local economy a community needs adequate medical services. Hopefully more young doctors will realize that while money is certainly nice, it isn’t everything. Rural physicians can make a good living, but perhaps the trust, prestige, sense of community, and the realization that a greater need is being met holds even greater value.

Previous ReportAlternative Spring Break
Next ReportEPA Admits "Whoops"