Editor’s Note: A version of this story first appeared in Mile Markers, a twice monthly newsletter from Open Campus about the role of colleges in rural America. You can join the mailing list at the bottom of this article to receive future editions in your inbox.
As a reporter in Delaware and Maryland, I covered a few different stories about what a rural place loses when community hospitals close or struggle to recruit and retain staff. This can mean driving for hours to deliver babies, receive dialysis treatment or access life-saving screenings.
Take one look at the map of Health Professional Shortage Areas, and it’s clear that so many rural communities are experiencing this strain. But many higher ed institutions are working to help fill these gaps and invest in the next generation of rural health care workers.
I recently learned about one unique program to help build up the rural health care workforce in the region where Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Missouri meet – not too far from where I now live in Columbia, Missouri. Last year, Kansas City University announced this new program called Rural Health Scholars. Instead of partnering with one institution, KCU is building relationships with eight different community colleges, as well as two four-year universities.
Here’s how it works:
A student completes their first year of courses toward a medical degree (in osteopathic medicine or dental medicine) at a partner community college.
Then, they transfer to a four-year university – Pittsburg State University in Kansas or Missouri Southern State University in Missouri – to complete their second and third year.
Next, they have the opportunity to interview early for a spot at KCU’s College of Osteopathic Medicine or College of Dental Medicine in Joplin, Missouri.
Catherine Satterwhite, executive director of the Center for Population Health and Equity at KCU, said this program will help increase access and accelerate the career pathways for students wanting to become doctors or dentists in rural communities. Typically, she said, students take a minimum of seven years to become a dentist and 10 years before practicing as a physician.
By providing a starting point closer to home, Satterwhite said the hope is more rural students will see this as a viable career path.
“We know that individuals who grow up in a rural area are more likely to ultimately live in a rural area and practice medicine or dentistry [there], right? So how can we create that really open door at the beginning?” Satterwhite said.
To reach both rural students and those interested in serving rural communities, KCU is planning to visit health career fairs and work with high school counselors. But right now Satterwhite said the main focus is strengthening the relationships with the partner institutions.
“I think the things that we’re trying to figure out right now are probably not unique to us,” she said. “How can we align three different institutions and make sure that we are creating a high quality program that positions students for success? And then within KCU, what does it look like to engage students before they actually are part of our student body?”
Once the students are enrolled at KCU in Joplin, Satterwhite said the university wants to create a strong sense of community, providing students with clinical experience in rural communities but also connections with their alumni network for mentorship and shadowing. They are working with the Patterson Family Foundation to strengthen this rural programming.
While Rural Health Scholars is still in its early stages, I’m looking forward to reconnecting with Satterwhite once they start seeing students follow this new path.
What else I’m thinking and reading about
The story above reminded me of another conversation I had this week with Jen Alger and Jennifer Bevis at the Blandin Foundation in Minnesota. We talked about many things, including how institutions and communities can reduce the distance that rural students have to travel to access the education and training they need. Some places are building stronger regional partnerships similar to KCU or offering online programming like a 4-year engineering degree.
What kinds of collaborations or innovations are you seeing in your communities to address shortages in the rural health care workforce?
Alger shared this great map from PolicyMap that really helps visualize the distances between community colleges and universities.
Speaking of maps, these maps from Sarah Melotte were so helpful in highlighting the nuances that come with identifying rural places. Her article touches on the realities of funding challenges when rural areas are grouped together with metropolitan areas, especially when looking at health care shortages.
Of course, medical professionals are not the only need in many rural communities. In North Carolina, Brianna Atkinson at Open Campus partner newsroom WUNC wrote about a partnership between UNC Pembroke and five rural school districts to bring more science and math teachers to those communities.
One thing that has stood out to me in these readings and conversations is that tuition relief is only one part of investing in future rural workers. Many of these leaders across the country said that creating a sense of community among rural students, providing mentorship opportunities and supporting students’ other expenses like housing and transportation, are among other essential strategies.
This article first appeared in Mile Markers, a twice monthly newsletter from Open Campus about the role of colleges in rural America. Join the mailing list today to have future editions delivered to your inbox.
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