The overall goal is to increase the number of health care providers prepared for practice in rural and underserved areas. To accomplish this goal sites are continually developed and expanded for medical, psychology, social work, nursing, dental students and resident-physicians; providers and sites identified to participate in the program; and participants are provided quality community and clinical experiences in underserved areas through implementation and expansion of clinical and community-based training opportunities.
Activities
Once applications for participation in the program are received, one month clinical and community rotations for students and residents are arranged. Where possible, at least two students from different disciplines are paired together at each site to further foster the interdisciplinary experience. While in the community, students spend 50 percent of their time in the clinical setting working with a variety of health care providers, including public health and long term care while the other 50 percent of their time is spent working on a community project. Students are required to complete a pre and post test and keep a journal of their experience.
