INDIANAPOLIS — One in five Americans live in rural areas, but account for more than half of trauma deaths, according to the Indiana Hospital Association. Marian University is hoping to train future physicians to help fill the healthcare gap that continues to be an issue in rural areas across the country and in Indiana.
Now, 11 of their medical students will be training in rural communities across the state. One of those students is Chelsey Arvin. She grew up in Russiaville Indiana. She knew she wanted to be a doctor when she had to get her appendix removed at the start of her college career.
"The surgeon that operated on me invited me to come shadow him and ever since then I just realized that's what I wanted to do," Arvin a third year Medical student at Marian University said.
Arvin is one of 11 other students from Marian University selected for the Indiana Area Health Education Centers Scholars Program. The program prepares them to provide care to those living in rural and underserved communities. Only students who are interested in providing care in undeserved communities qualify for the scholarship. More physicians will be needed across the state and that need will be even greater in rural areas of the state.
"They are really estimating that by 2030 we are going to be short almost 1,000 physicians,” Dr. Amanda Wright the Dean of the College of Osteopathic Medicine at Marian University said. “So, we can imagine in rural settings that is even worse. So access is going to be an issue across the board and I am sure we can all relate to that everybody has either called themselves or had a family member or friend to try and call and get in and access is so limited here and across the whole state.”
Over the two-year program, the Marian AHEC Scholars will complete training opportunities and field experiences. These experiences emphasize on 8 core topics. They are as follows.
● Behavioral Health Integration
● Cultural Competency & Humility
● Interprofessional Practice
● Practice Transformation
● Social Determinants of Health
● Connecting Communities and Supporting Health Professionals
● Virtual Learning and Telehealth
● Current/Emerging Issues (Such as COVID-19, Opioid Epidemic, and Maternal-Child Health)
For medical students like Arvin she is looking forward to helping communities similar to the one she grew up in.
"I grew up in a small town, so getting back to my roots I would love to learn a little bit more about rural medicine so I can eventually go back and serve the underserved populations in smaller towns,” Arvin said. “That's kind of why I signed up for this program so I can get a little more experience in those populations around Indiana. “
While she plans on becoming a provider in a rural community in Indiana, Marian university hopes others in the program will follow suit.
"My hope is students that are exposed to this early on will then choose to do elective rotations and maybe even come back and do some residency programs and then ultimately practice,” Dr. Wright said. “You have to see it in order to see yourself there.”
The Indiana AHEC program is a part of a national initiative to prepare professionals to serve in communities that need it the most. Those awarded the scholarship have all showed a desire to work in underserved communities.
