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Show I New U of U Health Program j Aimed at Rural Assist . I ,.,!. V, . designed to improve the distribution and supply of health manpower throughout the Intermountain West, is in operation at the University of Utah Medical Center. Program coordinator is Dr. Richard Kirk, assistant professor profes-sor of family and community medicine. The program includes in-cludes student and medical resident preceptor programs, I and placement of physicians in underserved, rural communities. commun-ities. "There has always been a lack of adequate care in rural communities," Dr. Kirk said. "Even in areas where there is a doctor, there aren't additional addi-tional necessary health personnel per-sonnel such as pharmacists, social workers and others." He said the resident preceptor precep-tor program provides the opportunity for family practice residents to work with a doctor in a rural community, gaining firsthand knowledge of family practice medicine. The resident resi-dent is exposed to all aspects of family medicine and also sees the role the physician plays in the rural community. "The program's purpose," Dr. Kirk explained, "is to get residents out of their 'ivory towers' and into communities where they can really have a chance to treat patients." The student preceptor program prog-ram works in much the same way. Senior medical students elect to go to a primary care center in a rural community of their choice and work with a physician preceptor. The program prog-ram extends into 12 states, but is concentrated mainly in the Intermountain West. "The rural doctors welcome the students," said Dr. Dona Harris, program director. "They relieve some of the doctor's burden and thev nlcr, bring new information. The student is their link to an academic center. "The program has been very successful and the numbewr of students participating has reached 50 per cent of the senior enrollment," Dr. Harris said. In order to keep the doctors in touch with the latest medical information, the rural health center also has a continuing education outreach program. Once yearly the rural doctor is relieved by a university-affiliated physician so he can come to the medical center and participate in a tailor-made education course ranging from two weeks to two months. The rural health program also has a physician placement service. It is designed to place family practice doctors in rural areas where there is a need for a physician. Dr. Ross Woolley, director of the service, said 26 doctors have been placed in rural communities since the program began four years ago. The service identifies a community's com-munity's needs and tries to locate a doctor to fill them. They also place para-professionals, such as physician assistants, in rural areas. "The number of physicians desiring rural practices is definitely on the rise," Dr. Woolley noted. "We get a number of inquiries from doctors all over the country. Practicing in a rural community communi-ty can be both professionally and financially rewarding." In the future, the rural health program wants to emphasize a "team practice" approach where a combination of doctors, nurses, pharmacists pharma-cists and others pool their resources to provide more comprehensive medical care for rural communities. |