Rural Medicine?? WTF^^

[Gmw1386]

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I've noticed that many of the DO schools place emphasis on rural medicine and seem to want all their applicants to have an interest in it. Well this also seems to limit the number of schools to apply to since I don't have any interest in rural medicine.

Would it really be a bad idea for someone not interested un rural medicine to go to a school like that?

 

[sophiejane]

Just because a school places "emphasis" on rural training or primary care doesn't mean you aren't going to get everything you need to become a specialist, or that they are going to force you into rural family medicine. Go to the school you like the best, with the lowest tuition, and don't worry about the emphasis on rural medicine.

I will say, however, that if you take advantage of the rural sites that your school offers, especially for family medicine, you will get to do a lot and see a lot more than your classmates who stay in town. On my rural family medicine rotation, which was the first one of my 3rd year, I was suturing arms and hands in the ER, helping in full codes in the ICU, scrubbing on surgeries, doing procedures, seeing patients in the clinic where I acted as the doctor for the most part. I had a classmate in the rural track program who delivered about 30 babies on her 3rd year rural family medicine rotation. You just don't get that kind of exposure in urban FM offices.

And who knows...you might just change your mind about rural medicine. I did. 🙂

 

[OSUdoc08]

I've noticed that many of the DO schools place emphasis on rural medicine and seem to want all their applicants to have an interest in it. Well this also seems to limit the number of schools to apply to since I don't have any interest in rural medicine.

Would it really be a bad idea for someone not interested un rural medicine to go to a school like that?

You're not supposed to make multiple posts like you have been doing, and the moderators will start closing these as soon as they find out, but I'll reanswer your question:


Just because they provide training in rural medicine, doesn't mean you have to do it.

This should not "limit" the schools you apply to. That would be silly.

The difference is you will spend a month or two doing clinicals in rural areas. It will be a good experience for you. You don't learn everything standing behind other medical students, residents, and interns doing scutwork in an urban teaching hospital.

 

[Gmw1386]

You're not supposed to make multiple posts like you have been doing, and the moderators will start closing these as soon as they find out, but I'll reanswer your question:


Just because they provide training in rural medicine, doesn't mean you have to do it.

This should not "limit" the schools you apply to. That would be silly.

The difference is you will spend a month or two doing clinicals in rural areas. It will be a good experience for you. You don't learn everything standing behind other medical students, residents, and interns doing scutwork in an urban teaching hospital.

Woops! Won't do that in the future. Thanks for answering twice. I wanted to be able to get a Med school student and pre-med students opionion and assumed I would be able to get more people this way.

 

[raspberry swirl]

LECOM has one month long rotation in a rural or UNDERSERVED area (i.e. nyc is considered underserved). thats it. and no one ever asked me about my interest in rural medicine during my interview. however if you go to WVSOM, PCSOM, or VCOM, from what i hear, they pretty much ask everyone about his or her interest in remaining or serving the people of appalachia. that in no way means all of their graduates stick around in rural areas after graduation.