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Rural
health grant exposes students to new career opportunities
by Jennifer Hilliard
Students who train in rural health settings before they graduate are more likely to work in rural communities, say MCG educators.
Seventy-six percent of allied health students who performed clinical rotations at rural Georgia sites from 2001-03 said they would accept a job there if offered, according to findings published in the June 23 issue of the Journal of Rural Health. Rotations were funded by a Quentin E. Burdick grant from the U.S. Human Resources Services Administration, part of federal Title VII funding for educational programs.
Co-authors on the manuscript included Dr. Shelley Mishoe, dean of the School of Allied Health Sciences, Dr. Kent Guion, associate dean for academic affairs, Dr. Carol Campbell, associate dean of administration, and Dr. Art Taft, an associate professor of respiratory therapy.
Since 1997, MCG students studying to be physician assistants, health information administrators and respiratory, physical or occupational therapists have had the opportunity to work in underprivileged areas while completing degree requirements. The project also aimed to recruit minority students from rural health areas.
“Research shows that students who come from those areas are more likely to return there to practice once they graduate,” said Dr. Guion, a grant coordinator. “This project is important in addressing health care shortages in Georgia, where we have challenges producing enough allied health professionals to fill open positions.”
These efforts are particularly important in Georgia, where the Department of Labor projected a 91 percent growth in demand for occupational therapists from 1996-2006, creating 461 new positions. The average vacancy rate for allied health professionals in Georgia hospitals alone was 11.3 percent, accounting for more than 1,000 positions.
The state’s 118 rural counties have approximately half as many physicians per capita as metro counties and dramatic shortages of nurses, therapists and nutritionists. Rural residents often face complex medical problems that require treatment by a variety of health care professionals, Dr. Guion says.
The grant enabled all MCG senior allied health students to participate in these types of interdisciplinary teams. Students went through an orientation process that familiarized them with the team approach, cultural competency and rural health care needs specific to the communities where they worked.
“We’re exposing students to other disciplines and the skill sets of other providers,” Dr. Guion said. “When they’re in school, they often only associate with those who are in their class, but when they graduate, they’ll be working with a team of health care providers – especially if they’re working in a rural area.”
Ninety-eight students participated in the grant project from January 2001 through July 2003; 17 participated in two sessions. More than 60 rotations were in federally designated Health Professional Shortage Areas and 71 were in designated Rural Health Clinics.
Student teams also worked with Area Health Education Centers and the Georgia Hospital Association to offer solutions to rural health care issues. During their clinical rotations, they familiarized site coordinators with the Georgia Rural Health Interactive Directory, a searchable directory of health-related resources in rural areas established by MCG.
“The impact of this project is that the combination of interdisciplinary interactions, contacts with community partners and educational activities helped increase student awareness and appreciation of the reality of rural health care in Georgia,” Dr. Guion said. “Unfortunately, despite an increasing need for these programs, there is a decreasing federal budget, which means it will be extremely challenging to fund the project next year.”