KU Program Looks To Reseed Rural Medical Practices
University of Kansas medical student, Hannah Gillespie, examines a patient during a summer rotation in Smith Center, Kansas. (Cody Boston | Flatland)
Published August 6th, 2019 at 3:31 PM
Financial pressures are not the only stressors for rural hospitals and clinics these days. These small towns are also facing the loss of physicians as Baby Boomers head into retirement.
That is where the STORM program comes in. That stands for Summer Training Option in Rural Medicine, and its a program of the University of Kansas Medical Center. Through this elective rotation, medical students spend six weeks in small towns across Kansas to introduce them to the rewards of rural medicine.
“Enticement through rewarding experiences” is how Dr. Michael Kennedy, associate dean of rural medicine at KU Med, described the way STORM hooks students on rural medicine.
“American Graduate: Getting to Work” is a two-year a public media initiative made possible by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. As part of its participation in the project, Kansas City PBS is highlighting some highly regarded workforce development programs in our region.