News Letter

Rural Health Medical Student Rotation Program


The demand for family practice doctors is higher than it has ever been.  Most rural areas rely on family doctors as primary care providers for the community.  Medical students that are going into practice  often overlook rural areas as good options due to the fact that the rewards of working in a rural area are often under marketed.  More heavily populated areas are taking the majority of the students coming out of medical school which is increasing the demand for good rural doctors.  The Rural Health Medical Student Rotation Program was set up with the intent to give future doctors the opportunity to see the rewards of rural medicine.  

The program set up by a pre-med student at Southern Utah University provides a duplex in Beaver County, where the students can stay while rotating with local doctors in the area.  This enables students to live comfortably for a period of time in a rural area where they can learn not only about rural medicine but also what it is like to live in and be a part of a rural community.  This exposure will hopefully give residents a better idea of the career opportunity in rural areas.  The project fulfills the dreams of Dr. Symond a rural doctor from Beaver County who was passionate about improving rural medicine.  Dr. Symond left an endowment fund to provide finances for the logistics of this program.



The inspiration for this project came from a passionate rural doctor that practiced in the Beaver County area.  Dr. Symond from Milford, Utah was a very influential doctor.  He delivered many members of the community that reside there to this day.  In his early years of practicing in the area he was the only doctor practicing and had to take care of most community members in the the county at one point or another.  Before doctor Symond passed he was able to relay his passion for the importance of good rural doctors to one of the doctors in the area.  He shared his vision of the Rural Health Medical  Rotation Program with the local doctor.  The project was soon underway.

The biggest challenge of this project was finding a residence for the students to reside while rotating.  The options for housing that is comfortable and affordable in the area were few.  With a lot of time searching and a little luck we were able to secure the perfect place.  The apartment is very new and cozy and the location is perfect.  The property is right across the street from the hospital.

The project was very beneficial to me because it allowed me to participate in improving rural medicine.  I was able to make connections with rural doctors.  I also was able to meet medical students and get insight from them on what their opinion was of rural medicine.  I was able to learn what it is like to furnish and maintain an apartment for someone other than myself.  I enjoyed being able to make a difference and serve others.

It is often difficult for medical students to find doctors that are willing to rotate with them.  This program is of great benefit to medical students because it helps them to have options in rotating with different doctors.  It also gives medical students the opportunity to learn from doctors who are very well rounded and preform a variety of different procedures. They are able to benefit from rotating in a rural area.  This helps them to form conclusions on whether or not rural medicine is the right type of practice for them.



" We need more country doctors, but learning to practice medicine in a rural setting can be difficult."
-Dr. Symon









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