Medical Interns Head to the Country

ROB MCCLENDON: WELL ONE OF THE STRATEGIES TO ATTRACT MORE DOCTORS TO SMALL TOWNS IS TO EXPOSE THEM TO THE RURAL LIFESTYLE. OETA'S CATHY TATUM HAS BEEN FOLLOWING A CLASS OF NEW PHYSICIANS AS THEY LEAVE THE CITY FOR LIFE IN THE COUNTRY. CATHY TATUM: JOSHUA PRIDDLE GREW UP IN MARTHA, OKLAHOMA, A TINY TOWN JUST OUTSIDE ALTUS IN JACKSON COUNTY. JOSHUA PRIDDLE: HI, HOW ARE YOU? CATHY: THESE DAYS YOU'LL FIND HIM AT HASTINGS HOSPITAL IN TAHLEQUAH. IT'S WHERE HE'S DOING HIS FIRST INTERNAL MEDICINE ROTATION AS A THIRD YEAR MEDICAL STUDENT. PRIDDLE, AND A DOZEN OTHER MEDICAL STUDENTS, ARE PART OF OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY MEDICAL SCHOOL'S FIRST RURAL PHYSICIAN TRACK PROGRAM. JOSHUA PRIDDLE: WELL CAN I GO AHEAD AND TAKE A LISTEN TO YOU? CATHY: DURING TRADITIONAL PHYSICAN TRAINING AT OSU MEDICAL CENTER IN TULSA, THIRD YEAR STUDENTS OFTEN DO MORE OBSERVING THAN PERSONALLY INTERACTING WITH PATIENTS. JOSHUA PRIDDLE: ANY FEVER, CHILLS? NAUSEA, VOMITING? CATHY: FREQUENTLY GROUPS OF 15 OR MORE STUDENTS AND DOCTORS DOING THEIR RESIDENCY TRAINING ASSESS PAITENT AILMENTS AND INJURIES. BUT IN THIS SMALL HOSPITAL, THERE'S NO CROWD. JOSHUA PRIDDLE: SO A LOT OF THE THINGS THAT I LEARNED IN FIRST AND SECOND YEAR I'M RELEARNING, BUT THEY TEND TO STICK A LOT MORE. AND SO I THINK THAT WAS A BIG, THAT'S THE BIGGEST ADVANTAGE TO HAVE PATIENT, EARLY PATIENT ENCOUNTERS. CATHY: DR DOUGLAS NOLAN HEADS UP THE FAMILY PRACTICE RESIDENCY PROGRAM AT TAHLEQUAH CITY HOSPITAL. HE SAYS MEDICAL STUDENTS FREQUENTLY OPT OUT OF FAMILY MEDICINE TO PURSUE A SPECIALTY ONCE THEY BEGIN THEIR THIRD OR FOURTH YEAR TRAINING ROTATIONS. DOUGLAS NOLAN: IT'S PROJECTED THAT THERE IS GOING TO BE A LARGE PHYSICIAN SHORTAGE, ESPECIALLY IN PRIMARY CARE. OVER THE YEARS WHAT'S HAPPENED IS THE, AFTER THE STUDENTS GO THROUGH MEDICAL SCHOOL, THEY GET INTERESTED MORE AND MORE IN BECOMING MORE SPECIALIZED. SO WHAT HAPPENS IS THEY GO INTO MORE AND MORE SPECIALTIES. IT'S ACTUALLY MORE MONEY, BUT THOSE SPECIALTIES ARE GENERALLY DRAWN TO THE LARGER AREAS, THEREFORE THERE'S MORE AND MORE OF A SHORTAGE FOR THE RURAL AREAS OF PRIMARY CARE. CATHY: DR NOLAN HOPES THE AMOUNT OF INTERACTION STUDENTS GET WITH PATIENTS IN SMALL HOSPITALS WILL KEEP THEM ON THE RURAL TRACK AND FOCUSED ON BECOMING FAMILY PHYSICIANS. HE BELIEVES SPENDING TIME IN SMALL TOWN HOSPITALS WILL ELIMINATE CONCERN AMONG MEDICAL STUDENTS THAT TRAINING IS BETTER IN URBAN RATHER THAN RURAL SETTINGS. DOUGLAS NOLAN: WHAT SOME PEOPLE DON'T UNDERSTAND IS THE TRAINING IS ACTUALLY COMPERABLE IF NOT EXCEEDING WHAT THEY GET IN THE MORE URBAN AREAS. AND THE REASON WHY IS A LOT OF THE PATHOLOGY IS KEPT HERE AND SO IT MAKES FOR GREAT TRAINING. WE HAVE THE SPECIALISTS THAT THEY DO IN THE LARGER AREAS, BUT WITH MORE ONE-ON-ONE TEACHING AND MORE INTERACTION WITH THE PATIENT, I THINK YOU'RE GOING TO SEE A GREAT BENEFIT TO THE RURAL COMMUNITIES AS WE PUT MORE AND MORE PHYSICIANS THERE. JOSHUA PRIDDLE: AFTER THE FIRST WEEK WAS OVER, ONE OF THE RESPIRATORY THERAPISTS CAME UP AND SAID, HEY YOU WANT TO DO AN EXTUBATION? WHICH BASICALLY IS REMOVING A TUBE OUT OF SOMEBODY, AND THEY LET ME DO THAT. AND I DID'T REALLY EXPECT TO GET TO DO THAT. DOUGLAS NOLAN: THEY'RE NOT COMPETING FOR THE PATIENTS, THEREFORE WHAT HAPPENS IS THEY GET BETTER ONE-ON-ONE WITH THE PATIENTS; THEY GET TO SEE WHAT THE STANDARD OF CARE IS AND ACTUALLY BE VERY INTEGRATED WITH THE CARE OF THE PATIENTS. IT ALLOWS MORE ONE-ON-ONE TEACHING WITH THE ATTENDING PHYSICIANS ACTUALLY IT MAKES FOR A MUCH BETTER EXPERIENCE, THEY ALSO GET TO SEE THINGS HOW, HOW IT'S DONE WHERE YOU NEED TO TAKE CARE OF THE PATIENT MORE IN THE PRIMARY CARE ROLE INSTEAD OF REFERRING EVERYTHING TO THE SPECIALIST. SO THEY ACTUALLY GET TO BE MORE OF WHAT THEY TRAINED TO BE, AND THAT'S TO BE A VERY COMPETENT PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN. CATHY: AND, A PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN THAT WANTS TO SPEND HIS OR HER CAREER SERVING PATIENTS IN SMALL TOWN OKLAHOMA.